Menominee Park Zoo Exhibits
Continue to watch for updates on our newest exhibit featuring an American Black Bear!
Since the zoo is only open seasonally, we have the ability for wonderful diversity. Exotic animals from other places can visit here for the summer and go back to their owners at inclement times of the year.
As the Menominee Park Zoo continues to grow and improve, several major exhibits are planned throughout the future expansion. These exhibits will house native species (originally from Wisconsin) and the animals will reside here all year.
Some of our current exhibits include:
Photos courtesy of: Mark Burns
American Black Bear
Mr. Reeves born in January of 2024 in Alaska came to us in November of 2024 from Anchorage Zoo. Black bears are solitary animals except a mom with cubs. They are omnivores and his diet consist of veggies, fruit, fish and dog chow. In the wild he would eat a lot of nuts, berries and fish. They can live up to 30 years in the wild and males can weigh on average 400lbs and females 300lbs. He doesn’t go into hibernation because during colder months he always has access to food unlike in the wild however he goes into torpor which decreases his appetite and activity during the winter.
American Elk
The elk exhibit opened to the public in April of 2007 and originally housed three elk. In 2014 the parks department purchased the elk herd from Glacier ridge Animal Farm in Van Dyne WI. Currently there are 5 elk in the exhibit, 4 females and 1 male. Mama is our oldest elk that came in 2007 when she was 4 years old, in 2009 she gave birth to Lilly and 2014 gave birth to Stella. In 2014 Lilly gave birth to Georgia, our male Elk Mister was acquired in 2009. Georgia was hand raised by staff for the first two months of her life and returned to the herd in the fall. Elk are herbivores eating grass, leaves, shrubs and any other vegetation they find. Male elk can get between 700lbs to 1100lbs and Females 500lbs-600lbs. Males shed there antlers every spring and grow them back by fall for mating season.
African Spurred Tortoise
Dash is our resident African Spurred Tortoise who we acquired in 2000. Dash weighs around 100lbs but can get up to 200lbs in her life time. Spurred tortoises can live up to 150 years old. They are the 3rd largest species of tortoise in the world. They normally live in dry/hot places such as the savannahs/deserts of Africa but can tolerate temperatures as low as 45 degrees Fahrenheit, during winter Dash spends her time inside walking around the building. They are herbivores in the wild they eat a lot of succulent plants for food and also water. Dash gets a hay and leafy greens mixture along with some veggies but during summer she can be seen roaming the zoo and grazing.
Aviary
Bald Eagle
Cayuga is a male bald eagle that came to us in 2021 from Cornell university wildlife health clinic in Ithaca New York. He has been under human care since 2015 due to a gunshot wound that resulted in the partial amputation of his left wing. In 2021 was when the bald eagle exhibit construction was completed. Bald eagles don’t get their white head and tail until they are around 5 years old, so immature bald eagles are all brown. They can weigh anywhere from 6-14lbs with females being larger than males and their wing span can be up to 8ft! they are opportunistic hunters will eat something that’s already dead before trying to hunt mainly eat fish, small mammals, birds and dead carcass such as deer. Cayuga eats around 300 grams daily of fish/rabbit/chicken.
Blue and Gold Macaw
Keyahna was around 6 years old when she came to the zoo in 2012. She is a very social bird and can mimic a few sounds/words such as “step up” “Go” “HI” ‘Good girl” and “meow”. These macaws weigh around 2-3lbs and live in tropical climates such as South America and parts of Brazil.Their feathers are yellow underneath on the wings and on the stomach and their backs are blue with a white featherless face. Macaws face can show excitement/discomfort by turning red. They use their beaks as a “third foot” to help them climb branches and open nuts. They are incredibly destructive birds chewing on trees/bark, when you look at Keyahna’s exhibit, you will see lots of things for her to chew on and play with.
Chinchillas
Felix and Oscar came to the zoo in 2010. On average they live up to 20 years and weigh up to 2lbs. In the wild they can be found in the rocky slopes of South America. Their red blood cells hold more oxygen than any other rodent because of the high altitudes they live in. Primarily herbivores and these two love to eat hay. Chinchillas have the densest fur in all land mammals but is still extremely soft to the touch.
Farm Animals
Hedgehogs
We have two male four-toed Hedgehogs named Huck and Sawyer born only a few weeks apart from each other one in December of 2023 and the other January of 2024. These kinds are the smallest types of hedge hogs and mainly found in Africa but is a well-known domesticated pet. They have spines different from a porcupine quills because they are embedded in the skin and they do not shed them. They are solitary animals and are never housed with another because they get very territorial. Hedgehogs are nocturnal animals so they are up during the night but sleep during the day.
