Submitted Photo Asani, Roosevelt Park Zoo’s male African lion, and his cub are in the dayroom.

It seems to be a common thread across the zoo’s campus and in this weekly article, but it is difficult to talk about the zoo without discussing how busy things are and the exciting changes we have in store. Now that the worst of winter is behind us, hopefully, the zoo is looking to this upcoming season. Most difficult perhaps is that moving forward we will have to take it on a day-to-day basis as opposed to planning our activities for an entire season.

Last week’s cold wind on Thursday might have kept guests away, but didn’t stop one of the zoo’s female bison from giving birth. The calf was born midmorning; it was up and nursing in no time. Not to be outdone, Sage, the female Scottish Highland, gave birth around 2:30 p.m., and was up and nursing within 15 minutes. Spring across the zoo can be a magical time as we watch life begin anew. I’ve seen trees beginning to bud out and despite the wind, last week’s rain has the grass beginning to green. It truly is an awakening of nature that seems to renew hope for the future.

The lion cub turned 6-weeks-old last Thursday. She has periodically been on display with the rest of her pride in the lion dayroom and will be receiving her official name in the coming weeks. Staff will start introducing her to the exhibit slowly to get her accustomed to the new expanse before she ventures out with the pride on her own. She is getting along great with her father, Asani, and has learned to stay near Asani when her aunt, Tadala, gets too rough. He quiets things down quickly.

The warmer weather has allowed animals, secured for the winter, access to their enclosures such as the ground hornbills, African penguins, and the giraffe herd. Staff are looking forward to filling the penguin pool this week, allowing them the opportunity to spread their wings and do some deep dives. Their indoor pool provides a small amount of exercise, but once they have access to the outside pool, the fun really begins.

The giraffes have been able to get outside on and off the past several weeks, but nothing consistent. Soon they will be outdoors daily and enjoying a new space for the upcoming season. They will be off exhibit toward the end of this week as Dakota Fence begins installing a new fence to guide them to the old zebra exhibit and away from the coming African Plains Building construction. There they will have a litany of browse to feed on as the trees begin to leaf out. Park Maintenance has already removed the zebra fencing and created a transition between the two exhibits. Prior to Wednesday, they will remove a portion of the exhibit fence to open the space for the new exhibit fence to pass through.

The days, weeks and months ahead will be filled with excitement, curiosity, and I’m sure a little frustration as we embark on this transformational season ahead. Communication will be the key as we move forward toward so many good things ahead.