07/28/2022
Monroe County Executive Adam Bello and the Seneca Park Zoo announced that two snowy owls hatched on June 29 and July 4, 2022. Snowy owl hatches are rare in zoos, and the owlets are the first snowy owls hatched at Seneca Park Zoo.
“This has been an exciting year for Seneca Park Zoo, with the successful birth of two giraffe calves, a litter of Canada lynx and now two snowy owl owlets,” said Monroe County Executive Adam Bello. “I’m happy to welcome these hatchlings to the Seneca Park Zoo family and thank the expert zookeepers and staff who work so hard every day to ensure the welfare and good health of all our animals.”
“The owlets are doing great,” said Seneca Park Zoo Director Steve Lacy. “Both female and male adults, Winter and Tundra, bring them small mice. They are growing rapidly, and within a few months, we expect them to be indistinguishable from their parents.”
Mom Winter was hatched in 2011 and came to Seneca Park Zoo in 2012 from the Bramble Park Zoo in Watertown, South Dakota. Dad Tundra was hatched in July 2013 and came from the National Aviary in Pittsburgh, PA.
Snowy Owl has most recently been assessed for The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2021 and is currently listed as vulnerable.
The owlets are in the snowy owl habitat in the Rocky Coasts region of the Zoo, and guests are just beginning to get their first glimpses of them. Seneca Park Zoo is open from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. 7 days a week. For tickets visit senecaparkzoo.org/tickets.
Internationally, and in the Rochester area, Seneca Park Zoo plays a key role in species survival. Chartered as an educational institution in 1957 by New York State, the Seneca Park Zoo Society plays an integral role in supporting Monroe County, the owners and operators of the Zoo. Together, we are working to bring animals back from the brink of extinction.
