Zoo favorite: Olive the wolverine one attraction as Henson Robinson opens for season

Wolverines, admitted Henson Robinson Zoo director Doug Hotle, have a mystique about them.

They have also become through the years a zoo favorite.

"We've had wolverines in the past and we sent the last one back to Alaska on a breeding program," Hotle said earlier this week. "Ever since I've been here the last year and a half, people were always asking about the wolverine, the wolverine, the wolverine."

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Enter Olive, a Eurasian wolverine and one of the newest attractions at the zoo, which opens for the season Saturday.

Guests can enjoy special zookeeper chats and animal encounters throughout Saturday, including reptile and bird shows in the zoo's new safari-themed amphitheater. University of Illinois Extension master gardeners will be on hand educating guests on how to prepare their own yards as pollinator gardens.

The Spring Bunny will be handing out eggs to kids and the “It’s All Good” food truck will be on-site all weekend.

One of the newest outdoor enclosures will house lemurs and langurs and will be completed on the north side of zoo later this summer, Hotle said.

The zoo has three red ruffed lemurs and two ring-tailed lemurs, with more expected soon. It also has what is believed to be the oldest black lemur in captivity at almost 20 years old, Hotle said. There are about 20 species of lemurs, all critically endangered and all living on the island country of Madagascar.

"We work with other zoos across the world to keep a genetically viable population of these in captivity," he said.

Olive comes to Springfield by way of the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage.

Henson Robinson is one of about half a dozen zoo exhibiting wolverines, Hotle added.

"When people hear 'wolverine,' they envision this big gnarly beast," Hotle admitted. "Olive is medium-sized (about three-quarters grown) and she's certainly not overly aggressive. In the wild, these guys, for growing up to 45 pounds, can take down a full-grown elk. They are tenacious and strong. They are top of apex predators. They'll chase bears and wolves off and take their food from them."

The zoo also now has 11 African penguins, which have also been decimated in the wild.

Most species of penguins are tropical or semi-tropical, Hotle said, with the Springfield guests coming from the very south of Africa.

"We've done a number on their breeding grounds, unfortunately, and with commercial fishing, they have to swim farther and farther out for their food and that takes up energy," Hotle said. "It's harder for these guys to find a place to lay their eggs and raise their young."

The penguins here have begun pairing up, "so we should be seeing eggs soon," Hotle said.

Also, it is believed that one of the red wolves at Henson Robinson is pregnant, he added.

There are only about 200 red wolves in captivity, Hotle said, "so each pup is critically important."

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Henson Robinson Zoo in Springfield opens for season on Saturday