Milwaukee, WI

Here are Milwaukee County Zoo animals we said goodbye to in 2023. And those we welcomed.

Published

11 months ago

January 3, 2024

Here are Milwaukee County Zoo animals we said goodbye to in 2023. And those we welcomed.

In 2023, Milwaukeeans said mournful good-byes to Milwaukee County Zoo favorites, including Gordy the groundhog, two giraffes and a silverback gorilla.

In happier news, we also met some new babies, including a De Brazza’s monkey born in front of visitors, and welcomed animals here from other zoos, such as female harbor seal Mira and Choto, a male snow leopard.

Milwaukee County Zoo animals that died in 2023

On Feb. 5, Stella, a 19-year-old female jaguar, was humanely euthanized. According to a statement from the zoo, Stella had suffered for years from “chronic, age-related health conditions that worsened and were not responsive to supportive care.”

On March 3, just about a month after predicting six more weeks of winter in the zoo’s annual Groundhog Day ceremony, Gordy, the zoo’s almost-five-year-old groundhog, died. Gordy — who had been popular with zookeepers, zoo visitors and thousands of Milwaukee schoolchildren who watched his prediction every year — was mourned by many fans who will miss his “camera star personality.”

On March 22, Bahatika, a 17-year-old male giraffe, died. Although he had experienced a variety of age-related health issues, his death was unexpected. Baha had been in Milwaukee since 2006, and fathered 7 calves.

Just a week after the death of Bahatika, another giraffe, 30-year-old female Rahna, was humanely euthanized. Rahna had long been monitored by the zoo’s vet staff as she suffered from a variety of age-related issues and was ten years beyond the median life expectancy of female giraffes living in zoos.

On April 19, Sanchi, the zoo’s 26-year-old Bactrian camel, was humanely euthanized after her quality of life declined due to her age. She had lived in Milwaukee since November 1997.

On May 18, Gypsy, a 30-year-old Arabian horse, was humanely euthanized due to an acute episode of colic that zoo staff believed wouldn’t have been solved with surgery. Gypsy had been a resident of the Northwestern Mutual Family Farm since 2013.

On May 24, Stuart, a zebra, died after colliding with a fence. According to a statement from the zoo, “As he was exploring, running and chasing the impalas in the yard, Stuart inadvertently came in contact with the wire containment fence surrounding the habitat. Despite the immediate response from the veterinary team, Stuart did not survive his injuries.” Stuart had been at the Milwaukee County Zoo since 2019.

On Sept. 13, Oliver, a 34-year-old male silverback western lowland gorilla, died. Oliver, who had experienced chronic health conditions for years, had been anesthetized to address a tooth infection. He experienced cardiac and respiratory arrest while under anesthesia, and was unable to be revived. Oliver had been in Milwaukee since 2021.

Milwaukee County Zoo animals that we welcomed in 2023

In March 2023, the zoo announced the arrival of ten new Amazon milk frogs — tiny blue frogs that secrete poison against predators when they’re threatened. The frogs came to Milwaukee from the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium.

Two new calves, Bailey, a Brown Swiss cow, and Harper, a Holstein cow, were born in early 2023 in the Northwestern Mutual Family Farm. A third calf, Martini, was born in September.

On March 14, a Victoria crowned pigeon chick hatched in the zoo’s aviary. The species, which is native to New Guinea, is a first for the Milwaukee County Zoo.

On April 6, a female harbor seal, Mira, arrived in Milwaukee from the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines. Mira, who was born Aug. 7, 2021, was brought to Milwaukee in the hopes that she will be a companion to Leia and mate with Ringo.

On April 12, a northern spider tortoise hatched, the first successful hatching for the zoo’s mating pair. Northern spider tortoises are a critically endangered species.

On May 20, Leilani, a female Bactrian camel was born to mom AJ and dad Stan.

On June 10, the zoo’s female De Brazza’s monkey, Holly, gave birth to Heri in front of zoo visitors. Holly and Hugo, the baby’s father, were brought to Milwaukee in 2022 in the hopes that they would become the zoo’s first De Brazza’s monkey breeding pair.

