The zoo will close early on Friday, August 9, 2024, to accommodate setup for Wild After Hours: Corks for Conservation (18+). The last entry into the grounds will be at 3:00 p.m. and the grounds will begin to be cleared at 4:00 p.m. Thank you for understanding.
Indoor Gorilla Habitat: From July 2 until approximately the end of the month, the western lowland gorilla troop will not be viewable in their indoor African Rainforest habitat while work is done on the viewing windows. The troop will be viewable in their outdoor habitat throughout the project (weather and animal participation permitting). The rest of the African Rainforest building will remain open and accessible throughout the project. Thank you for your understanding.
African Savannah Yard: Hartmann’s mountain zebras and ostriches will be off-view until the end of the year while we complete exciting upgrades in the African Savannah Yard, including the construction of a new Savannah Barn for the animals. Our giraffe tower will continue to be viewable throughout the project. Thank you for your understanding.
Bite-Sized
There’s exciting news in Penguin Plunge! Our Humboldt chick now officially has a name!
We are thrilled to announce that our newest addition has been named ‘Rafael’. This name is a nod to the Laguna San Rafael National Park, which is located on the Pacific coast of Southern Chile. Humboldt penguins are endemic to the warmer climates of Peru and Chile and swim in the chilly Humboldt Current.
At two months old, Rafael weighs 3.5 kilograms and is already losing some of his downy feathers in a juvenile molt, which is called a “fledge”. For Gentoo and Humboldt penguins, this typically happens around three months of age – much sooner than king penguins, which are between eight and eleven months old when they first molt!
Rafael won’t look grown-up quite yet, and for now, he can be identified by his greyish feathers before he takes on his adult ‘tuxedo’ of black and white feathers.
Waddle on over to Penguin Plunge to greet Rafael by name!
Humboldt chick ‘Rafael’
