Wildwood's Newest Resident: Kya, a Female Striped Hyena

Wildwood Wildlife Park welcomes Kya, an adorable Striped Hyena. 

Did you know that hyena's do not belong to the Canid (dog) or felid (cat) families? Instead, they are so unique that they have a family all their own: Hyaenidae family. 

These magnificent animals are sometimes called the scourge of the Serengeti but they play an important role as the "clean-up crew."

Striped hyena's are native to North and East Africa, the Middle East and Middle, Central and Southern Asia. 

Striped Hyena's have broad heads with dark eyes, thick muzzles and large pointed ears. The most striking feature on the hyena are their legs: the front legs are much longer than their hind legs. This gives them their distinctive walk. Hyenas are agile and can run, trot, and walk with ease.

Hyena's can hear sounds that human ears cannot, and they can listen for sounds from other predators miles away. Hyena's have a built-in communication system: an anal glad to mark its territory. Each hyena leaves its own unique scent.

Hyena's are solitary animals and are primary nocturnal; they typically only make themselves visible in complete darkness, and are quick to return to their lair before sunrise.

What's New at the Zoo!

Everyone at the park is understandably over the moon about our new arrivals. We hope you'll plan a trip to Minocqua to visit. See you soon!

A recent photo of our black leopard Teeah. You can see how big she has gotten since she was first introduced a few short weeks ago. Teeah is very inquisitive and loves to explore her surroundings.

The goats are one of our park's more popular residents. Here is a photo of a mother goat with her babies. Children of all ages love to get up close and personal with the goats.

Aren't they adorable? These two Canadian Lynx kittens are just too cute for words. The Canada Lynx is found in northern forests across almost all of Canada and Alaska. It is a threatened species in the contiguous United States. The adult Canada Lynx has a dense fur that is silvery brown but in summer becomes a reddish brown color. It has a short tail with a black tip and has long furry tufts on its ears. Its long legs with broad furred feet help the lynx to travel through the deep snow.

These beautiful birds are Ring-Necked Doves, otherwise known as Cape Turtle Dove that can be found living in the Savannah's, farmlands and woodlands of southern and eastern Africa. Their name comes from a black patch of feathers on the back of their necks. The rest of their feathers are a beautiful pale brownish-grey, with darker colors on their backs. They also have white tips on the end of their tail feathers. Doves usually lay two eggs which incubate in about 15-days. The males sit on the eggs during the day, and the female at night. Ring-Necked Doves rest in the treetops during the night; they feed mainly on seeds but they will also eat insects.

Black Leopard One Of The New Babies At The Park

We are pleased to announce the arrival of black leopard, Teeah, born on April 20th.


While she may not look like one of the 'big cats' everyone loves to visit, it won't be long before she'll be following in her parents paw-prints and will grown up to be a graceful animal.




Leopards are closely related to lions, tigers, and jaguars. They live in sub-Saharan Africa, northeast Africa, Central Asia, India and China. However, many of their populations are endangered, especially outside of Africa.


The leopard is so strong and comfortable in trees that it often hauls its kill into tree branches. By keeping it aloft, the leopard hopes to keep their meal safe from scavengers such as hyenas. Leopards often hunt from trees where their spotted coats allow them to blend into their surroundings.


Leopards are strong swimmers and are very much at home in the water. They are oftentimes seen eating fish or crabs.


Most leopards are light colored with distinctive dark spots that are called rosettes because they resemble the shape of a rose. Black leopards, which appear to be almost solid in color because their spots are hard to distinguish, are sometimes called black panthers.

Teeah's proud mother is Tenzin

and her father is Toby.