Phillips Park Zoo in Aurora works with newly-founded foundation to purchase porcupines

Some future residents of the Phillips Park Zoo in Aurora could be as big as a medium-sized dog and have thick, sharp quills.

The zoo and its new supporting organization, the Phillips Park Foundation, are partnering to raise funds for the zoo to acquire two African crested porcupines, according to a Phillips Park Foundation press release.

Zoo and foundation officials plan to provide more information on the campaign and accept donations at the upcoming Oktoberfest celebration on Oct. 10 at Phillips Park.

The partnership concerning the porcupines marks one of the foundation’s first initiatives since its founding in April, said Cheryl Vonhoff, foundation secretary.

Vonhoff said the foundation was initially the idea of Ald. Ted Mesiacos, 3rd Ward, and Ron Moses, who grew up in a cottage in Phillips Park.

Moses’ father served as superintendent of city parks for more than six decades, and his grandfather was a caretaker of the city park system in the early 20th century.

The foundation aims to create renewed interest in Phillips Park, raise funding, promote and enhance the park, and further its historic status, Vonhoff said.

Improving the zoo is the foundation’s first focus, especially the zoo’s bathrooms, Vonhoff said.

“We’re all still very excited about where we’re going to be able to take the foundation, and this is just our first endeavor to do something,” she said.

As for the porcupines, zoo manager Anna Borozenets suggested purchasing the animals, and the foundation board voted in favor of the idea, Vonhoff said.

“The zoo, over time, you know, they need to be kind of re-energized continually, and they need some new animals, so we came up with this idea,” she said. “The porcupines … are kind of cute in a strange way.”

Borozenets said she had been considering bringing porcupines to the zoo since she began her role as manager in 2023. She said she already has an exhibit space that could work for the porcupines.

The porcupines would cost between $1,000 and $1,500 each, she said. She was unsure where they would be purchased from.

“I think that they’d be a really fun, dynamic animal to have within our collection, provide some really great educational opportunities, but also I think they would fit into our existing grounds really well and our ability to care for them,” Borozenets said.

Although African crested porcupines are not endangered, they are facing some threats to their survival due to habitat loss and hunting, said Borozenets.

African crested porcupines are very different than North American porcupines, Borozenets said.

“We’re trying to give the opportunity for people to see animals they may not see at every zoo,” she said. “One of the best things about Phillips Park is that it is so loved by the community, and it’s really easy for local residents to take a walk and learn a little bit about these animals.”

Borozenets said the foundation is especially important because the zoo is municipally operated and not a nonprofit, which disqualifies the zoo for some grants.

Vonhoff said she hopes that fundraising for new animals at the zoo can become an annual tradition.

The foundation also plans to improve the playground, gardens, picnic areas and other sections of the park, along with the quality of animal care at the zoo, educational outreach and visitor experience, according to the foundation’s statement of purpose.

To accomplish those goals, foundation officials plan to seek federal, state and local grants and establish partnerships with businesses, governments and civic organizations.

The foundation’s board includes Bill Donnell as president, Ron Moses as vice president, Mike Baum as treasurer, Vonhoff, Scott McCleary, Chuck Nelson and John Savage, said Vonhoff.

Although Mesiacos is not an official foundation member, Vonhoff said he was “one of the main drivers of its formation” and that he dedicated some of his ward funds to the foundation.

Phillips Park is an almost 400-acre park named for Travis Phillips, mayor of Aurora in 1881, who devised funding to purchase a forest on the East Side of Aurora, according to the foundation’s bylaws.

That forest was turned into a public park in 1910, when George F. Moses, a former English landscaper, was selected to supervise the creation of a park, according to the foundation.

Following the park’s creation, the zoo was established in 1915, the golf course in 1926, the Sunken Garden in 1939, and the waterfall and flowered boulevard in 1959, according to the foundation.

awright@chicagotribune.com