From our friends at the zoo:<\/p>\n
”
\nFor Immediate Release
\nContact: Diane Kohout (402) 738-2015
\nZoo Public Relations (402) 980-9285<\/p>\n
Omaha\u2019s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium Reopens
\nLee G. Simmons Aviary at Zoo and Bird Exhibits at Wildlife Safari Park<\/p>\n
Omaha, Neb. (June 24, 2022) \u2013 The Lee G. Simmons Aviary at Omaha\u2019s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium is open to guests today, Friday, June 24, after being closed since March 3, 2022, due to concerns regarding the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) virus. The birds who live at the Lee G. Simmons Wildlife Safari Park have also returned to their outside habitats.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Avian Influenza virus has affected birds all over the country, including millions of chickens in Nebraska and Iowa alone. It was incredibly important that Omaha\u2019s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium make changes to protect our birds from getting infected with Avian influenza,\u201d said Dr. Sarah Woodhouse, Director of Animal Health for Omaha\u2019s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium. \u201cWe are very happy to report that 100 percent of our birds stayed healthy. With the help of Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, we were able to test samples from the wild Canada geese on Zoo grounds, all of which were negative. We feel confident that it is safe to return the birds to their outdoor spaces.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe normally start putting birds out in batches of 20 to 30 in late April and finish by about Mother\u2019s Day weekend, which gives the birds cool nights and light guest traffic during week to acclimate,\u201d said Bob Lastovica, Supervisor of Birds for Omaha\u2019s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium. \u201cThis time, we used the flamingo building to hold over 80 birds over three nights, which allowed them to take their time leaving the building.\u201d Lastovica continued, \u201cWe moved 215 birds into the Aviary over 4 days, plus cranes, storks and pelicans back to their outside exhibits. They were all very excited to be back out on terra firma.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of the Zoo\u2019s employees had a role in protecting our birds, from the bird keepers themselves to the horticulture, facilities, and Education staff,\u201d concluded Dr. Woodhouse, \u201cI am so grateful to the entire Zoo team for their efforts, and we are all excited to welcome guests back to the Zoo and Wildlife Safari Park to bird watch.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aside from the birds returning to the Aviary at the Zoo and Aquarium, including the flamingos, the Dick and Mary Holland Meadowlark Theater has resumed programming, the Budgie Encounter in the Bay Family Children\u2019s Adventure Trails is open, and the peacocks are again wondering Zoo grounds. The American white pelicans in the Pelican Wetlands, the sandhill<\/p>\n
–more–<\/p>\n
cranes and trumpeter swans in Crane Meadows and the chickens at the Hands-on Corral have also returned to their outside areas at the Wildlife Safari Park. The Eagle Aviary is open and the whooping cranes are also outside.<\/p>\n
Consistently ranked as one of the world\u2019s top zoos, Omaha\u2019s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium is an independent not-for-profit organization accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The Zoo is recognized nationally for its conservation, animal care and exhibit design. As a leader in conservation, the Zoo\u2019s Center for Conservation and Research focuses on areas to benefit animal husbandry and species conservation including conservation genetics, conservation medicine, reproductive sciences, and comparative nutrition. More information is available at www.OmahaZoo.com.<\/p>\n
–30–<\/p>\n
“<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
From our friends at the zoo: ” For Immediate Release Contact: Diane Kohout (402) 738-2015 Zoo Public Relations (402) 980-9285 Omaha\u2019s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium Reopens Lee G. Simmons Aviary at Zoo and Bird Exhibits at Wildlife Safari Park Omaha, Neb. (June 24, 2022) \u2013 The Lee G. Simmons Aviary at Omaha\u2019s Henry Doorly … Continue reading Omaha\u2019s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium Reopens Lee G. Simmons Aviary at Zoo and Bird Exhibits at Wildlife Safari Park<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-omaha"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omahanebraska.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5090","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omahanebraska.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omahanebraska.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omahanebraska.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omahanebraska.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5090"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.omahanebraska.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5090\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5092,"href":"https:\/\/www.omahanebraska.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5090\/revisions\/5092"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omahanebraska.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omahanebraska.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omahanebraska.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}