Swing by Brookfield, Lincoln Park to see what's new at the zoos
Just as warmer weather is bringing out the squirrels, rabbits and birds in your neighborhood, plenty of new animals are appearing this spring and summer at the Brookfield and Lincoln Park zoos - from snow monkeys to baby apes to red pandas.
"We're always looking at moving animals in and out to maintain sustainability in North America," said Bill Zeigler, senior vice president of animal programs at Brookfield Zoo. "This year we're in a mode of bringing in a lot of new species from other zoos and opening up a lot of new exhibits. We think it's going to be a great summer."
Opening on July 1, Brookfield's new three-acre Wild Encounters exhibit will showcase red pandas, which have never appeared at the zoo before. The exhibit will also see the return of some favorites that haven't been on display in a while including llamas, reindeer, goats and alpacas.
The Feathers and Scales exhibit will also be expanded to add an aviary devoted to South American birds including the bright colored cock-of-the-rock and taningers, and a pair of blue-billed curassow, a turkey-sized animal that's one of the world's most endangered bird species.
Nine new exhibits have been added to Brookfield's Reptiles and Birds building, with animals including the hellbender, North America's largest salamander, plus the Texas blind salamander and Aruba Island rattlesnake.
Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, visitors to the Brookfield Zoo can catch the new Festival of Flight bird show, which features entirely unrestrained cranes, storks, parrots and birds of prey and covers conservation efforts. "You'll get a chance to see some incredible birds," Zeigler said. "It's just going to be real exciting."
Lincoln Park Zoo has replaced its penguin building with the Regenstein Macaque Forest, which opened on April 2. The state-of-the-art habitat has 10,000 square feet of living space for the eight monkeys it houses and is outfitted with features to keep them comfortable in any climate including a replica of a hot spring, heated rocks, a temperate stream and hidden fans. "They're adaptable to a wide range of temperatures not unlike (those found) in our city of Chicago," said Maureen Leahy, curator of primates.
The monkeys were a good fit for the Lincoln Park Zoo because of its long history in conducting cognitive research on African apes.
"We have a number of built-in research areas, and Lincoln Park Zoo scientists on staff are really going to take a close look at this social species to get a look at what's going on in the minds of these monkeys," Leahy said.
At 11:40 a.m. each day, animals will be able to enter one of two booths where they can use a touch-screen computer to try cognition tests. Correct answers get them a small food reward. Visitors can watch the monkeys while they're in the booth and the monkeys can even see each other, though researchers can make the window between booths opaque to monitor the effect that observing another monkey might have on the test taker. Scientists are also recording how the monkeys interact with each other and their habitat.
Baby apes are sure to be stars at both zoos this spring. A western lowland gorilla was born at Lincoln Park Zoo on Feb. 24 and you can see her clinging to her mother, Bahati, throughout the day, though the gorillas are especially active in the morning. While you're looking for her, you might spot one of the zoo's 2-year-old gorillas doing the same thing - they've been trying to touch her before Bahati can shoo them away. "The kids are excited about this new addition," general curator Dave Bernier said.
Kecil, a one-year-old Bornean orangutan, made his public debut at Brookfield Zoo on April 4. Currently only visible between 10 a.m. and noon on weekends, the baby was brought to Brookfield to be raised by a surrogate mom after he was rejected by his mother at Ohio's Toledo Zoo. The habitat has been adjusted to allow the young orangutan to learn to climb, with more hanging vines added for him to navigate.
The Brookfield Zoo also has some pregnant animals due this spring, including the endangered Grevy's zebra and an okapi, an animal related to the giraffe. And there could be more babies on the way. A pair of sibling Mexican gray wolves that had been on exhibit at Brookfield was released in the southwest as part of a program by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and replaced by a new male and female.
"I don't promise anything but we're beginning to see some interesting behavior where we might get some breeding going on, which is what we were aiming for," Zeigler said.
Also hoping for babies are keepers at The Lincoln Park Zoo, which has had red pandas since they renovated the Kovler Lion House in 2008. They recently moved out their male panda and brought in a pair of new pandas from the Houston Zoo as part of the species' survival plan. This is the time of year that red pandas breed, and the animals have been showing a lot of interest.
"Now that the weather's warming up, the exhibits are getting more populated," Bernier said. "This is a really great time to come out to the zoo before it gets too crowded."
Brookfield Zoo
8400 W. 31st St., Brookfield, (708) 688-8000,
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Admission: $24.95; $16.95 for kids ages 3-11 and seniors
Lincoln Park Zoo2001 N. Clark St., (312) 742-2000,
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily
Admission: Free