2012 Starts With a Stomp!
Join us for the 32nd Running of the
Samson Stomp & Romp
Sponsored by Gatorade and Pick ‘n Save

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Samson Stomp & Romp

Thank you to this year's participants of the 2012 Samson Stomp and Romp. We had a record number - 2,090 - of participants!

The Zoo (and the animals) thank you for your participation. Mark your calendars for the 2013 Samson Stomp – Sunday, January 20th.

Check out the race results here

The Zoo Welcomes Willie!

Willie the polar bear

New Male Polar Bear Now On Exhibit

The Milwaukee County Zoo welcomes a new male polar bear named Wilhelm, now on outdoor public exhibit. “Willie” arrived here at the end of September from the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro, where his exhibit is undergoing a major renovation.  He will enjoy a temporary stay at the Milwaukee County Zoo until his exhibit is complete in 2013.

Willie the polar bearWillie is a 26-year old captive-born bear who has lived at the North Carolina Zoo since 2002.  During his years at the North Carolina Zoo, he became a visitor favorite – even attracting a regular crowd of Asheboro High School Zoo School students who visited Willie daily during their lunch break, as part of their studies.

Zookeepers report Willie is adapting well to his new surroundings; exploring every part of his new exhibit and even swimming in the pool during his first few days on public exhibit.

For now, the Zoo will rotate public exhibit time between Willie and the female polar bear, Snow Lilly. Willie and Lilly have been able to see and smell each other from the time Willie arrived here. They spend a lot of time watching each other, and seem very interested in what the other bear is doing.

It will be up to the discretion of the Milwaukee County Zoo staff as to if and when Willie and Lilly will be introduced to one another.

Due to environmental changes, including habitat loss, wild polar bears have been placed on the endangered list. While at the North Carolina Zoo, Willie became an animal ambassador for many of the programs set forth by Polar Bears International (PBI), an organization helping to conserve polar bears in the wild. 

For more information on PBI’s conservation initiatives, both local and national, visit the “PBI and Zoo” section of our Web site.

Thank You to All of Our Contributors to
This Year's Giving Tree!

Giving Tree

The Milwaukee County Zoo's 2011 "Giving Tree" enrichment donation project was a huge success, with many of our animals receiving needed gifts and donations to keep them active and healthy.

We had $2,542 donated this year, in gift cards and monetary contributions. We also received a great number of gifts including:

  • iTunes Gift Cards for the Gorillas
  • Treat Sticks for the Chinchilla
  • Mr. Potato Head for the Octopus
  • Red Tire for the Snow Leopard

Thank you to everyone for your generosity!

African Lion Cubs Born at the Zoo

The Milwaukee County Zoo is excited to announce details of the birth of three African lion cubs. The public can now see the cubs on a special video screen showing in the Florence Mila Borchert Family Big Cat Country. This will mark the first time the Zoo has exhibited lion cubs since 1974.

The three cubs were born on July 24 and 25 to mother, Sanura, and father, Themba. It is the first offspring for Sanura and Themba, both of whom are 8 years old.

The lion cubs, two males and one female, received their second round of vaccinations and exams on September 20th, at approximately 2 months of age. All of the cubs are in good health, and weighed in at 20.1 and 18.6 pounds for the males and 16.1 pounds for the female.

We're happy to announce the lion cubs made their public debut, to delight of our visitors, on Tuesday, October 4th.

Visit the cubs, who will now be on indoor exhibit between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily. As they become more accustomed to their surroundings, they will be on exhibit for longer periods of time. We invite you to welcome our new residents!

NAMES ANNOUNCED FOR THE LION CUBS!

We’re excited to announce the cubs now have names!

Lion Cubs

The names were chosen through a naming contest, open to the public, and sponsored by BMO Harris Bank. Names were to be submitted for one of the male cubs and the female cub. BMO Harris Bank has chosen the name for the second male cub. (In July 2011, M&I Bank and Harris Bank merged to become BMO Harris Bank, N.A.)

“We thank all of the participants who submitted names for the contest,” Abele said.  “With more than 1,700 names submitted, it’s clear that these African lion cubs have become tremendously popular with the public.”

Lion cubsLion Cubs

The names are:

Kiume
Pronounced:  (Kee – u – mee)  For one of the males; name means “strong” in Swahili

Njeri
Pronounced:  (N – jeer – ee)  For the female; name means “warrior’s daughter” in Swahili

Hubert
For the second male; named after BMO Harris Bank’s lion mascot. BMO Harris Bank sponsored the naming contest.

Zoo personnel hope their time on public exhibit will increase as the cubs grow more accustomed to their indoor display. They are in good health, and are quite active with their mother, and with each other – often running, jumping and pouncing in their exhibit.

The Milwaukee County Zoo is now a smoke-free attraction, per ordinance 47.16.
Smoking is allowed only in the Zoo parking lots.

Zoo Hours 2012


January & February 2012 / November & December 2012
Monday-Friday 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Saturday-Sunday 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

March 1 through May 25, 2012
Daily 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

May 26 through September 3, 2012
Daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

September 4 through October 31, 2012
Daily 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The Zoo accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover.
Unfortunately, we do not accept personal checks.

General Admission Rates 2012
View our Education Rates or Group Rates

January 1 through March 31, 2012
and November 1 to December 31, 2012
Adult: $11.75
Junior (age 3 to 12): $8.75
Child (2 and under): FREE
Senior Citizen (age 60 and over): $10.25

April 1 through October 31, 2012
Adult: $14.25
Junior (age 3 to 12): $11.25
Child (2 and under): FREE
Senior Citizen (age 60 and over): $13.25

Parking fees: $12 for cars, $16 for buses

Milwaukee County residents with I.D. receive $1.75 off regular Zoo admission everyday except Wednesday. On Wednesdays, Milwaukee County residents with I.D. are admitted at a reduced rate of $8 for adults and $5.50 for children (age 3 to 12).

For more information, call the Zoo at (414) 256-5466.