Sunday, September 20, 2026
Thursday, August 6, 2026
Racine Zoo welcomes carnivorous Madagascar sisters to Vanishing Kingdom
Milana Doné
RACINE — Two new animals have joined the Racine Zoo.
Fosa sisters can now be seen in the zoo's Vanishing Kingdom.
The sisters were born at the Central Florida Zoo, where they spent the first year of their life. Both were premature and needed special veterinary care to survive.
They celebrated their first birthday this spring, and grew enough to move to their new Racine home.
The Racine Zoo renovated the Fosa exhibit to provide ample climbing and fun. The sisters explored their new exhibit the morning of July 31.
The zoo said the sisters have adjusted well, bringing energy and curiosity to their new home. They can be seen climbing branches and play fighting with each other.
Fosa are agile carnivores native to Madagascar and are the largest mammalian carnivore on the island. The species has retractable claws like a cat and a long, slender body similar to a mongoose or civet. They are excellent climbers and spend much of their time in the forest canopy.
Fosa are listed as "vulnerable" by the International Union on the Conservation of Nature because of reduced habitat and numbers found in the wild.
The Racine and Central Florida zoos cooperated to fulfill a recommendation of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan that works to maintain long-term genetic sustainability of threatened and vulnerable species, Racine Zoo said.
Recent stories by Racine Journal Times reporter Milana Doné
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New antelope calves explore their habitat at Milwaukee County Zoo
Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Tuesday, March 31, 2026
Racine Zoo preparing [to] welcome an Eastern Black Rhino
Holly Gilvary
A South African university launched an anti-poaching campaign on Thursday to inject the horns of rhinos with radioactive isotopes that it said were harmless for the animals but which can be detected by customs agents. (AP Video: Alfonso Nqunjana)
RACINE — The Racine Zoo is preparing to welcome Ayubu, an Eastern Black Rhino male, to its “Land of Giants” area.
Five-year-old Ayubu will make the journey from the Lee Richardson Zoo in Garden City, Kansas, in a few days, according to the Racine Zoo.
After his arrival, Ayubu will be cared for in the Land of Giants rhino barn for quarantine for at least 30 days before he is available to be seen on exhibit. Although the Racine Zoo has exhibited paired rhinos in the past, male Eastern Black Rhinos are often solitary animals who thrive on their own.
Ayubu is being moved based on recommendations from the Associations of Zoos and Aquariums’ Eastern Black Rhinoceros Species Survival Plan.
The Racine Zoo said it has worked closely with Lee Richardson Zoo during the past year to plan Ayubu’s trip. Racine Zoo staff prepped the enclosures this past winter while Lee Richardson staff have worked on his crate training and other behaviors needed to ensure a successful trip.
Eastern Black Rhino males are most noted for their horns, which can weigh more than six pounds and exceed 50 inches in length. The horns are comprised of a protein called keratin, and are sought after by poachers as a “remedy” for various ailments or as a status symbol, according to the Racine Zoo.
Eastern Black Rhinos are critically endangered in their wild range, with numbers dropping from around 70,000 in the 1970s to about 1,650 today.
The AZA’s Eastern Black Rhinoceros Species Survival Plan aims to conserve Eastern Black Rhinos around the world, including by maintaining important genetic diversity within the captive population.
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