Some new faces are coming to the Akron Zoo.
And some are downright cuddly.
The zoo is preparing to reopen some exhibits in its Legends of the Wild area that have been closed for several months for renovations.
As part of the upgrades, some new animal species to Akron have been added.
The animals and exhibits are set to make their public debut on Saturday, May 16.
Among the new residents will be three white-faced saki.
The monkeys — male Toumi, female Clementine and their female 1-year-old, Ripley — are native to northern South America.
They are small and weigh around 4 pounds.
Sun conure parrots are new to the zoo.
The parrots, named Vega and Archimedes, are native to the rainforest of northern Brazil and surrounding areas and are considered endangered.
Another bird species, the green aracari, will make their Akron debut. The colorful birds are native to the rainforest in South America.
Other new animals in the exhibit include the prehensile-tailed porcupine, green-crested basilisk and chinchillas.
Some critters are returning to public display now that the construction work is completed.
They include:
The zoo’s new mountain lion cubs are already on public display in the Legends of the Wild along with the yellow-backed duikers, a type of antelope, in the Pride of Africa section.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron Zoo’s Legends of Wild area to reopen with some new animals
Reporting by Craig Webb, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
