Tag Archives: Lincoln Park Zoo

New penguin exhibit opening at Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo

Oct 6, 2016 | WLSAM Staff

(CHICAGO) The public is getting its first peek at the penguins returning to Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo.

The zoo is holding a grand opening for the new Robert and Mayari Pritzker Penguin Cove on Thursday. The $7 million exhibit is home to 12 African penguins.

These penguins are native to South Africa and endangered. The zoo says African penguin populations have been decimated by human impacts, including unsustainable fishing, egg-collecting and oil spills.

The new space features a South African landscape, a pool and nesting areas camouflaged within exhibit rockwork.

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Snow monkey at Lincoln Park Zoo names her baby by touchscreen

Apr 23, 2016 | WLS-AM Staff

Snow monkey Izumi and her one-month-old girl, Iwaki. | Christopher Bijalba / Lincoln Park Zoo

(CHICAGO) A snow monkey chose the name for her one-month-old baby this week using a touchscreen computer at the Lincoln Park Zoo.

Izumi, 11, was given two options on the touchscreen computer in the zoo’s state-of-the-art cognition cube at the macaque exhibit, according to a statement from the North Side zoo.

Her choices were Ikoma or Iwaki, both Japanese cities, names chosen to pay homage to the macaques’ native habitat. She chose Iwaki.

The female infant was born March 18, the first of two spring snow monkey births at the zoo. Eleven-year-old Ono gave birth on April 13. The second infant’s gender has not yet been determined.

Izumi, the highest ranking female in the zoo’s snow monkey troupe, is also the most active participant and one of the fastest touchscreen problem-solvers when working with researchers in the cube, according to the zoo.

Both baby snow monkeys are on exhibit daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Regenstein Macaque Forest.

New mom Izumi picked the name Iwaki for her female infant using a touchscreen computer at the Lincoln Park Zoo. | Christopher Bijalba / Lincoln Park Zoo
New mom Izumi picked the name Iwaki for her female infant using a touchscreen computer at the Lincoln Park Zoo. | Christopher Bijalba / Lincoln Park Zoo

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Threatened turtle species reintroduced to natural habitat through Lincoln Park Zoo program

Jun 12, 2015 | WLSAM Staff

(CHICAGO) Eleven ornate box turtles — a Midwest species that has come under threat in recent years — were reintroduced to their native habitats Wednesday thanks to a conservation program at the Lincoln Park Zoo.

A Lincoln Park Zoo program helps increase the population of the ornate box turtle, a threatened species native to Illinois. | Lincoln Park Zoo photo
A Lincoln Park Zoo program helps increase the population of the ornate box turtle, a threatened species native to Illinois. | Lincoln Park Zoo photo

To help the population thrive, ornate box turtle eggs are collected and brought to the North Side zoo where they can incubate and hatch far from the usual threat of coyotes, snakes and raccoons.

When the turtles are about a year old, zoo officials return them to their native habitat in the Upper Missouri River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, according to the zoo.

The 240,000-acre refuge runs along the river bordering Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“Tracking the turtles is an essential part of this population restoration effort,” curator Diane Mulkerin said in a statement released by the zoo. “The GPS signal enables researchers to find not only the turtles, but their nests, so nests can be protected and eggs can be collected for head starting.”All of the turtles have unique markings and radio transmitters to help curators research and track them.

The program hopes to bring 100 more turtles to the habitat by 2020, the zoo said. In addition to the ornate box turtle program, the zoo participates in conservation efforts for other threatened and endangered species, including meadow-jumping mice, smooth green snakes, wolves, swans and other species in Illinois and across the U.S.The 11 turtles reintroduced on Wednesday were released in habitats near Thompson Sand Prairie in Thompson, Ill., and Lost Mound in Savanna, Ill., both of which are within the larger wildlife refuge.

 

The young box turtles are equipped with radio transmitters to help researchers keep track of them. | Lincoln Park Zoo photo
The young box turtles are equipped with radio transmitters to help researchers keep track of them. | Lincoln Park Zoo photo

Ornate box turtle eggs are collected and hatched at the Lincoln Park Zoo, away from potential predators. | Lincoln Park Zoo photo
Ornate box turtle eggs are collected and hatched at the Lincoln Park Zoo, away from potential predators. | Lincoln Park Zoo photo

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Hello, Obu: Lincoln Park Zoo’s newborn snow monkey named after public vote

May 31, 2015 | WLS-AM Staff
Ono, a Japanese Macaque, holds her baby Obu, who was born May 2 and named Friday after a public poll online. | Lincoln Park Zoo
Ono, a Japanese Macaque, holds her baby Obu, who was born May 2 and named Friday after a public poll online. | Lincoln Park Zoo

(Chicago) World, meet Obu.

