There’s a furry new face on the Minnesota Trail! Taiga, a 1-and-a-half-year-old red fox, made her Zoo debut earlier this year and has been spending her days exploring her new home, soaking in the sun, and being undeniably cute. But Taiga’s start to life was anything but smooth…

Waḣca, a 1-year-old bald eagle, was rescued in August of 2024 on the shore of the Wapsipinicon River near Donahue, Iowa. Injured and unable to be released into the wild, she is thriving in her new home at the Minnesota Zoo.

Last November, puma cubs Blizzard and Snow made their way to the Minnesota Zoo from Washington state. At only 6 months the old, the cubs were found orphaned by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Too young to survive in the wild without their mother, officials reached out to the Minnesota Zoo for help, where staff immediately sprang into action.

Stepping onto the Tropics Trail at the Minnesota Zoo, guests find themselves walking among lush landscapes and diverse ecosystems. Nestled along the Trail you’ll find the shared habitat of the Bolivian gray titi monkey and the red-rumped agouti. While these species don’t cross paths in the wild, their cohabitation presents guests with a unique opportunity to learn more about how the distinct layers of the rainforest, the most diverse biome on Earth, support different kinds of life.

Discovery Bay gives Zoo guests the chance to dive deep into a world of underwater wonder. For many, the Zoo’s estuary, also known as the touch pool, is a key part of this exploration and is home to a variety of unique species. But what makes certain species good candidates for underwater cohabitation? And what makes them good choices for a hands-on learning experience?

Have you heard? Red pandas are coming to the Minnesota Zoo! Thanks to funding provided by generous donors to the Minnesota Zoo Foundation, Red Panda Forest, an exciting, new habitat along the Minnesota Zoo’s Northern Trail, will open to guests this summer, 2025. 

The Zoo’s Tropical Reef is one of the most iconic exhibits on the Tropics Trail.  Thanks to a grant from the Ulysses S. Seal program, which is directly funded by donors like you, Minnesota Zoo Aquarist, Abby Tatreau, was able to participate in an exciting project focused on saving and restoring coral reefs.

In May 2024, a breeding pair of rhinoceros hornbills hatched a chick. But when it was time to leave the nest, he was unable to fly. The animal care team acted quickly, calling a wide network of experts to help as the Zoo embarked on a groundbreaking procedure called feather imping.  

Funding from the Minnesota Zoo Foundation enables the Zoo to provide the highest level of care to all its animal residents at every stage of life. So when Otis, a senior De Brazza’s monkey on the Zoo's Tropics Trail, was found to be experiencing discomfort due to age-related changes in his spine and joints, his care team sprang into action.