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Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden

Date opened	1875
Location	Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Number of species	510
Memberships	AZA
Website	http://www.cincyzoo.org

The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, is the second-oldest zoo in the United States and is located in Cincinnati, Ohio. It opened in 1875, just 14 months after the Philadelphia Zoo on July 1, 1874. The Reptile House is the oldest zoo building in America, dating from 1875.

The Cincinnati Zoo is located in the Cincinnati neighborhood of Avondale. It was founded on 65 acres (260,000 m²) in the middle of the city, and since then it has acquired some of the surrounding blocks and several reserves in Cincinnati's outer suburbs. Cincinnati Zoo's urban setting differentiates it from some other American zoos which are in suburban areas. The zoo conducts breeding programs, especially for cheetahs, black rhinoceros, white Bengal tigers, and lowland gorillas. A bonobo was born at the zoo in December 2003, bringing the U.S. zoo population to 60, of which seven are in Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Zoo was the home of Martha, the last living passenger pigeon, which died there in 1914. It also was home to the last living Carolina parakeet in 1918. The Zoo also has the California Sea Lion, Diana Monkey, Mantled Guereza, and Congo Peafowl.

Contents 1 History 2 Today 3 Major Exhibits 4 Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife (CREW) 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

[edit] History

In 1872,Andrew Erkenbrecher and several other residents created the Society for the Acclimatization of Birds in Cincinnati to acquire insect-eating birds to control a severe outbreak of caterpillars. A collection of approximately 1,000 birds imported from Europe in 1872 was housed in Burnet Woods before being released. The 'Acclimatization Society of Cincinnati' was established in 1873 as similar organizations with imperial aims proliferated in Moscow, Berlin, London and Melbourne in the late nineteenth century.^[1]

The Zoological Society of Cincinnati established a zoo, consisting of just over sixty-six acres in Blakely Woods. The Zoological Society did not own the land; rather the organization received a ninety-nine year lease for the property. This site was acquired in 1874 and the zoo officially opened its doors to the public on September 18, 1875, making the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden the second oldest intentionally constructed zoo in the United States. Founded by Jonathan Schoonover of Cincinnati and designed by the landscape engineer Theodor Fundeisen, The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden was originally named the Cincinnati Zoological Gardens. Architect James W. McLaughlin, who constructed the zoo's first buildings, designed the earliest completed zoological exhibits in the United States.^[2] The Zoo’s original animal collection consisted of eight monkeys, two grizzly bears, three deer, six raccoons, two elk, a buffalo, a hyena, a tiger, an alligator, a circus elephant, and over four hundred birds, including a crow. THe zoo also is home to some common peafowl.

The first guide book about the Cincinnati Zoo was written in 1876 in German. The founders of the zoo, including its first general manager, were German immigrants and the city had quite a large German-speaking population. The first English-language edition (illustrated) was published in 1893. ^[3]

In the first 20 years of its existence, the zoo experienced many financial difficulties and went into receivership in 1898. The Cincinnati Zoological Company was able to bring the zoo out of receivership and keep it going. The Cincinnati Traction Company purchased it in 1901 and operated the zoo for 16 years. In 1917, the Cincinnati Zoological Park Association, funded by donations from philanthropists Mary Emery and Anna Sinton Taft, took over management of the zoo. In 1932 the city purchased the zoo and now runs it through the Board of Park Commissioners.

Besides the live animal exhibits, the Zoo houses refreshments stands, a dance hall, roads, walkways, and picnic grounds. Between 1920 and 1972, the Cincinnati Summer Opera performed in an open-air pavilion and were broadcast by NBC radio.

The Zoo was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1987 due to its significant architecture featured in the Elephant House, the Reptile House, and the Passenger Pigeon Memorial. The Zoo’s Reptile House is the oldest existing Zoo building in the country, dating from 1875.

[edit] Today

The Zoo is noted for its educational work; its education director Barry Wakeman created programs that were models for other zoos. It also is known for successfully breeding its current resident female Sumatran rhinoceros, Emi, three times.

There is a pavilion where concerts are held three or four times a year.

[edit] Major Exhibits

Cat House - leopards, ocelots, Pallas cat, fishing cat, black-footed cat, caracal etc.

Elephant House - Indian elephant

Gibbon Islands - Siamang and other Gibbons.

Giraffe Ridge - Masai giraffes.

Gorilla World - western lowland gorilla.

Jungle Trails - primates, including sumatran orangutans and bonobos.

Kroger Lords of the Arctic - polar bears and bald eagle.

Lemur Lookout - ring-tailed lemurs.

Marge Schott-Unnewehr Elephant Reserve - Asian elephants.

Monkey Island - Japanese macaques or snow monkeys.

Nocturnal House - bearcat, aardvark, bats, etc.

Otto M. Budig Family Foundation Manatee Springs - Florida wildlife, including the manatee, American Crocodile, and American alligator.

Passenger Pigeon Memorial - Martha, the last known passenger pigeon that died at the Zoo in 1914.

Penguin Walkabout - Little Penguins, African Penguins, etc.

P&G Discovery Forest - two-toed sloth, blue and gold macaw, boa constrictor, toucan, etc.

Reptile House - Burmese python, king cobra, chinese alligator, and others.

Rhino Reserve - Indian rhinoceros, Black rhinoceros, etc.

Siegfried & Roy’s White Lions of Timbavati - rare white lion.

Spaulding Children’s Zoo - California Sea Lion, North American River Otters, goats, barn animals, etc.

Spaulding Lorikeet Landing - lorikeets.

Tiger Canyon - tigers and cheetahs.

Wetland Trails & Swan Lake - trumpeter swans, mallards, and other native wildlife.

Wildlife Canyon & Sumatran Rhino - Sumatran rhinoceros, Rhim Gazelle, Takin, Przewalski's Horse and other hoofed mammals.

Wings of the World - king penguins, rhinoceros hornbills, etc.

Wolf Woods - Mexican wolves and river otters.

World of the Insect - leaf-cutting ant, giant walking stick, etc.

[edit] Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife (CREW)

Founded in 1981 the mission of CREW is to use science and technology to understand, preserve and propagate endangered flora and fauna and facilitate the conservation of global biodiversity.

Principal Research Programs:

• Animal division: Research primarily focuses on reproductive physiology and the development of assisted reproduction for a variety of taxon including primates, felids, rhinos, amphibians and birds.;
• Plant division: Research focuses on "in vitro" collection, propagation and cryopreservation of endangered plants across the U.S.;
• For both research divisions, the Frozen Zoo plays a major role. In it are stored over 2,500 specimens representing approximately 60 animal and 65 plant species.

[edit] See also

• Cincinnati Zoo Historic Structures
• List of botanical gardens in the United States

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
• Cincinnati USA Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Cincinnati Zoo Photographs

v • d • e Zoos, aquaria, and aviaries Types of zoos Aquarium · Aviary · Bear pit · Butterfly zoo · Dolphinarium · Herpetarium · Insectarium · Marine mammal park · Menagerie · Safari park · Oceanarium · Petting zoo · Reptile centre · Serpentarium · Vivarium · Zoo Conservation Biodiversity · Endangered species · Extinction · Ex-situ conservation · In-situ conservation Lists Aquaria · Dolphinariums · Zoos · Zoo associations Animals Amphibian · Bird · Fish · Invertebrate · Mammal · Reptile Other topics Animals in captivity · Animal training · Behavioral enrichment · Captive breeding · Frozen zoo · Immersion exhibit · Nocturnal house · Zookeeper · Zoology

Coordinates: 39°08′42″N 84°30′29″W / 39.145°N 84.508°W / 39.145; -84.508