Everyone loves babies, and you’ll be able to see several little ones of the animal variety this season! There is tons of new life in many of the zoo exhibits, and we are excited for all of our visitors to see the new baby animals.
At least 3 joeys will make their zoo debut this Spring!
The kangaroo yard is home to at least three joeys this year. “Two of the joeys are now completely out of the pouch,” says zoo keeper Kierra Klein. “The other joey is just peeking its head out of the pouch.” These three joeys were born last year, but they are just now ready to make their Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo debut!
Eastern grey kangaroos are marsupials – their young are born in a highly undeveloped state and remain in the pouch for several months. Keepers look for telltale wiggling of a growing joey in a female’s pouch to know that a baby is on board.
Say hello to Orion, the new baby swamp monkey in the African Journey!
Over in the African Journey, there is also new life to be celebrated! Two baby monkeys were recently born in the area. Orion, a swamp monkey, was born on November 1. Orion joins his three siblings Anderson, Luella, and Izzy in the exhibit, and the four youngsters should provide plenty of activity this season.
Kaasidy the colobus monkey was born in September. Due to construction in the African Village, you won’t be able to see her for a few weeks while the colobus monkey exhibit is rebuilt in a new location in the African Village.
Watch for more zoo babies throughout the season as our zoo family continues to grow! Learn more at www.kidszoo.org!
Home to 1,500 animals from lemurs to lions, the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo draws more than 500,000 visitors every year. The zoo is consistently named one of the nation’s “Top Ten Zoos for Kids” by national media outlets. Visit the zoo's website at www.kidszoo.org, or follow on them on Facebook (www.facebook.com/kidszoo) or Twitter (www.twitter.com/fwkidszoo) to learn more.
What do dogs really want when they’re whining and barking? Are chimpanzees as smart as humans? How are birds so resourceful?
Starting April 19, Science Central will try to answer all of these burning questions and more with their new exhibit, Wild Minds: What Animals Really Think. This traveling exhibit will shed light on some of the cognitive skills many species demonstrate, that have long been thought to be unique to humans. Using a variety of videos, games and displays, Wild Minds will show visitors how different animal environments have shaped thinking abilities and explore evolutionary links between humans and animals.
The exhibit will feature the opportunity to use your own brain power to look into the minds of some of your favorite animals. You can examine brains from a parrot, dog, chimpanzee, dolphin and human to compare animal brains and human brains by thought and complexity. Put on your thinking cap to think about how you would get a peanut out of a tube, and then watch a video comparing how children and apes did when faced with the same problem. If you’ve always wondered what your furry friend really wants when they’re barking, listen to a variety of different dog barks and try to determine what the dog is really communicating.
The fun doesn’t end there! There will be a number of other stations where parents and kids alike can look into the minds of some of the worlds smartest animals, and see just what happens when the wheels start turning.
What do octopi really think about?
Wild Minds will be featured at Science Central from April 19 until September 8 – a great time to take the kids to the zoo, then head to Science Central to learn more about the animals they just saw!
Science Central is open Wednesday through Friday 10-4, Saturday from 10-5 and Sunday 12-5 until June 11 when summer hours kick in. Admission is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors (65+), free for children 2 and under and free for members.
Katie Crabill joined the Visit Fort Wayne staff in March 2013 as a Marketing Assistant. She recently graduated from Ball State University with a degree in public relations. Katie is a Fort Wayne native and enjoys exploring the city when she can. She is a coffee junkie and is often found with her coffee cup in hand. She enjoys baking, and is especially fond of cupcakes. In her spare time Katie enjoys shopping, curling up with a good book, spending time with friends and family, relaxing with her fiancé Joseph, and playing with her adorable Shih Tzu, Gidget.
Get ready to be greeted by some new faces, mixed in with old favorites! From the African Village, to the Big Red Barn, it’s been an exciting winter and the zoo is excited to introduce our new animals to you!
Tigers Indah and Bugara will make their Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo debut on opening day!
Over in the African Village, look for Zoya, a new companion for our male Amur Leopard, Rowdy. Zoya was born at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, New York and came to us from the Bronx Zoo in January. Amur Leopards are one of the most critically endangered mammals on Earth. There are fewer than 30 of these magnificent cats out in the wild.
In our Big Red Barn at the Indiana Family Farm, we are happy to introduce Sonya, a miniature donkey. She will join Sarah, out foal born in September. Miniature donkeys are happiest when they are paired with another critter, so the keepers and Sarah are very pleased with the new arrangement!
Some of our most buzzed about new additions are Sumatran tigers Indah and Bugara. They arrived at the Children’s Zoo from Camaron Park Zoo in Waco, Texas in February. The one-and-a-half year old siblings were rejected by their mother and were hand reared by the Cameron Park Zoo staff. They are expected to be a big hit with zoo guests. There are fewer than 400 Sumatran tigers remaining in the wild and less than 200 live in zoos.
With all of our new additions, there are some old faces that went on to other zoos during the off-season.
Wattled cranes are one of 15 endangered species managed by a Species Survival Plan at the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo.
Amur leopards and Sumatran tigers are among the world’s most endangered felines, and the zoo participates in Species Survival Plans (SSPs) for each species. SSPs are cooperative breeding and conservation programs designed to maintain genetically viable populations of animals in captivity and to organize efforts to preserve the species in nature.