In July, Nelson, a 14-year-old Norwegian Fjord horse, was brought to the Milwaukee County Zoo. Fjord horses are considered ponies, and the species was first brought to the United States in the 1950s.

On July 30, Guillermo, a prehensile-tailed porcupine baby — otherwise known as a porcupette — was born to mom Quinn and dad Seamus.

In July, Choto, a 2-year-old male snow leopard, arrived in Milwaukee from the Dakota Zoo in Bismarck, North Dakota. Zookeepers hope Choto will breed with the zoo’s 9-year-old female snow leopard, Orya.

On Aug. 5, Chula, a female greater kudu, was born. Greater kudus are a species of antelope native to eastern and southern Africa. Chula means “cute” in Spanish.

On Oct. 27, a 3-year-old male giraffe, Kendi, arrived in Milwaukee from the Dallas Zoo. Kendi has been recommended for breeding by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums Species Survival Program.

In late October, two 4-year-old male Baja blue rock lizards arrived in Milwaukee from the Los Angeles Zoo. Their names are Baja Blast and Baja Splash.

In November, two yellow-rumped caciques, one male and one female, arrived at the zoo’s aviary from the Fresno Chaffee Zoo. The birds, native to northern South America, have been recommended for breeding.

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Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee Cream City Challenge Ends with 3rd Panther Win

Published

3 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

Milwaukee Cream City Challenge Ends with 3rd Panther Win

Photo via David Go

Milwaukee’s Cream City Challenge was a smashing success for the host-Panthers, placing a bow on an undefeated weekend with a 69-65 win over St. Thomas on Sunday. Milwaukee defeated Portland State and Wofford earlier in the weekend to improve to 5-2.

Milwaukee took a seven-point lead into the final 90 seconds before surrendering back-to-back threes to narrow their lead to a single point. Themus Fulks’ free throws and a St. Thomas turnover off an attempted foul sealed the win for Milwaukee.

“We have guys who have closed out games,” said Lundy, whose team dropped four games by fewer than five points last year. “We have guys that are more connected to each other and more connected to me. We can get a little more intricate in what we can do… [Last year], I would have been afraid of fouling up three, but I know these guys will process what I’m asking them to do and be able to perform it.”

He added that he was impressed with the team’s effort and connectedness in light of the three-game-in-three-days format of the invitational.

No Faizon Fields, No Problem

A day after falling two points shy of his third straight double-double, Jamichael Stillwell scored 22 points and grabbed a game-high 8 rebounds. The Butler CC transfer’s 73 boards this year more-than double the next-best Panther.

“For me,” said Stillwell, “rebounding is like second nature.”

Stillwell and forward Aaron Franklin led the team to a 40-25 rebound advantage, including 14 offensive boards that led to 17 second-chance points. The Tommies converted just one basket off the offensive glass.

Franklin tied his career high with 15 points and added 8 rebounds in an increased role due to Fields’ absence due to a broken finger.

Big Men Also Setting Tone on Defense

The 2023-24 Panthers were a fast-paced group with a propensity for defensive lapses. The result – 78.7 points per game by their opponents.

This year’s Panthers have yet to allow more than 74 through their first seven games.

“To have bigger guys like Jamichael, Darius Duffy and Franklin who can switch and still guard those guards,” said Lundy, “they did a great job… It’s nice to have that luxury as a coach that you’ve got big guys that can switch out, move their feet and understand how to play.”

Themus Fulks added a career-high 5 steals from the point guard position.

“We’re excellent defensively and we’re really good on the glass,” said Lundy. “If you do those two things, you’ll be alright.”

Milwaukee continued the reversal of their 2023-24 first-half woes, leading 32-22 at halftime. Stillwell picked up for yesterday’s stars Fulks and AJ McKee in the first half, scoring a team-high 13 points. Fulks and McKee combined for just 8 points in the initial period.

The guards each finished with 9 points. Fellow guard Erik Pratt missed his fifth straight game due to personal reasons.

The second half included a pair of technical fouls, one from Stillwell and another from the team’s bench. A squabble between the two teams involved John Lovelace Jr. from the UWM side a few minutes later.

