July is going to be a great month.  Funny thing is I’m not visiting nearly as many zoos as I did in May or June.  It’s going to be great for an entirely different reason – vacations!  For a total of 15 days this month, I’ll be away from home experiencing two vastly different places.

Tomorrow my wife and I are leaving for sunny Jamaica to be a part of my brother’s wedding on July 3rd.  Later this month, we’ll be traveling to mountainous Montana for a week.  More on that later.

While I’m gone, I have a few posts that should pop up and several interviews set to take place once I get back setting up plenty more updates between my two trips.

On a much sadder note, my deepest condolences go out to the Swanagan family in Ohio, as Jeff, Director of the Columbus Zoo past away suddenly last weekend.

See you in a week,

Jon

The Peoria Zoo was not featured in America’s Best Zoos, but a big change has put the small Illinois zoo into national attention this year.  The opening of Africa! on June 6th is by far the largest ever project at the zoo.  Peoria’s director, Yvonne Strode took a few minutes to discuss the new addition and helps familiarize us with the rest of the zoos’ offerings.

Mixing species can bring more active animals

Young playful lions

Mom, wife, aunt. These three lucky ladies joined me in Peoria

Smallest foxes have biggest ears

Mike Crowther, CEO of the Indianapolis Zoo is my latest interview guest.  Komodo dragons dominate the zoo news in Indy, as a pair of the giant lizards are the newest residents, so we talk about the intended visitor impact.  As always we delve into the personal journey to zoo head, and other happenings around Indianapolis including:

• Artificial insemination with African elephants
• Opening of cheetah exhibit next year
• Conservation programs in which Indianapolis participates
• the Indianapolis Prize….and more!

One more thing – maybe it’s because I live 15 minutes from the zoo, but Mike and I went a little longer than normal (55 minutes) with the interview.   That should make up for going 2 weeks without posting an interview.

One of two grizzly cubs orphaned in Alaska now living at Indy

These noisy birds were moved to make room for cheetahs.

Summer time brings three daily opportunities to feed sweet potatoes to giraffes

Lemurs are a conservation focus at Indy

Been traveling quite a bit lately.  Just got a look at two new African savannah exhibits opening early this month – at Fort Wayne and Peoria.  Will be posting pitures and more interviews next week.  Book signing tomorrow from 12-2 at Toledo, stop by if you’re in the neighborhood.  One other note, there have been some updates to the Upcoming Events page, with new zoo visits and book signings added.  Back next week to catch up on missed time!

Randy Wisthoff, Director of the Kansas City Zoo is my guest for interview #4.  KC celebrated its 100th birthday by opening Tropics on May 1st.  Filled with primates from three continents, Tropics has been a huge hit so far.  Randy talks about the components of the newest addition, as well as other events at the zoo.

The book signing on May 31st was the most successful to date, and I had the pleasure of meeting some great KC Zoo supporters and volunteers.  Wildlife photography is a hobby of mine, so it was a treat when several members of the KC Zoo Photo Club stopped by.  The large open exhibits in Africa present numerous opportunities for great photos.  I posted a few of my own below, but their website has many many more.

Unique viewing of otters and gibbons. Visitors can see otters swim underneath the path and gibbons can swing overhead.

Saki monkeys are in the new Tropics building

Kansas City has 6 elephant cows roaming a long expansive exhibit

Hammerkops are one of many bird species in a walk through African aviary

Warthogs have a dry riverbed exhibit in front of a trio of cheetah sisters

Interview #3 is with Mark Reed, Executive Director of the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas. Among other prestigious accolades, Mark is a former President of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and has lead Sedgwick since 1991.  Mark graciously gave me an extensive tour of every part of the zoo, proudly showing off the wonderful place he’s built.  Having never visited before, I was stunned at the animal collection and quality exhibits for lions, tigers, gorillas, penguins, and birds in a 32 year old rain forest.

Memorial Day Weekend is widely considered to be the beginning of “zoo season” and Sedgwick started it off with a bang.  Slawson Family Tiger Trek, opened May 22nd, brought tigers back to the zoo after a 10 plus year gap.  Red pandas and rare Eld’s deer are tiger neighbors.  Trek is another great addition to Sedgwick, a truly amazing zoo in an unlikely place.

Mark and I discuss:

• the unique features of Tiger Trek
• how the economic downturn has affected the zoo
• the importance of community support and how it has led to Sedgwick’s success
• Mark’s involvement in AZA
• future projects at Sedgwick…..and more!

From an elevated boardwalk, visitors can see the larger of the 2 tiger habitats and one for deer

Tigers may be the main attraction, but this red panda has been a huge hit in Wichita

Sedgwick has a long boat ride passing North American and African animals, including this pelican island.

Inside the Jungle, a colony of fruit bats dangles above visitors.

An otter mom was busy teaching her four pups how to swim.

Conveniently located less than a mile off Interstate 44 in Springfield, Missouri, the Dickerson Park Zoo is not only a great stop for weary travelers, but also an excellent AZA accredited institution well worth a visit for any zoo fan.  Featured in the Best of the Rest section of America’s Best Zoos, Dickerson Park has an excellent collection of animals from every major wildlife laden continent.  South America is extensive, so is Africa, but the jewel of the zoo might be the Missouri Habitats.  Well shaded in a broad leaf forest, black bears and coyotes (together in one exhibit), otters, red fox, bobcats, cougars,  timber wolves, deer and turkeys are all here.  Australia and Asian animals are represented too, with the latters elephant herd breeding success making the zoo famous worldwide.

If you want to keep up with events and news, check out the blog – DPZ Blog.

If you Facebook, Twitter, or frequent You Tube, Dickerson Park has an outlet for all three.

Visitors can get close to a pair of cougars in the Missouri Habitats

Musky maned wolves can be smelled from a mile away!

The Diversity of Life building holds the zoo's colorful reptile and amphibian collection

DPZ has a large (and growing) herd of rarely seen Baringo giraffes.