The name of the first newborn at the Lincoln Park Zoo’s new snow monkey exhibit was announced Friday after roughly 2,100 people voted in an online poll.

Like the other snow monkeys in the group, Obu is named after a city in the species’ native habitat in Japan, according to the zoo’s website.

Osaka came in second in the online poll with 21 percent of the vote. Okuchi followed at 19 percent, Otsu at 16 percent and Obihiro at 6 percent.

His name is also part of a system that curators will use to track future generations of snow monkeys at the zoo.

“Our plan is to have kids’ names start with the first letter of mom’s name,” curator of primates Maureen Leahy said in a post on the zoo’s website. “Matrilines (lines of female descent) are really important in establishing the cool cultures we see in snow monkey troops, behaviors ranging from washing food to warming up in hot springs.”

The baby joins eight other snow monkeys at North Side zoo’s exhibit, which opened in April and features a hot spring, warm rocks and large climbing trees.

Obu and his mother, Ono, can be seen daily at the Regenstein Macaque Forest from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Obu, a snow monkey, was born May 2 and named Friday after a public poll online. | Lincoln Park Zoo
Obu, a snow monkey, was born May 2 and named Friday after a public poll online. | Lincoln Park Zoo

 

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Lincoln Park Zoo wants help naming new baby snow monkey

May 21, 2015 | WLS-AM Staff

 

Japanese macaque Ono and her baby boy, who was born May 2. | © Todd Rosenberg Photography 2015
Japanese macaque Ono and her baby boy, who was born May 2. | © Todd Rosenberg Photography 2015

The Lincoln Park Zoo has opened online voting to choose the name for its newest addition, a baby snow monkey.

The public can choose between five names—Obu, Osaka, Okuchi, Otsu, and Obihiro—for the male monkey born on May 2 to mom Ono, according to the North Side zoo’s website. All of the names were picked by the zoo’s animal care experts and match cities in the Japanese macaques’ native habitat.

It’s not coincidence that all of the names start with “O”—the zoo’s plan is to have all the young monkeys’ names start with the first letter of their mom’s name. According to the zoo, having descendants share a common letter in their names makes them easier to track through the generations.

Though the monkey was born less than three weeks ago, he is “receiving plenty of cuddly care from mom and is even starting to explore a little on his own,” according to the zoo. Both Ono and her infant can be seen daily at the zoo.

You can vote on the name at www.lpzoo.org/snowmonkey. Polls will close and the winning name will be announced Friday, May 29.

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First baby snow monkey born at Lincoln Park Zoo’s newest habitat

May 5, 2015 | WLSAM Staff

(CHICAGO) Lincoln Park Zoo’s new snow monkey exhibit just opened in April, and it’s population has already grown by one.

“We are absolutely elated too announce the first successful Japanese macaque birth here at Regenstein Macaque Forest,” Curator of Primates Maureen Leahy said in a statement Monday. “The baby appears healthy, is regularly nursing and visually exploring the exhibit while clinging tightly on Ono’s torso.”

The newest macaque, a male, was born born Saturday and zoo officials believe it is a male, though 10-year-old mother Ono has not allowed examination. The baby, who keeps a firm hold on his mother, has not been named.

The baby joins eight other snow monkeys at North Side zoo’s newest exhibit, which features a hot spring, stream and various levels, which will create “an ideal environment for the growing snow monkey population,” the zoo statement said. The monkey troop moved into the space last fall.

Ono was recommended for breeding as part of the Japanese Macaque Species Survival Plan, an organization which manages populations in accredited zoos.

“From a research perspective, this is a significant addition to the population,” research scientist Katie Cronin said in the statement. “The new baby will be the first in this population to grow up with access to touch screen computers–a tool that the monkey can decide whether or not to use–so that we can study cognitive abilities and gain a better understanding of how they think and feel.”

The baby can be seen daily, with Ono, at the Regenstein Macaque Forest, open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The new Japanese macaque at Lincoln Park Zoo, an unnamed male, hangs on tightly to mother Ono. | Todd Rosenberg / Lincoln Park Zoo
The new Japanese macaque at Lincoln Park Zoo, an unnamed male, was born May 2, and has not left the arms of mother Ono. | Todd Rosenberg / Lincoln Park Zoo

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First new snow monkey born at Lincoln Park Zoo’s newest habitat

May 4, 2015 | WLS-AM Staff

(CHICAGO) The new Japanese macaque at Lincoln Park Zoo, an unnamed male, was born May 2, and has not left the arms of mother Ono. | Todd Rosenberg / Lincoln Park Zoo

Lincoln Park Zoo’s new snow monkey exhibit just opened in April, and it’s population has already grown by one.

