Zoo News

For the first time in its history, the Akron Zoo has welcomed critically endangered red wolf pups. The zoo’s female red wolf, Juno, gave birth to eight pups on Thursday, April 22. The pups father is the zoo’s male red wolf, Waya. 

Four of the pups were designated by the Red Wolf Recovery Plan, a program led by US Fish and Wildlife Services, to be cross fostered to a den in their native habitat, where a native red wolf had recently given birth. The pups, two males and two females, were transported to North Carolina on Saturday, May 1 and USFWS officials successfully introduced the pups to the foster den that day. 

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The Akron Zoo has welcomed two Humboldt penguin chicks. The first penguin chick hatched on March 12 and the second chick hatched on April 5. Each chick is currently inside a burrow with its parents.

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The Akron Zoo has successfully completed its comprehensive capital campaign, ROAR. The campaign reached its goal one year ahead of schedule, raising over $6 million for the Akron Zoo.

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The rare blue American lobster adopted by the Akron Zoo from a Red Lobster restaurant last year will make her public debut at the zoo on Saturday, Feb. 13. Clawdia came to live at the Akron Zoo in July 2020 after restaurant employees at the Cuyahoga Falls location recognized the rarity of the blue shell. Clawdia resides in a habitat in the zoo’s Komodo Kingdom building.

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Issue 47 for the Akron Zoo has passed. The levy supports a .8 mil renewal and a .4 mil increase and will support zoo programs, operations, animal habitats and services to the community over the next 10 years. Summit County voters approved the levy with over 58%. 

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The Akron Zoo has adopted a rare blue American lobster from a Red Lobster restaurant in Cuyahoga Falls after restaurant employees recognized the rarity of the blue shell. 

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The Akron Zoo is delaying the opening of its new area, Lehner Family Foundation Wild Asia, due to the COVID-19 crisis and other factors. Wild Asia was set to open during the summer of 2020. The area will now open in 2021. 

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The Akron Zoo has donated supplies to the Summit County Emergency Management Agency. The zoo donated approx. 1,400 N-95 masks from its emergency stockpile maintained for any possible outbreaks of zoonotic disease. The zoo has also registered its Learn More

For the first time in its history, the Akron Zoo has welcomed a Speke’s gazelle calf. The female calf, named Aluna, was born on Jan. 4 and is doing great.

The calf’s parents are the zoo’s two Speke’s gazelles, female Gambella and male Gondar. The calf is currently residing in the gazelle barn with her mother and will make her public debut once the weather begins to warm up.

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The Akron Zoo is heartbroken to share the passing of its female jaguar, Naom. The zoo’s veterinary care team made the decision to humanely euthanize 18 ½-year-old Naom due to a recent overall decline in her health, along with complications associated with mammary cancer. The median life expectancy for jaguars is 18 years old. 

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