Domestic Rabbit

Domestic Rabbit

(Oryctolagus cuniculus)

The Zoo is home to one domestic rabbit as part of our Ambassador Animal collection. 

Animal Facts

Diet

Herbivore. Grasses, leaves, flowers, bark, roots, grains, vegetables, cecotropes, pellets, timothy hay, greens and veggies.

Status in The Wild

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

Domestic rabbit natural habitats include grassland, shrubland, savanna, forest. Their range extends the Iberian Peninsula (including Spain, Portugal, and southwestern France), western France, and the northern Atlas Mountains in Northwest Africa.

Introduced countries: Albania, Algeria, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Morocco, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States.

They prefer mixed habitats of Mediterranean oak savanna or scrub-forest, or areas with around 40% cover for shelter from predators and open areas that support their diet of grasses and cereals. They are also often found in areas with high density of managed farmland. Soft soil is preferred for building warrens and in rockier habitats they will often use scrubs as their shelter.

Degu

Degu

The Zoo is home to three degus in our Ambassador Animal collection. As such they are not kept in public view, but available for various programs, classes, ZooMobiles, birthday parties etc. 

Animal Facts

Diet

Herbivorous. Grasses, leaves, and bark of shrubs and seeds in nature. Rodent chow, greens, vegetables, hay and seeds in conservation care.

Status in The Wild

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

There are no imminent threats to the survival of common degus. However, they are sometimes taken from their natural range for the pet trade.

White Rhino

White Rhino

(Ceratotherium simum)

Seneca Park Zoo is home to one southern white rhinoceros named Jiwe. He was born in December, 2016 at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Texas and came to the Zoo in 2020. The rhino habitat is located in Animals of the Savanna.

Animal Facts

Diet

Grasses, fruits and grain are the primary foods.

Status in The Wild

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

The squared lip that the white rhino is named for is an adaptation to the African grasslands that it grazes for food.

The rhino is built to graze the open grasslands and floodplains in pockets of eastern and southern Africa. When the rhino Species Survival Plan committee decides where to place rhinos in facilities, a number of factors come into play, including the rhino’s age, sex, genetics and exhibit availability.

Plains Zebra

Plains Zebra

(Equus quagga)

Seneca Park Zoo is home to three female plains zebra, Lydia, Liberty, and Dottie. Lydia is five years old and came to the Zoo in November 2018 from Columbus Zoo. Liberty and Dottie arrived together in September 2018 from Hemker Park & Zoo. They share their habitat, located in the Animals of the Savanna area, with the Masai giraffes.

Animal Facts

Diet

Zebras mainly feed on grass, but sometimes eat shrubs, twigs, bark and leaves.

Status in The Wild

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

Plains zebra live in savannas, steppes, and woodlands in southern Ethiopia to northern South Africa, throughout most of the eastern side of the Nile River.

Plains Zebras are threatened due to hunting for their skins/fur, especially when they are located out of protected areas. Fencing around agriculture and protected areas block zebra migration corridors, affecting their ability to obtain crucial resources and escape predators.

Polar Bear

Polar Bear

(Ursus maritimus)

Seneca Park Zoo is home to one female polar bear, Anoki. She was born here at Seneca Park Zoo in 1996. She moved to Albuquerque Bio Park in 1998, and to the Maryland Zoo in 2008, before coming home to Rochester in September 2018.

Animal Facts

Diet

The polar bear mainly eats ringed and bearded seals. It can sometimes be found eating whale carcasses, caribou, rodents, sea birds, fish, eggs, berries, and unfortunately, human garbage. Polar bears are completely dependent on sea ice to hunt seals. As sea ice decreases, so does their ability to get food.

Status in The Wild

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

Polar bears are found on sea coasts, islands, ice floes and in open water in Arctic regions including the U.S., Canada, Greenland, Norway, and Russia.

The IUCN lists climate change as the most significant threat to the polar bear, as melting of its sea ice habitat reduces its ability to find sufficient food. Seneca Park Zoo is part of the Polar Bear Species Survival Plan (SSP) and partners with polar bear conservation organizations like Polar Bears International (PBI).

More Animals From The Arctic Circle

North American River Otter

North American River Otter

(Lontra canadensis)

There are three river otters at Seneca Park Zoo, one female and two male. Female Ashkii was born in 2016 and joined us from the National Zoo in March 2020. One male, Sailor, was born in 2007 and came to the Zoo in May 2012 from a private facility in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The other male, Gary, was born in February 2022 and came to us in 2023.

Animal Facts

Diet

River otters are carnivorous creatures. They eat fish, crayfish, frogs, salamanders, snakes, clams, snails, turtles, birds, rodents and insects.

Status in The Wild

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

North American river otters reside throughout the U.S. and Canada along rivers, near streams and lakes bordered by woods with wetlands.

North American river otters have been trapped for their highly-prized furs, resulting in a steep decrease in population since the 1800s. However, the otter is being restored to places where it is regionally threatened, resulting in an otter come back in many places. Seneca Park Zoo is part of an initiative to reintroduce the river otter back to Western New York. Releases have taken place in Honeoye Lake and the Genesee River, among other locations. Laws protecting the otter from over-hunting and habitat destruction have been important U.S. conservation measures.

Olive Baboon

Olive Baboon

(Papio anubis)

Seneca Park Zoo has a troop of 10 baboons: 6 females (Pimento, Pearl, Sabina, Peperella, Olive Oil, Olivella) and 4 males (Mansino, Jefferson Jr., Kalamata, Pico-de-Limon). Pimento, the dominant female, is most established in the baboon hierarchy. The baboons can be found enjoying enrichment items, running around their habitat, and grooming one another.

Animal Facts

Diet

Olive baboons have a diverse omnivorous diet. They eat everything from plants, flowers, fruits, shoots and twigs, insects, lizards, frogs and turtles.

Status in The Wild

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List status

Found in 25 countries throughout equatorial Africa, the olive baboon inhabits the African grasslands called the savanna.

The olive baboon is the most widespread African primate.