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Miller Park Zoo Home To Popular New Animals

The Miller Park Zoo in Bloomington is now home to a couple new animals.

 width=The zoo is home to a new otter and a snow leopard, making a breeding pair for each animal. Superintendent of the Zoo Jay Tetzloff says the snow leopard introduction was the best introduction he has seen in some time. He explains the animals will sit in quarantine for several weeks to get accustom to their new surroundings and make sure it's healthy, but then they let the animals at each other, and he says in this instance, there wasn't even the slightest problem.

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Hima, the2 1/2 year old snow leopard, is part of Miller Park Zoo’s conservation efforts via the Snow Leopard Species Survival Plan. Tetzloff says it is interesting because Miller Park Zoo heads the conservation program for the Snow Leopard. While the animal is currently endangered, because of it's roots to Central Asia in the mountains, it is very difficult to obtain information about them.

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The zoo is also home to a new river otter named Tolula. Tetzloff says they are getting along very well and because the river otters are so small and active, it is one of their more popular exhibits.

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The snow leopards and river otters are both part of a breeding program. Tetzloff says chances are slim for them to see cubs of the two this year, however, they are hopeful to see new babies in the following year.

Hima arrived in Bloomington via the Bronx Zoo. She was born at the Granby Zoo in Quebec, Canada. The importation process to bring Hima to Miller Park Zoo took over a year. The large cats are currently on exhibit in the Katthoefer Animal Building.

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