Zoo News

The Akron Zoo has been nationally recognized by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) for excellence in marketing and excellence in diversity. 

The Akron Zoo is sad to announce the death of their 14-year-old female golden lion tamarin, Ana. Ana was humanely euthanized on Thursday, Sept. 27. Ana has been treated for age-related illnesses such as cataracts, and most recently, chronic pneumonia. The latter caused severe breathing issues. After Ana stopped responding to treatment, the veterinary staff made the decision to humanely euthanize her.

Students from Kenmore-Garfield High School have created a piece of art created from upcycled materials after being approached by the Akron Zoo with the idea for the project. The piece, which is an otter, was a collaboration of students grades 9th – 12th, including students from the multiple disabilities unit.

On Friday, Aug. 24, the Akron Zoo revealed the names for its new babies. The male penguin chick will be named Rico, which means “brave ruler” in Spanish. The female musk deer fawn’s name is Alina (a-lee-nah), which means “beautiful” in Russian. 

The Humboldt penguin chick is now out in the penguin habitat daily. The chick, who hatched on June 1, needed to eat on his own, molt his down feathers and pass a series of swim tests before joining the remainder of the penguin colony. 

The Siberian musk deer fawn is now out in the musk deer habitat daily. The fawn was born on June 13 and has been bonding with her mother, Anastasia, in their inside habitat. The female fawn currently weighs approx. six pounds. At birth, she weighed approx. 1 ½ pounds. 

The Akron Zoo has welcomed two babies, a penguin chick and musk deer fawn, this summer and is looking to the public to help select their names. The “Oh Deer! Waddle We Name Them?” naming contest, sponsored by Akron Children’s Hospital, starts on Tuesday, July 24 and runs through Wednesday, Aug. 8 at noon. People can choose one of five names for each animal and the name with the most votes will be selected for each baby. Voting is available at akronzoo.org/naming-contest.

For the first time, a Siberian musk deer has been born at the Akron Zoo. The female fawn was born on June 13, and currently is off exhibit with her mother, Anastasia. Father, Vlad, is on exhibit daily. The fawn is expected to make her public debut in the next couple weeks.

A Humboldt penguin chick hatched at the Akron Zoo on June 1. The male chick is currently inside his burrow with parents, Pez and Gabriella, and is expected to be on exhibit later this summer. 

Before venturing out into the penguin habitat, the chick needs to eat on his own and to pass a swim test. The zoo plans to share updates on the chick regularly on social media as the chick grows and prepares to make his public debut. Currently, the chick weighs 3 ¾ pounds. At birth, the chick weighed around a quarter of a pound. 

The Akron Zoo recently welcomed a new species, Siberian musk deer, now on exhibit. The two musk deer arrived from the Bronx Zoo in New York. The male deer, named Vlad, is three years old and was born on June 10, 2015. The female, Anastasia, is also three years old and was born on June 26, 2015.