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Plan your next visit to see Maxine, our female dolphin calf born on Dec 16, 2014, to Allie (28). The calf has been very busy getting used to her surroundings, moving back and forth through all of the dolphin habitat, as well as meeting all of the other dolphins in our Seven Seas group. Starting today (June 29), Maxine can be seen at Underwater Viewing at Seven Seas coming and going in the main dolphin habitat. She has achieved many milestones in the past several months and is now developing trusting relationships with many of the Marine Mammal Care Specialists. While still nursing from her mother, she is now consuming small pieces of fish. She will also begin making brief appearances in our Dolphins In Action program. Photo: Maxine (left) with mom Allie (right) #BrookfieldZoo #dolphins #dolphincalf #dolphincare #animalwelfare

#dolphincare #animalwelfare #brookfieldzoo #dolphincalf #dolphins

Read our latest blog post at www.CZS.org/AnimalWelfareBlog on how Brookfield Zoo’s veterinary team cared for gorilla infant Nora (pictured with Dr. Mike Adkesson), who recently became ill with pneumonia. Apes are so closely related to people that they can be susceptible to many of the same illnesses that can make us sick. Nora received special care at the zoo's hospital, including having veterinary staff stay at her side 24 hours a day. This week we had the enormous joy of reintroducing Nora back to her mom Koola and the rest of our gorilla troop. #BrookfieldZoo #animalcare #animalwefare #gorilla #apes #primates

#animalcare #apes #gorilla #brookfieldzoo #animalwefare #primates

Aussie Polar Bear recently turned 30 and Brookfield Zoo’s animal care staff treated him to layers of nutritious ice treats filled with his favorite fruits. The staff also wrote “30” made up of peanut butter on the training window as part of the celebration and enrichment for Aussie. Prior to the celebration, Aussie went rolling in the mud, which is one of his favorite things to do! Visit Aussie in the zoo’s Great Bear Wilderness and learn how you can help with polar bear conservation. #BrookfieldZoo #polarbears #bears #happybirthday

#bears #happybirthday #polarbears #brookfieldzoo

A one-month-old female giant anteater pup hitches a ride on the back of her mom Tulum at Brookfield Zoo. Anteater pups ride on the back of their moms for about the first four months of life. Currently, the two can be seen on Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays in the zoo’s Tropic World: South America exhibit. Conservation actions are important for the survival of this species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the giant anteater as vulnerable in its native habitat of Honduras, Brazil, and northern Argentina. The species’ population is declining because of habitat loss from urban development and farmland, hunting for meat and leather, wildfires, and road kills. Researchers estimate only about 5,000 giant anteaters remain in the wild.

#Brookfield Zoo #anteater #babyanimals #zoobaby #chicago

Giraffe lovers of all ages enjoyed celebrating Potoka Giraffe's 2nd birthday, as well as #WorldGiraffeDay (presented by JobGiraffe®) on Saturday, June 20. Zoogoers decorated pennants, banners, and birthday cards for Potoka and joined staff in a parade that began at the Hamill Family Play Zoo and ended at the giraffe’s outdoor habitat. During the birthday celebration Potoka received a special birthday cake made from his usual diet of fruits and vegetables while guests sing “Happy Birthday” to him. The zoo’s other giraffes also enjoyed the cake! #OperationTwiga ‪#Save_Giraffe ‪#GCF #BrookfieldZoo #Giraffes

#giraffes #operationtwiga #gcf #brookfieldzoo #worldgiraffeday #save_giraffe

Raptors are tricky (looking at you ‪#‎ChrisPratt) but goats are a completely different animal! (Wild Encounters opens July 1) #JurassicZoo ‪#‎ZoorassicWorld ‪#‎JurassicWorld ‪#‎goats ‪#‎PrattKeeping #BrookfieldZoo #WildEncounters

#jurassiczoo #brookfieldzoo #wildencounters

Summer Nights is underway! The evening celebrations feature cool jams from hot bands, great food, and fun activities for the whole family until 9:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays from June 5 through August 8. Visit www.CZS.org/SummerNights for the full schedule of bands, menu and more!

#BROOKFIELD ZOO #summernights #zoo #summer

The new Hamill Family Wild Encounters will feature 25 to 30 Nigerian dwarf goats. Guests are able to touch the goats, as well as groom them with brushes and even feed them (a small fee applies for dispensed grain). Wild Encounters will open on July 1. For more information on the new exhibit, visit www.CZS.org/WildEncounters #BrookfieldZoo #WildEncounters #goats #EnjoyIllinois #cute

#wildencounters #enjoyillinois #brookfieldzoo #goats #cute

The frilled upside down jellyfish in Brookfield Zoo’s Living Coast is so beautiful to photograph! Did you know that they have no eyes, ears, or nervous system? Instead, they have a neutral net, an eyespot used to sense light and dark. #BrookfieldZoo #marinelife #photooftheday #jellyfish #EnjoyIllinois

#enjoyillinois #jellyfish #brookfieldzoo #marinelife #photooftheday

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Feeding friendly: Brookfield Zoo innovations has animals foraging for food

When red pandas go on exhibit for the first time at Brookfield Zoo in July, they’ll be housed around a broad tree that looks like a giant bonsai and has magical qualities.

At semirandom intervals throughout the day, food will drop automatically into stainless steel cups expertly fitted into what look like huge knotholes in the “tree,” a construction of welded metal, plastic mesh and concrete.

The red pandas – telegenic, frequently erect-standing relatives to raccoons, rather than to bears or giant pandas – will learn that the cups sometimes contain food, sometimes not. In this way, the theory goes, they’ll also stay metaphorically on their toes, engaged with their environment and steadily on the hunt for sustenance.

“Now the habitat provides, instead of the keeper,” says Tim Sullivan, the zoo’s curator of behavioral husbandry. “Food can appear, like in the wild.”

Sullivan is helping to lead what he calls a paradigm shift at Brookfield, a revolution in the way its residents eat that is proving to have benefits for guests and animals alike. Instead of the old regimen of keepers delivering food two or three times a day on a set schedule, the zoo is working to propagate semirandom feeding devices throughout its 216-acre property in the near western suburbs. It’s being used in 15 to 20 percent of exhibits now, but the goal is to get to near-blanket coverage within five years.

“My ultimate goal is to get every animal off the feeding plan,” Sullivan says. “The story is always the same: We give the animals something else to do, and they’re more than happy to do it.”

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