Zookeeper Week: A Duet of Monochrome, Zoo Style

Today we are featuring Hannah Arnott and Katie Quednow, Wildwood Wildlife Park interns who have chosen their favorite park residents to imitate as part of our National Zookeeper Week.

Hannah is showing off her pearly whites imitating our baby male zebra Zorro - it looks like both of them have something exciting to say about greeting our visitors to the park!

As you can probably guess, the zebra is closely related to horses and donkey but what sets zebras apart is their unique black and white stripes. Did you know that each of the animal's stripes are as unique as fingerprints, no two are alike. Theories abound as to why zebras have stripes including: to repel insects, provide camouflage in grassy areas, confuse predators, to reduce its body temperature, or to provide a way of zebras to recognize each other.

Zebras are herbivorous feeding primarily on a variety of grasses. They are also known to eat shrubs, twigs, leaves and bark.

Zebras are born with brown and white stripes, changing to the signature black and white as they develop into an adult. The foals have soft fuzzy fur and are able to walk within 20 minutes following birth and are able to run within one hour. Mares will keep other zebras away from her newborn for the first two or three days until her foal can imprint on her by sight, voice and smell.

Zebras are very social animals and live in large groups called a harem. Sometimes these harms will come together to form temporary groups of up to 30 members. Zebras sleep standing up and while in a group can be warned of danger. If they spot danger zebras will bark or whinny loudly to warn others in the group.

Wildwood intern Katie is striking a queenly pose in keeping with the the regal charm of the park’s black leopard Toby.

Zoologically speaking, the term panther is synonymous with leopard. The black panther is the common name for a black "big cat" with a coloration melanistic gene that causes the beautiful black coloration. Did you know that Toby, like other black leopards are not totally black but rather have a spotted pattern which you can see from a certain angle. Underneath that beautiful fur their skin is a mixture of blue black gray and purple with rosettes. 

Leopards live in sub-saharan Africa, northeast Africa, Central Asia, India, and China, however, much of their populations are endangered. The leopard is able to hunt and kill animals that significantly outweigh them. These nocturnal hunters are so comfortable with their climbing skills that they often hunt from trees and, using their impressive strength, will drag their kill high into a tree keeping it safe from scavengers such as hyenas.

Leopards can give birth at any time of the year, a typical litter will consist of two cubs. A mother leopard keeps her cubs hidden, moving the cubs frequently from one safe location to another until they are old enough to begin to play, a precursor of developing hunting skills. The cubs will stay with their mother for two years. Other then a cub with the mother, leopards are solitary animals.

Leopard populations are declining due to being hunted for their soft fur which is prized in the production of coats and robes. Poaching and habitat loss are the reasons why the population of leopards are relatively low. These beautiful big cats are in far more danger from humans than we are from leopards. When brought into close contact with human ranches, leopards may prey on livestock. 

Double Trouble Excitement: Twin Striped Hyenas

Twins! We are excited to announce the arrival of twin Striped Hyena cubs. The brother and sister were born to first time Mom, Kya, on August 29, 2014. 

Did you know that hyena’s are not member of the dog or the cat family but rather, they are so unique that they have a family all their own: Hyaenidae. There are four members of this distinct family: the striped hyena, the “giggly” spotted hyena, the brown hyena and the aardwolf (which really isn't a wolf at all!)

These wonderful creatures are found in North and Northeast Africa, the Middle East and Asia and play a very important role: cleanup crew!

Striped hyenas are smaller than the spotted and brown hyenas and can live 10 to 12 years in the wild and up to 25 years in zoos. Hyenas have dark eyes; their muzzle, ears, and throat are entirely black but their coat may be golden yellow, brown or gray with black stripes on their body and legs. A mane of long hair grows along their back camouflaging them in the tall, dry grass that is found in the rocky brush and scrubland of their native habitat.

Despite their distinctive walk, which makes it appear as if they are limping uphill, hyenas are very agile and can run, trot and walk for long distances with very little effort.

Wildwood Zookeepers report that both cubs and mother are healthy and happy. Eventually the cubs will be placed at another ZAA accredited facility.

Wildwood's Newest Resident: Kya, a Female Striped Hyena

Wildwood Wildlife Park welcomes Kya, an adorable Striped Hyena. 

Did you know that hyena's do not belong to the Canid (dog) or felid (cat) families? Instead, they are so unique that they have a family all their own: Hyaenidae family. 

These magnificent animals are sometimes called the scourge of the Serengeti but they play an important role as the "clean-up crew."

Striped hyena's are native to North and East Africa, the Middle East and Middle, Central and Southern Asia. 

Striped Hyena's have broad heads with dark eyes, thick muzzles and large pointed ears. The most striking feature on the hyena are their legs: the front legs are much longer than their hind legs. This gives them their distinctive walk. Hyenas are agile and can run, trot, and walk with ease.

Hyena's can hear sounds that human ears cannot, and they can listen for sounds from other predators miles away. Hyena's have a built-in communication system: an anal glad to mark its territory. Each hyena leaves its own unique scent.

Hyena's are solitary animals and are primary nocturnal; they typically only make themselves visible in complete darkness, and are quick to return to their lair before sunrise.

What's New at the Zoo!

Everyone at the park is understandably over the moon about our new arrivals. We hope you'll plan a trip to Minocqua to visit. See you soon!

A recent photo of our black leopard Teeah. You can see how big she has gotten since she was first introduced a few short weeks ago. Teeah is very inquisitive and loves to explore her surroundings.

The goats are one of our park's more popular residents. Here is a photo of a mother goat with her babies. Children of all ages love to get up close and personal with the goats.

Aren't they adorable? These two Canadian Lynx kittens are just too cute for words. The Canada Lynx is found in northern forests across almost all of Canada and Alaska. It is a threatened species in the contiguous United States. The adult Canada Lynx has a dense fur that is silvery brown but in summer becomes a reddish brown color. It has a short tail with a black tip and has long furry tufts on its ears. Its long legs with broad furred feet help the lynx to travel through the deep snow.

These beautiful birds are Ring-Necked Doves, otherwise known as Cape Turtle Dove that can be found living in the Savannah's, farmlands and woodlands of southern and eastern Africa. Their name comes from a black patch of feathers on the back of their necks. The rest of their feathers are a beautiful pale brownish-grey, with darker colors on their backs. They also have white tips on the end of their tail feathers. Doves usually lay two eggs which incubate in about 15-days. The males sit on the eggs during the day, and the female at night. Ring-Necked Doves rest in the treetops during the night; they feed mainly on seeds but they will also eat insects.

Black Leopard One Of The New Babies At The Park

We are pleased to announce the arrival of black leopard, Teeah, born on April 20th.


While she may not look like one of the 'big cats' everyone loves to visit, it won't be long before she'll be following in her parents paw-prints and will grown up to be a graceful animal.




Leopards are closely related to lions, tigers, and jaguars. They live in sub-Saharan Africa, northeast Africa, Central Asia, India and China. However, many of their populations are endangered, especially outside of Africa.


The leopard is so strong and comfortable in trees that it often hauls its kill into tree branches. By keeping it aloft, the leopard hopes to keep their meal safe from scavengers such as hyenas. Leopards often hunt from trees where their spotted coats allow them to blend into their surroundings.


Leopards are strong swimmers and are very much at home in the water. They are oftentimes seen eating fish or crabs.


Most leopards are light colored with distinctive dark spots that are called rosettes because they resemble the shape of a rose. Black leopards, which appear to be almost solid in color because their spots are hard to distinguish, are sometimes called black panthers.

Teeah's proud mother is Tenzin

and her father is Toby.