Last weekend was our first real taste of spring and not just for the many guests that made their way to the zoo. The warmer temperatures allowed many animals to get outside for the first time since last fall. The giraffes got outside late last week and seemed thrilled to be outside, initially running laps around and around their yard. It was also an opportunity for Keoni, the male, to get reacquainted with Kianga, Amani and Jabari. Additionally, Luke and Leia, the southern ground hornbills were able to make their debut in their enclosure next to the penguins. Speaking of penguins, they too found some relief from the winter by getting outside and soaking up some sun.

This taste of spring has the staff on babywatch over at the Scottish Highland cattle exhibit, as Sage prepares to give birth in the coming days. The lions on the other hand could not wait until spring and the cub that was announced a couple of weeks is still doing well. She may not be on exhibit yet, but it won’t be long. She has been introduced to the rest of the pride, her father Asani and aunt, Tadala. Ilola, her mother, never really started producing milk, so staff has continued the round-the-clock feedings, but there is some light at the end of the tunnel. We are beginning to wean her off the bottle as she is eating more and more solid food. For staff, it seems like she should be much older than she is, but today, Wednesday, 4/17, she will be 6 weeks old. She is getting better about hanging out with the grown-ups, but still needs to get better at following them before she is allowed into the dayroom or especially outside. Staff is working with her to help this along. We are hopeful that she is ready to be on display in the lions’ dayroom in the coming weeks, but a lot of it will be up to her.

It will still be a while before the primates can be moved to their summer enclosures. We will need to wait until the nighttime temperatures are consistently above 40 degrees. While waiting for this, staff will start refurnishing their enclosures with new props and ropes. Most of the new branches and stumps are from the trees removed in Roosevelt Park. With help from Park Maintenance, we plan to open the exhibit mesh to help pull the old branches out to make room to add the new logs and stumps. We are also looking to Maintenance to help get the penguin pool filled for the season. This should occur later this week, but we are waiting to see what the weather is planning to do.

I am beginning to get optimistic about this spring weather. I know it is only mid-April, but all signs are pointing toward the weather staying on a positive trajectory. But if I’ve learned nothing else since my time here it’s that the weather is going to do whatever it wants whenever it wants on the plains of North Dakota.