Peafowl
Peafowl are native to India, Sri Lanka , Nepal, and Bangladesh. They live in deciduous forests, scrublands, and semi-desert grasslands. Males are called peacocks, females are peahens, and young known as peachicks. In 1963 the peafowl was declared the national bird of India because of its rich religious and legendary involvement in Indian traditions. The long tail of the adult male is called a train, which can be two thirds of their body length. The fan spread and shaking of the train is a form of courtship.
Red Fox
Mellie came to the zoo in 2020. Joey and Apollo were rescued by Izzy’s Pond animal rehab facility in South Carolina and came to the zoo in 2024. Joy is missing a back leg due to amputation from a previous injury and Apollo has scaring on his nose and teeth missing from injury. Foxes belong to the dog family which includes wolves and coyotes. Females are known as “vixens” and males are called “dogs”.They are omnivores meaning they do eat animals and plants matter. In the wild they would eat rabbits/squirrels/birds and whatever vegetation is available to them. Foxes are solitary animals except a mother with young which will stay with them until fall of that year. They can weigh from 6lbs to 15lbs and can jump up to 6 feet high!
Ring Neck Pheasant
Ring neck pheasant are a popular game bird in Wisconsin, but are not native to the area. Pheasant are an introduced species that was brought to the U.S. from Asia in the 1880’s. Pheasant are ground nesting birds found in open fields, weedy roadsides, across the U.S. and southern Canada. The pheasant populations in Wisconsin were self- sustaining into the 1940’s. Populations declined when habitat availability decreased because of changing agricultural practices, and urbanization. In order to meet hunting demands, state game farms produce chicks that are released on state lands and harvested during the fall hunting season.
Rio Grande Turkey
Wild turkeys’ range across the U.S. but there are different subspecies, the eastern wild turkey is native to Wisconsin, while the Rio Grande subspecies live in western Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Mexico. Rio Grande turkeys are characterized by light tan colored tips on their tail feathers with more white and less black on their wing feathers. Adult males weigh around 20 pounds and females weigh8-12 pounds.
River Otters
The river otter exhibit opened at the zoo in may of 2013. Our otter Shirley came to the zoo in 2013 at about 2-3 years old. Otters are solitary animals besides a mom with young, so they prefer to be by themselves. Shirley like most otters loves to eat fish, in the wild they would eat minnows, bass, perch and even some frogs. Can live 8-15 years in the wild and up to 20 years in captivity. They can hold there breath up to 8 minutes when needed for hunting or getting away from predators. They can have up to a million hairs per square inch which is what makes them water repellant.
Russian Tortoise
Nadia came to the zoo in 2008 and Roman was acquired in 2011, they are full grown adults. These Tortoises are the most common turtle pet but they are found native to warm dry/sandy places such as Pakistan,afghanstan, iran and Uzbekistan. They can live up to 50 years old. Females are larger than males and males have longer tails and nails so its easy to tell these two apart!
Skunks
Pork came to the zoo in 2019. In the wild thye live up to 7 years and in captivity about 10 years. They are omnivores eating insects and small animals along with a variety of produce such as apples, carrots and celery. Skunks do spray a musk to deter predators but before they do that, they give warning gestures like stomping feet, raising tail and hissing.
Turkey Vulture
Zeke came to the zoo in 2002, he was unreleaseable due to a permanent wing injury. Turkey vultures are migratory birds and spend their summers in Wisconsin soaring above fields. They can live up to 45 years old in captivity. Turkey vultures are the only bird of prey that hunt by smell as you can see by their larger nostrils, those nostrils are made to scavenge for dead carcass which is mainly what they eat. They have feet similar to a chicken so they don’t hunt for their food at all. To keep predators away they vomit. In hot and humid climates they also defecate on their feet to stay cool.
White Albino Raccoon
She is our female raccoon that is albino. Came to the zoo in 2020 at 2 years old. She has albinism which is a genetic condition characterized by the inability to produce melanin which is why she is white with red eyes rather than grey and black. Life span in the wild is 2-3 years in captivity is around 20 years. They are omnivores eating fruits, veggies, rabbits, birds and eggs. Racoons are nocturnal animals so they hunt and eat at night and sleep during the day so that’s why most of the time when you see Audrey she is normally sleeping on her logs.
Wolves
The zoo has two wolves that came here in 2020 Loki and Freya. Both are very energetic dogs that can be seen running around their exhibit. Grey wolves can come in many different colors and sizes can weigh from 40-140lbs. In the wild they can eat rabbit, beaver, squirrels, moose and deer. Wolves are a natural part of the Wisconsin ecosystem and play an important role in maintaining biological diversity in the region. The wolf population has recovered in the state. Before human settlement wolf populations in Wisconsin were estimated 3000-5000 that lived in the state. By 1900 wolves were extirpated from the southern two thirds of the state and we extinct by 1960. Humans and wolves are in perceived conflict due to depredation of live stock and game animals. Wolves do not have detrimental impact on deer populations because they primarily feed on week herd members that would like die of natural causes.
