Bronx Zoo
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Bronx Zoo The Bronx Zoo is within Bronx Park. It is the largest metropolitan zoo in the US, comprising 265 acres of park lands and naturalistic habitats, through which the Bronx River flows. It is part of an integrated system of four zoos and one aquarium managed by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The zoo is in the 1000 Places to see before we die book, so off we went.
History: Fordham University owned most of the land which became the Bronx Zoo and New York Botanical Garden. Fordham sold it to the City of New York for only $1,000 under the condition that the lands be used for a zoo and garden; this was in order to create a natural buffer between the university grounds and the urban expansion that was nearing. In the 1880’s, New York State set aside the land for future development as parks. In 1895, New York State chartered the New York Zoological Society (later renamed to Wildlife Conservation Society) for the purpose of founding a zoo. The zoo opened its doors to the public on the 8th of November 1899, featuring 843 animals in 22 exhibits. The first zoo director was William Temple Hornaday. Heins & LaFarge designed the original permanent buildings as a series of Beaux-Arts pavilions grouped around the large circular sea lion pool. In 1934, the Rainey Memorial Gates, designed by noted sculptor Paul Manship, were dedicated as a memorial to noted big game hunter Paul James Rainey. The gates were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. In November 2006, the Zoo opened up brand-new eco-friendly restrooms outside the Bronx River Gate. Built by the Clivus Multrum Company, the composting toilets chosen by the Zoo, will service 500,000 people and save 1,000,000 US gallons of water a year.
Exhibits and attractions: In 2010, the Bronx Zoo was home to more than 4,000 animals of 650 species, many of which are endangered or threatened. Some of the exhibits at the Bronx Zoo, such as World of Birds and World of Reptiles, are arranged by taxonomy, while others, such as African Plains and Wild Asia, are arranged geographically. We met the Bald Ibis and it was so different it got it’s own blog.
The Monkey House: is home to cotton-topped tamarins, white-faced sakis, marmosets and other New World monkeys – cute (own blog).
Outdoor exhibits: The African Plains exhibit allows visitors to walk past lions, storks and zebras, and see herds of gazelles sharing their home with nyalas and African wild dogs. Giraffes roam nearby. The wild dogs can be viewed close-up from a glass-fronted viewing pavilion. Three lion cubs were born in January 2010 and reside in the "African Plains" exhibit. The Bronx Zoo in partnership with the NY Daily News held a contest to name the newborns which made their public debut in April 2010. The names that won for the two females and one male were Nala, Adamma, and Shani.
The Wild Asia Monorail: took us through a 40-acre area that recreates the mud wallows and pastures, forests and riverbanks of Asia. We saw a tiger, elephants, rhinos and wild horses in their natural habitats. As the monorail travels along the Bronx River, visitors can see native animals including egrets, turtles and ducks.
Bear was called on to do his ‘Tortoise Whisperer’ to break up a fight and reassure one lady she was worth fighting over Indoor exhibits: "Jungle World" is an indoor tropical jungle and home to nearly eight hundred animals including otters, gibbons, and a tapir, live in mangroves and on the beaches. Visitors can watch the gibbons swinging or singing, and watch the otters play. The exhibit includes species that uding stag beetles, scorpions, and fire-bellied toads, but behind glass. A pond with a waterfall lets visitors sit and observe gourami and Fly River turtles.
The Madagascar exhibit: opened on the 20th of June 2008, recreating a small section of what many people call the eighth continent. It contains a variety of wildlife from Madagascar, including lemurs, hissing cockroaches, sifaka lemurs and the Nile crocodile.
World of Birds: is an indoor walk-through aviary in sections by species and was excellent, many colourful breeds (own blog).
ALL IN ALL A GOOD DAY OUT |