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The Red River Zoo will be extending its hours during Christmas Break. The Zoo will be open every day the week of December 26-30th and will be offering FREE CHILDRENS ADMISSION. Hours of operation are 10 am to 5 pm.
The Zoo is open year round, however hours are cut back to weekends only in the winter months. Take advantage of the great weather and come to the Zoo!
The Red River Zoo is a leading breeder of some of the world’s rarest cold climate species, many of which are more active this time of year!
The Red River Zoo is proud to announce the birth of a Muntjac Fawn.
Muntjac are some of the world’s oldest and smallest deer. Native to Northern China, Muntjac males have antlers and tusks which are used to fight for territory.
The Red River Zoo has successfully bred Muntjac to help create greater genetic diversity for the captive population in North America. Once old enough, the offspring are sent to other zoos to help with their breeding programs.
The female fawn was born Friday, November 25th and is on exhibit with her parents in the Rotary Wings over Asia Aviary. The Red River Zoo is open on weekends during the winter from 10 am to 5 pm. We invite you to join us in welcoming this new addition to the Zoo!
The Red River Zoo is pleased to once again announce the birth of three Chinese red panda cubs. One female and two male cubs were born on Monday, June 20th. This is the second time in three years that the Red River Zoo has had triplets born, which are very rare.
The cubs were born to Wei Da, one of the females from the litter of triplets in 2009, and Rusty, a male that is here on a breeding loan from the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Wei Da, Rusty, and the triplets are in a breeding facility in the southeast part of the Zoo.
At birth, each of the cubs weighed in around 130 grams. They are now six weeks old and are roughly 450 grams each or about 1 pound. Wei Da has been an excellent first-time mom, especially with so many cubs.
The Red River Zoo is extremely proud of this birth, proving it continues to be a major player in the conservation of Chinese red pandas. The Zoo first started producing red panda cubs in 2000 when Liwu was born. A total of 11 cubs have now been born in Fargo, North Dakota, and this is the first time a “Red River Zoo cub” has had babies! Leafa, Wei Da’s littermate who is now at the NEW Zoo in Wisconsin, also had a cub this year, further showing what a critical role the Red River Zoo plays in the ongoing breeding program for the red pandas. Chinese red pandas are endangered due to major habitat loss.
With the addition of the three cubs, the Red River Zoo is now home to 8 red pandas. The Zoo estimates that it costs $12 per day to care for each red panda. If you would like to help care for the pandas, please make a donation online, in person, or mail your donation to the Zoo. These donations help provide food, shelter, veterinary care, keeper care, and basic utilities including air conditioning for all the pandas. We also invite you to “adopt” the pandas through the Share the Care program.
For more information, please contact Anna Miller, Development Coordinator, at (701) 277-9240 or amiller@redriverzoo.org.
Follow the red panda's animal keeper blog to watch the cubs grow.
The Red River Zoo announces the birth of a female Sichuan takin born on Wednesday, June 29th. The mother, Luan, a 10 year old female, came to the Red River Zoo in 2002. This is Luan’s fourth calf here at the Zoo. The healthy calf has been nursing well and was given a full medical check-up at two-days old, weighing in at 18 pounds.
Sichuan takin (rhymes with rockin’) are an endangered species found in the mountains of the Sichuan province of China. The Chinese government considers takin a national treasure along with the giant panda and the golden monkey. The Red River Zoo’s pair of Sichuan takin are on permanent breeding loan from the San Diego Zoo in California. In 2004, there were only nine North American zoos that exhibited or bred takin with 35 individual animals among them. Today, there are 81 takin residing in 16 North American zoos. The first takin calf born at the Red River Zoo, a girl, arrived in 2004 and now resides at The Wilds in Ohio. A male calf was born in 2006 and is now at the Montgomery Zoo, and a female calf born in 2008 is now at the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
The takin are a unique-looking animal, with horns like a wildebeest, a nose like a moose, a tail like a bear, and a body like a bison. This large, muscular, hoofed mammal is sometimes referred to as a goat antelope because it shares traits with both goats and antelope. Takin have few natural predators other than bears and wolves due to their size. Takin are hunted for meat, but their main threat is habitat destruction. Their numbers in the wild are declining due to loss of habitat due to farming, mining, and logging operations. They are protected under Chinese law and have two reserves set aside for them.
Visitors to the zoo will be able to see the new calf and her parents on exhibit at Takin Ridge. Guests and animal lovers are invited to “adopt” the baby through the Zoo’s Share the Care program. This program helps provide general care for each animal. Information on the program is available online at www.redriverzoo.org or at the admissions desk at the Zoo. The Red River Zoo will be open daily through Labor Day from 10:00 am through 7:00 pm and will be open Noon to 4:00 pm on Saturdays and Sundays thereafter.