“We are absolutely elated too announce the first successful Japanese macaque birth here at Regenstein Macaque Forest,” Curator of Primates Maureen Leahy said in a statement Monday. “The baby appears healthy, is regularly nursing and visually exploring the exhibit while clinging tightly on Ono’s torso.”

The newest macaque, a male, was born born Saturday and zoo officials believe it is a male, though 10-year-old mother Ono has not allowed examination. The baby, who keeps a firm hold on his mother, has not been named.

The baby joins eight other snow monkeys at North Side zoo’s newest exhibit, which features a hot spring, stream and various levels, which will create “an ideal environment for the growing snow monkey population,” the zoo statement said. The monkey troop moved into the space last fall.

Ono was recommended for breeding as part of the Japanese Macaque Species Survival Plan, an organization which manages populations in accredited zoos.

“From a research perspective, this is a significant addition to the population,” research scientist Katie Cronin said in the statement. “The new baby will be the first in this population to grow up with access to touch screen computers–a tool that the monkey can decide whether or not to use–so that we can study cognitive abilities and gain a better understanding of how they think and feel.”

The baby can be seen daily, with Ono, at the Regenstein Macaque Forest, open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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Lincoln Park Zoo welcomes new red pandas

Feb 13, 2015 |

              Female red panda Leafa chews on bamboo. / Lincoln Park Zoo photo

(CHICAGO) Two new red pandas are cozying up to their new digs at Lincoln Park Zoo, where officials are hoping some love in the air this Valentine’s Day weekend will make sparks fly for the endangered pair.

Leafa, a 5-year-old female, and Phoenix, a 3-year-old male, made their debut last Friday at the Kovler Lion House, according to a zoo statement.

They were brought to Chicago from the Houston Zoo as part of a red panda conservation program. Fewer than 10,000 red pandas exist in the wild, where they are found mostly in the Eastern Himalaya mountain range in China, Bhutan and Nepal, according to the World Wildlife Foundation.

The young couple haven’t produced any offspring yet, but caregivers say Phoenix “is already showing interest” in Leafa as the new breeding season begins, zoo officials said.

Animal matchmakers at the Population Management Center for Zoos and Aquarium — headquartered at Lincoln Park Zoo ­— have made more than 100,000 recommendations since 2000 in an effort to keep zoo populations healthy, officials said.

  

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Two critical after car crashes onto frozen lagoon in Lincoln Park

Jan 19, 2015 |

            Two people were seriously hurt when a car crashed on top of a frozen lagoon early Monday near Lincoln Park Zoo. / photo from Network Video Productions

 

(CHICAGO) A car carrying two people veered off Lake Shore Drive and crashed on top of a frozen pond near Lincoln Park Zoo early Monday.

The crash happened about 1:45 a.m. as a black sedan traveling south in the 2200 block of Lake Shore Drive left the road and rolled onto a pond that was frozen rock-solid, police said.

The mangled vehicle never submerged and rolled over several times before it finally rested on its roof. Bumpers and other car parts littered the frozen pond as rescue workers secured the vehicle and removed the two people trapped inside.

A female was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Hospital and a male was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, police said. Both were in serious-to-critical condition, Chicago Fire Department spokesman Will Knight said.

The car crashed near a portion of Lake Shore Drive with no guard rail. A police official at the scene said the guard rail was likely missing due to a previous crash and never replaced.

Had the pond not been frozen, the car would have submerged at the deeper end of the pond, an official at the scene said.

The police Major Accidents Investigation Unit was called to the scene.

  

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500K guests break record for Lincoln Park Zoo light show

Jan 14, 2015 |

 

(Chicago)  Lincoln Park Zoo hosted more than half a million guests during the 2014-15 season of ZooLights, a new record for the North Side attraction.

The zoo counted 502,000 guests during the 20th anniversary season of the holiday event that features more than 2 million lights, according to a statement from the zoo.

“It’s been incredible watching ZooLights transform from a holiday light spectacular into a multi-generational tradition,” Dana Jussaume, zoo director of sales and events, said in the statement.

“The opportunity to share Lincoln Park Zoo with this many people is the best gift we could have asked for this year,” she added.

If you missed ZooLights but still want to check out the zoo this winter, ice skating remains open on weekends through March 1.

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