Guests at the Miller Park Zoo have a new exhibit to explore.
Friday was the first chance for animal lovers to meet Puddles the Chilean pudu (a type of deer) and Chili the giant anteater, part of the new South America habitats and building.
The project cost over $1.1 million and was funded by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the Miller Park Zoological Society and the Ewing Zoo Foundation. Both species are native to South America, so despite construction being completed in April, it took some landscaping work and quarantine for the newcomers to be ready to be outside.
“Even though (Puddles) is pretty bold for a deer, she’s still a deer,” said Jay Pratte, Miller Park Zoo director. He added that she will still retain some of the freeze-prone habits her species is known for, but now she will know that her new habitat is a safe space. “We did try to create those opportunities out here, as the vegetation grows there will be more but with the hollow logs, the little shade pockets, we tried to create as many of those options as we could.”
Another challenge facing zoologists as they introduce the animals to a new region is that Illinois weather does not always line up with what is expected of their native habitat.
“They’re certainly not used to minus-40 like we had last winter,” said Pearl Yusuf, general curator of the zoo. “About 45 or 40 we’re going to see if they’re comfortable out there or if they’d rather come inside where it’s warmer.”
Both species were part of a Species Survival Plan (SSP), which is a national collaborative between zoos that are members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The program tracks each individual animal within the program, and then decides where that animal is most needed and which others they can match up with.
Chili is already being matched up through the SSP, and Yusuf hopes that the official news will be coming soon. As for Puddles, at age 9 she is not necessarily post-reproductive, but still not likely to be the first choice over other younger options. However, Puddles has had two other does at a previous zoo.
The City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation forestry division was in charge of landscaping for the project. Throughout the new area, all of the trees are newly planted and all the rocks were hauled into the exhibit by them.
“They were really gracious and fit in as much as they could timewise for planting,” said Pratte.
