Rest in Peace Gordy

The Como Zoo lost a wonderful animal last week when Gordy the gorilla died unexpectedly. Gordy was 23 years old. The morning of 19 April, he was acting normal, eating his breakfast in holding while the primate keepers cleaned the gorilla exhibit. After a routine weekly meeting with our veterinarian, zoo keepers went to let the animals into their exhibits when they found Gordy unresponsive. Attempts at CPR, an injection of epinephrine, and the application of an AED (automated electronic defibrulator) all proved unsuccessful to revive Gordy. He was taken to the University of Minnesota for a necropsy to determine the cause of death and results are still pending. The remaining gorillas are doing well although they have been looking for Gordy. The zoo keepers are still in shock from the loss.

long time no blog

Things have been busy here at Como Zoo for the past few months and it seems it will only get busier. After a long, cold winter, Spring rushed in and visitors have been enjoying the early start to the warm weather. The zoo keepers are busy cleaning up the outdoor displays and the animals appear eager to get outside. The gorillas have already been enjoying the sunshine in their outdoor display, but the orangutans have yet to venture out due to overnight temps that are still a bit too cold. The hoof stock animals should be going out in the next few weeks as the overnight temperatures continue to climb.

Seal Island is filled and as soon as we get the go ahead that all systems are running correctly, we will be putting a new sea lion out there to explore before we introduce her to the rest of the island inhabitants. Hailing from California, this little female was a victim of a shark attack and was brought into the Marine Mammal Care Center at Fort MacArthur for rehabilitation. Veterinarians there deemed her unreleasable due to some damage in the bones of her flippers and Como Zoo was happy to add her to our collection. She is a curious little girl and seems to enjoy watching her trainers prepare her fish before training sessions and wants to know what is on the other side of the quarantine doors. Look for her on Seal Island in the next week or so. She'll be the only one out there and will be exploring every nook and cranny.