Change is coming to the Sacramento Zoo.
After Jillian, a 4-year-old tiger acquired from the San Francisco Zoo, failed to settle in happily to her new home, the zoo decided the most humane course was to allow her to return to San Francisco to reunite with her mother.
Instead of looking for a replacement tiger, however, the zoo decided to take the opportunity to make a better enclosure for its lions. The adjacent enclosures will be combined to make one larger one, and glass will be installed to allow visitors a closer view, according to zoo spokesperson Laurel Vincent.
Also new to the zoo is Jake, a white-nosed coati, which is a relative in the raccoon family. Jake is not yet on display, but two enclosures are being connected with an overhead tunnel that will allow him to move between them, as well as give visitors a closer look at him.
Other pending changes include the arrival of okapi, members of the giraffe family, and meerkats, small, social animals related to mongoose.
The new additions to the zoo aren't just limited to acquired animals. The zoo has been blessed with a baby red panda and a snow leopard.
The red panda cub, who is only about a week old, is still under constant care in the zoo intensive care unit, Vincent said in an email.
"She is being fed every three hours and guests can sometimes catch a glimpse of her feedings and checkups," she said. "The hope is to put her back with her family unit on exhibit, but that won't be for several months."
The snow leopard cub is also under veterinary care for multiple birth defects, including swimmers syndrome; a condition that affects a young animal's walking ability. The zoo hopes to conduct physical therapy in an exhibit where visitors can watch, but no date has been set for that yet.
With all these additions, come some departures. Most of the hornbills will be moving to another zoo.
