GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids invited the community to its opening day, which included the opportunity to meet a new member of the chimpanzee troop, along with other new animals.
The zoo opened Friday for its 133rd season, bringing in new animals and exciting events centered around supporting the conservation of wildlife and wild places.
“We are very excited to welcome the community back to the zoo for the 2024 season,” JBZ CEO Peter D’Arienzo said. “We hope families can create lasting memories and learn about conservation during their visit and engage with our new zoo residents and events. There is so much to look forward to this year.”
The zoo’s chimpanzee troop gained a new member, Zuhura, which means “morning star.”
The 10-year-old chimpanzee came to John Ball Zoo from the Detroit Zoo – a move recommended by experts at the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) to benefit Zu’s social needs, as well as those of JBZ’s troop.
“She came as a ten-year-old chimp and, as a female…in the wild, they would kind of start looking for a new troop, so this is kind of a natural move for her,” zookeeper Tyler Stinchcomb explained. “We welcome her here, and she’s doing really well with our troop.”
“She’s a really social and really curious chimp. So, right now, like, she is really interested in people and interested in what we’re doing,” Stinchcomb said about Zu. “She’s big into the others that we have, too. So, she’s gonna be the chimp – if you ever see chimps grooming each other – ZuZu will probably be in the mix grooming.”
The zoo also welcome four male Chacoan peccaries, a pig-like endangered species native to the Gran Chaco, a hot and dry plain in Paraguay.
John Ball Zoo additionally welcomed back Titan, an Amur tiger from Toledo Zoo, at the recommendation of AZA.
Titan will be part of a breeding pair.
Plus, John Ball Zoo welcomed three San Clemente Island goats to the improved Red’s Hobby Farm.
The zoo completed the renovations during the off-season to make the space a more dynamic environment for the animals, including new climbing structures for animal enrichment and extended fencing to give Pumpkin, the Dwarf Highland cow, more room.
New this season, John Ball Zoo will feature Wild Explorer – an educational experience that uses fully immersive virtual reality technology so guests can get closer than ever to gorillas in the jungle and understand them in their natural habitats.
This experience features a 360-degree, live action film with motion platform seating, and will stay at the zoo for a minimum of three years.
John Ball Zoo is open 10 a.m.- 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. on weekends, through the month of March.
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