Abilene Zoo Welcomes Variety of New Animals
By: News Release
Updated: June 13, 2012
The Abilene Zoo welcomes a variety of new animals now on exhibit. A ring tailed cat and skunk have made their new home in the Elm Creek Backyard Exhibit and a flock of Cubalaya chickens now call the Abilene Zoo home.
The omnivorous ring tailed cat is a small nocturnal cousin of the raccoon. Look for its considerable tail which helps the cat navigate among ledges and limbs, even allowing it to reverse directions by performing a cartwheel. The ring tailed cat is on exhibit in the nocturnal portion of Elm Creek Back Yard.
A new striped skunk will also call Elm Creek Back Yard home.
"Skunks have not been exhibited at the Abilene Zoo in several years though they're a common sight in the wild," said Zoo Director Bill Gersonde. "Folks actually know little about them but we hope that our guests will spend a some time learning about the good things skunks do like consuming insects and moles."
When a new winter barn for the flamingos was built last year to resemble a Cuban residence, a chicken coop, the new home to a flock of Cubalayan chickens, was built next to the barn. The breed was developed in Cuba when oriental game fowl were brought from the Philippines and were crossed with ornately feathered game fowl of Europe. The Cubalayan chicken is considered a threatened breed by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy.
"The Abilene Zoo not only exhibits threatened and endangered wildlife but we now exhibit threatened domestic animals like the Cubalayan chicken," said Gersonde.
The Abilene Zoo is located at 2070 Zoo Lane and is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, last admission at 4:30 p.m. For more information about the zoo, visit www.abilenezoo.org.
The omnivorous ring tailed cat is a small nocturnal cousin of the raccoon. Look for its considerable tail
A new striped skunk will also call Elm Creek Back Yard home.
"Skunks have not been exhibited at the Abilene Zoo in several years though they're a common sight in the wild," said Zoo Director Bill Gersonde. "Folks actually know little about them but we hope that our guests will spend a some time learning about the good things skunks do like consuming insects and moles."
When a new winter barn for the flamingos was built last year to resemble a Cuban residence, a chicken coop, the new home to a flock of Cubalayan chickens, was built next to the barn. The breed was developed in Cuba when oriental game fowl were brought from the Philippines and were crossed with ornately feathered game fowl of Europe. The Cubalayan chicken is considered a threatened breed by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy.
"The Abilene Zoo not only exhibits threatened and endangered wildlife but we now exhibit threatened domestic animals like the Cubalayan chicken," said Gersonde.
The Abilene Zoo is located at 2070 Zoo Lane and is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, last admission at 4:30 p.m. For more information about the zoo, visit www.abilenezoo.org.