This often means moving animals from one zoo to another to find the perfect genetic “match” and optimizing opportunities for breeding. To make room for our new arrivals, tigers Teddy and Kemala, along with leopard Sofiya moved to other zoos. In their new homes, the cats are paired with potential mates in hopes of producing babies to boost the population.
The zoo participates in 15 SSP programs, protecting rare birds, mammals, and reptiles from around the world.
Learn more and plan your visit online! We’ll see you at the zoo!
Home to 1,500 animals from lemurs to lions, the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo draws more than 500,000 visitors every year. The zoo is consistently named one of the nation’s “Top Ten Zoos for Kids” by national media outlets. Visit the zoo's website at www.kidszoo.org, or follow on them on Facebook (www.facebook.com/kidszoo) or Twitter (www.twitter.com/fwkidszoo) to learn more.
This post is part of a series highlighting the Your Story. Made Here. videos recently produced by the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership. These videos share the stories of Northeast Indiana, and our many strengths. Click here to view the rest of the series.
My mom loves giraffes. You can entertain my mom by taking her to any zoo around the country, and she’s been to several. She’s a little bit of a zoo expert, so when she comes to visit we always take a trip to the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo. What does she love about our zoo and why is it a must see when she visits? “I have to go feed my giraffes,” was her answer. Feeding the giraffes is a fan favorite at our zoo. You can literally feed them right from your hand. It’s an experience she’s not had at any other zoos. She also loves the variety, the walkability of the zoo, the cleanliness, and how well maintained the zoo is.
Susie Wayne stops by the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo to feed the giraffes every time she visits Fort Wayne.
When the zoo opened in 1965 it was one of the few self-supporting zoos, earning all of its revenue from admissions, rides, and concessions. In 1966, the Fort Wayne Zoological Society was established as a nonprofit organization to assist in the development and growth of the zoo. The zoo credits strong community support for being an integral to their success and ability to grow into the world-class zoological facility they are today.
The Children’s Zoo is credited for bringing a large amount of national attention to Fort Wayne. It’s 2009 grand opening of the African Journey exhibit prompted Parents magazine to name it “One of the Top 10 Zoos for Kids.” The zoo has also been recognized in the national media thanks to The New York Times, Child Magazine, and ABC’s Good Morning America.
The zoo is really for kids of all ages. Whether you’re 6 or 60, you’ll enjoy the zoo. As you heard in the video, the zoo is for more than just families with small children. People of all ages go to the zoo to enjoy the outdoors, get up close with the animals, and learn a little something along the way. Singles, couples, and families alike enjoy this treasure. In fact, my parents met my then boyfriend (now husband) for the first time during one of our family zoo outings. A fun outing at the zoo seemed like the perfect way to keep conversation going and keep him from feeling like he was being interrogated by my parents. It worked and we had a great day! While he didn’t propose at the zoo, like so many have, it holds a special place in our hearts.
While feeding the giraffes is a family favorite of ours there are many other highlights you’ll want to check out while you’re there. The Walkabout Aviary, the California Sea Lions, and the world class African Journey are some local favorites. There are some traditional pics you’ll want to snap while your there too such as sitting on top of the zoo sign at the entrance, as a passenger on the train, drinking from the lion’s mouth water fountain, riding on the sky safari, and sitting with orangutan statue.
The classic Children’s Zoo pic with the orangutan statue
The zoo will open for the season on April 20, 2013 with a $13.50 admission fee for adults, $8.50 for children ages 2-14, and $10.50 for seniors. You might also want to consider becoming a zoo member. Your membership will not only be a great value to you as a frequent visitor but will allow you admission to more than 140 zoos throughout North America.
Michelle Merritt moved to Fort Wayne in 2008 and has found it to be one of the most warm and welcoming cities she's ever lived or worked in. She and her husband Jason live and work in downtown Fort Wayne. Together they are blending their big city urban experiences into life in America's biggest small town. Michelle writes and manages The Momish Blog and the Merrfeld Manor Blog. She is also a contributor to Moms Fort Wayne and The Paperblog where she writes about the joys and challenges of step parenting. Michelle also works as a professional career coach and recruiter.
The Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo has hosted countless visitors, but last fall they hosted a very special one – National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore.
A black stork enjoys his celebrity.
Satore visited the zoo to photograph some of their most unusual species for his Photo Ark project. Sartore’s main goal was to photograph honey badgers, which are rare in zoos. While in town, he also snapped the blue-crowned hanging parrots, hunting cissas, black storks, Ruppell’s griffon vultures, banded mongoose, wildebeest, and other species.
Sartore photographs each species on a black or white background, which provides a stark contrast for the complex beauty of each animal. In the photograph featured, Sartore is photographing one of the black storks in a special white tent made especially for this project.
Nearly half of the world’s fauna are threatened with extinction on some level. Sartore hopes his Photo Ark will one day hold images of all species present in North American zoos, documenting them before they disappear. About 2,400 species have been photographed so far. We’re honored to be part of this educational and inspiring project.
Find out more about the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo and their upcoming exhibits and events – and join them when the zoo opens for the season on April 20!
Home to 1,500 animals from lemurs to lions, the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo draws more than 500,000 visitors every year. The zoo is consistently named one of the nation’s “Top Ten Zoos for Kids” by national media outlets. Visit the zoo's website at www.kidszoo.org, or follow on them on Facebook (www.facebook.com/kidszoo) or Twitter (www.twitter.com/fwkidszoo) to learn more.
What do dogs really want when they’re whining and barking? Are chimpanzees as smart as humans? How are birds so resourceful?
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