The Red River Zoo is making preparations for a variety of exotic animals that will be arriving Thursday afternoon. The new arrivals are coming from the Dakota Zoo in Bismarck, North Dakota, which is being evacuated due to severe flooding. Trucks and trailers from zoos and wildlife parks across North Dakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota arrived at Dakota Zoo early Thursday morning to haul animals to other facilities for safekeeping until the water recedes.
The Red River Zoo’s General Curator, Mike Schmidt, is currently at the Dakota Zoo assisting with flood preparations and evacuations. Schmidt expects to return with 18 marmosets, 4 emus, 4 wallabies, and 4 Reeve’s muntjacs, although this may change as evacuations progress. The staff in Fargo is preparing off-exhibit holding areas to house the animals and constructing new holding areas to accommodate the displaced animals. The Zoo would like to note that these animals will not be available for public viewing.
The Zoo has already received donations from the Fargo Home Depot store to assist with constructing areas for the marmosets. Additional renovations will be needed in order to accommodate the extra animals and funds will be needed to help care for the animals. Donations are being accepted online; please use the provided link. In addition to monetary donations, the public is encouraged to donate gift cards to grocery stores, Home Depot, Fleet Farm, Stockmen’s Supply, and local hardware stores. Any donations can be brought to the Zoo during regular Zoo hours or sent to the Zoo at 4255 23rd Ave South, Fargo, ND 58104.
Volunteers will also be needed to assist keepers with the extra work. Individuals who are able to commit to a regular schedule of volunteer work for a period of 6 to 8 weeks are invited to contact the Zoo to discuss opportunities. Volunteers will be asked to assist with preparing diets for animals, washing dishes, and general cleaning. If you would like to volunteer please contact the Zoo at and speak with Nicole Lee. Please call the Zoo with any questions at (701) 277-9240 or check back for up-to-date information.
The grand opening of the Wings of the Orient Asian Aviary will be April 30th. The aviary was one of the original exhibits at the Red River Zoo. After nearly ten years of use, the aviary was closed for renovations. Now, with the help of the Fargo West Rotary club, the exhibit is back and ready to be opened.
This free-flight exhibit allows visitors to walk INSIDE the exhibit as birds fly overhead. The exhibit features five different species of birds and will also be home to the Reeves' muntjac.
IT'S A GIRL!!! The first baby of the spring season has arrived at the Zoo! Tayllor, a Suffolk Punch draft horse, gave birth around 4am on February 24th, to a baby girl. The little filly weighs in around 90 pounds... now THAT'S A BIG BABY! Tayllor (registered name Goldie’s Tayllor) came from a ranch in Stanton, ND, and was pregnant when she arrived at the Zoo in May 2010. Both mom and baby are now on exhibit. Zoo fans can help us name our new filly. Suggestions were submitted on the Zoo’s facebook page, and staff narrowed it down to the top 3. An online poll on the Facebook page will determine the filly’s new name. Voting ends on April 22nd and the new name will be announced at Party for the Planet on April 23rd.
Suffolk Punch are one of the oldest (if not the oldest) and rarest breeds of draft horse originating from the Suffolk and Norfolk counties of England. Records of the Suffolk breed date back to the 1500s! Today, every Suffolk horse can be traced back to a single stallion named Crisp’s Horse of the Ufford, born in 1768.
Suffolks are known for their docile temperament, endurance and strength. The name “punch” refers to the body type of the breed. Suffolk Punch have a wide barrel type body with short, thick legs. The average height of the Suffolk breed is about 16.1 hands (65 inches) for mares and 17.1 hands (69 inches) for a stallion. The average weight can range between 1500 and 2000 pounds as adults.
The Suffolk breed is the only draft horse limited to one color – chesnut (historically spelled without the “t”). There are seven recognized variations of the color chesnut: bright, red, golden, yellow, light, dark, and dull dark, with bright being the most common. Some Suffolks have a small amount of white on the face or above the hoofs.
The Suffolks were primarily bred for agriculture use; farmers used the horses to drag large plows through the clay soil of England. When agriculture equipment began modernization in the late 1930s, the breed was no longer needed as mechanical equipment was more efficient and effective. Numbers began to drop and hit a dangerous low point in the 1960s. In 1966 only 9 foals were born. Since that time, the population has gradually increased both in North American and Europe. The Suffolk Punch is considered an endangered domestic with only an estimated 1000 individuals worldwide, including 75 breeding mares.
Come visit Tayllor and the new filly in the contact area at the Zoo. The Zoo will be open daily 10 am to 7 pm starting April 30th.
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