The public was to get its first look this morning at the most recent additions to the David Traylor Zoo with the formal introduction of two black swans and two cereopsis geese.
A special event was scheduled for 9:30 a.m. so donors to the fund to purchase the birds and purchase a security system could get a sneak peek. At 10 a.m., the zoo was to open to the public.
The birds were brought in as replacements for the two swans and two cereopsis geese that were killed last June when three juveniles broke in and vandalized the zoo. After that incident, donations were taken for the replacements and for a security system to prevent such a thing from recurring.
“That really was a tragedy, and I’m glad to put that behind us and look forward,” said interim zoo director Lisa Keith on Friday.
The zoo received the two geese in mid- to late-September from a private breeder in North Carolina. The swans arrived 33 days ago from the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha. Both sets of birds have been quarantined to allow time for physical examinations before being introduced to the regular group of birds.
“We really like to make sure they are healthy from top to bottom,” Keith said.
Black swans and cereopsis geese are both native to Australia.
The geese initially will have to be kept separate because of a difference in ages.
“The male is almost 2 years old, and she’s not even 8 months old yet,” Keith said. “So even though they look a lot the same, their ages are quite different.”
Keith hopes the two birds can be introduced in the next six months.
The swans have already been introduced, despite a difference in age.
“The male is 9 and the girl is a year old,” Keith said. “They were introduced when they were still in Omaha because they knew we wanted them to pair up, so they went ahead and did that for us.”
Keith hopes the zoo will see some offspring next summer.
The new security system is installed and operational, Keith said.
“It’s mainly motion sensor lighting, and we have cameras that will give us the opportunity to do surveillance 24 hours a day.”
The zoo also installed new padlocks on gates and new barbed wire for the tops of the fences.
The next event on the zoo’s calendar will be the Happy Holidaze lighting ceremony at 5:45 p.m. Nov. 25.
“We’ll ask that people come early, and since we’ll have the streets blocked, people can park in Soden’s Grove or at the Veterans Memorial and walk to the east end of the waterfowl exhibit,” Keith said.
There will be singers for the event, and hot chocolate will be served. Last year, the ceremony drew about 100 people despite cold temperatures.
In all, Keith said, things have turned around for the zoo since the break-in last summer.
“We really appreciate what everybody has done,” she said. “The outpouring of support that we have received from the public has been enormous, and we’re ready to give back. We want them to see what we’ve produced from that.”