The Minnesota-based squad nabbed a short-lived 44-42 lead after sinking four straight free throws from the fouls. Momentum quickly shifted back in the home team’s favor as a 10-2 run gave the Panthers a six-point lead they never relinquished.

Graduate student Drake Dobbs led the Tommies with a season-high 16 points and 5 rebounds. Kendall Blue and Miles Barnstable added 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Barnstable was one of five Wisconsinites on the visiting roster, a Howards Grove graduate who transferred after scoring over 1,000 points for UW-Whitewater.

Brookfield Central’s Ben Nau, MUHS’s (Marquette) Nolan Minessale and Catholic Memorial’s Rich Byhre all saw action in their home state on Sunday.

Big Thanksgiving Week Ahead

The Panthers head south for a two-game Thanksgiving week trip against Central Florida on Wednesday and Southern Miss on Saturday.

“We need to move the ball more,” said Stillwell. “We’ve been having breakdowns on defense off of our mistakes. We just need to clean it up a little bit.”

UCF returns home after a two-game invitational that ended in losses against Wisconsin and LSU. They knocked off No. 13 Texas A&M to begin the season on Nov. 4.

Southern Miss left Milwaukee with a 90-84 win last November, the only time the Sun Belt club has faced the Panthers.

“It’s a tough trip,” said Lundy, who indicated the team will spend Thanksgiving together in New Orleans. “UCF is really talented. They’ve been up and down and are still figuring themselves out… Regardless, it’ll be a good trip for our group.”

Sunday marked the third consecutive season where Milwaukee and St. Thomas met, with the Tommies taking the previous two matchups. The St. Paul-based university joined Division I in 2021-22, becoming the newest member of the Summit League.

The Tommies were tabbed for a fourth-place finish in the official preseason poll behind Kansas City, South Dakota State and North Dakota State.

“They are well-coached,” said Lundy. “They’re going to win a lot of games.”

Sunday’s victors hope to find the same success on the road this week – catch the Panthers on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. on Wednesday and 1 p.m. on Saturday.

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Milwaukee, WI

Sheboygan overnight shooting, 2 injured; suspect in custody

Published

11 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

Sheboygan overnight shooting, 2 injured; suspect in custody

article

Sheboygan Police Department

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. – Two people were injured, and a suspect is in custody, following a shooting in Sheboygan early Sunday morning, Nov. 24.

According to the Sheboygan Police Department, at about 2:20 a.m., Sheboygan Police officers and Sheboygan Fire Department paramedics were dispatched to the area of 10th and Huron for a report of multiple shots fired.

Upon arrival, authorities found two men with gunshot wounds.

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The victims, ages 25 and 23, were transported to Milwaukee and Appleton area hospitals for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

The shooting suspect was quickly identified, and a 28-year-old man was taken into custody.

The suspect will be referred to the Sheboygan County District Attorney’s Office for charges.

Anyone with information regarding this incident should call the Sheboygan Police Department at 920-459-3333.

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Milwaukee, WI

LaMelo Ball scores 50 points in Charlotte Hornets’ game vs. Milwaukee Bucks

Published

20 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

LaMelo Ball scores 50 points in Charlotte Hornets’ game vs. Milwaukee Bucks

The Charlotte Hornets lost a close game to the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday, but LaMelo Ball’s name will still go in the history books.

Ball, 23, scored a career-high 50 points in the Hornet’s 125-119 loss to the Bucks at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. He went 17-of-38 from the field and 6-of-17 from beyond the arc in 40 minutes of play. Ball had 10 points at halftime, before dropping 40 in the second half. He finished the night with 10 assists, five rebounds and one steal.

Ball is the fifth player this season to score at least 50 points in a game, joining De’Aaron Fox (60, Nov. 15), Giannis Antetokounmpo (59, Nov. 13), Victor Wembanyama (50, Nov. 13) and Paolo Banchero (50, Oct. 28).

Ball is only the ninth player in NBA history to post a stat line of 50-plus points, five-plus rebounds, 10-plus assists and five-plus 3s in the same game, joining James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Damian Lillard, Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Steph Curry, Donovan Mitchell and Kevin Porter Jr.

LaMelo Ball highlights

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