Bronx Zoo
 Bronx Zoo logo | |
 Asia Gate Entrance | |
| Date opened | November 8, 1899 [1] |
|---|---|
| Location | 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx Park, Bronx, New York, 10460, USA |
| Coordinates | 40°51′02″N 73°52′31″W / 40.850581°N 73.87538°W / 40.850581; -73.87538Coordinates: 40°51′02″N 73°52′31″W / 40.850581°N 73.87538°W / 40.850581; -73.87538 |
| Land area | 265 acres (107 ha)[2] |
| Number of animals | 4,000 [3] |
| Number of species | 650 [3] |
| Memberships | AZA [4] |
| Major exhibits | Congo Gorilla Forest, JungleWorld, Wild Asia Monorail, Madagascar!, Tiger Mountain, African Plains, World of Birds, World of Monkeys, World of Reptiles, Zoo Center |
| Website | www.bronxzoo.com |
The Bronx Zoo is located in the Bronx borough of New York City, within Bronx Park. It is one of the world's largest metropolitan zoos, with some 4,000 animals representing about 650 species from around the world. The zoo comprises 265 acres (107 ha) of park lands and naturalistic habitats, through which the Bronx River flows.
The Bronx Zoo 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).
Contents[show] |
[edit] History
Fordham University owned 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 1880s, 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)[1] for the purpose of founding a zoo.
The zoo (originally called the Bronx Zoological Park[5] and the Bronx Zoological Gardens[6]) opened its doors to the public on November 8, 1899, featuring 843 animals in 22 exhibits. The first zoo director was William Temple Hornaday.[7] Heins & LaFarge designed the original permanent buildings as a series of Beaux-Arts pavilions grouped around the large circular sea lion pool.[8] 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.[9] The gates were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.[10]
In November 2006, the Zoo opened up brand-new eco-friendly restrooms outside the Bronx River Gate. According to the Clivus multrum company, which built the composting toilets chosen by the Zoo, these facilities will service 500,000 people and save 1,000,000 U.S. gallons (3,800,000 l) of water a year.[11][12]
In March 2007, the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Fordham University Graduate School of Education announced they would offer a joint program leading to a Master of Science degree in education and New York State initial teacher certification in adolescent science education (biology grades 7-12). The program began in 2008, and is the first joint degree program of its kind.[13]
[edit] Exhibits and attractions
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This section appears to be written like an advertisement. (October 2012) |
As of 2010, the Bronx Zoo is home to more than 4,000 animals of 650 species, many of which are endangered or threatened.[3] 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.[14]
[edit] 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.[15] 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 2 females and 1 male were Nala, Adamma, and Shani.[16]
"Baboon Reserve" recreates the Ethiopian highlands, and is home to a troop of geladas. Visitors can watch the geladas from multiple viewpoints along with the Nubian ibexes, rock hyraxes, and African waterfowl that also live in this area.[17]
"Congo Gorilla Forest" is a 6.5-acre (2.6 ha) rainforest that is home to the 20 or so western lowland gorillas in the zoo. Colobus monkeys, guenon, marmosets, okapis, and mandrills also call this area home. Visitors walk through the area and can also view it from treetop lookouts.[18] Illustrations for this exhibit are by Jack Unruh.[citation needed]
"Wild Asia Monorail" takes visitors through a 40-acre (16 ha) area that recreates the mud wallows and pastures, forests and riverbanks of Asia. on this 20 minute long ride, visitors will see tigers, elephants, and rhinos, and Przewalski's horses in their natural habitats. As the monorail travels along the Bronx River, visitors can see native animals including egrets, turtles, large carp and ducks. The monorail is accessible for wheelchairs up to 26" wide. Smaller chairs are available at the monorail platform for visitors with wider wheelchairs or motorized scooters. The monorail does not operate during the late fall, early spring and winter months. [19]
On March 31, 2013, the first gorilla that was born in New York City by the name of Pattycake, died at the zoo at age 40.[20]
[edit] Indoor exhibits
"Jungle World" is an indoor tropical jungle and home to nearly 800 animals including otters, gibbons, leopards, 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 are usually on the jungle floor including stag beetles, scorpions, and fire-bellied toads. A pond with a waterfall lets visitors sit and observe gourami, tinfoil barbs, iridescent sharks and Fly River turtles.[21]
"Butterfly Garden" is an indoor butterfly conservatory which lets visitors walk through gardens and meadows and watch the butterflies up close.[22]
"Monkey House" was home to cotton-topped tamarins, white-faced sakis, marmosets, and other New World monkeys, but closed in March 2012. The monkeys were relocated to other exhibits in the zoo, or to the Central Park Zoo and Prospect Park Zoo. The building has landmark status, so whatever is done with it will need to retain to the original exterior feel and footprint.[23]
The "Madagascar" exhibit, which opened on 20 June 2008, recreates environments seen on the island of Madagascar. It contains a variety of wildlife including lemurs, hissing cockroaches, sifaka lemurs, Nile crocodiles, and fossa.[24]
"World of Birds" is an indoor walk-through aviary. The exhibit is open year round. Here, visitors can see blue-bellied rollers, helmeted curassows, and Cuban Amazons. "World of Birds" first opened in 1972. It temporarily closed in the summer of 2010 for repairs and upgrades,[25], but reopened in early 2011.
[edit] Conservation
The Bronx Zoo made the news in August 2006 when it agreed to enter a snow leopard cub, Leo, into its breeding program. The 13-month-old cub was found stuck in mud following a landslide in Naltar Valley in Pakistan. The landslide had killed the cub's mother. A Pakistani shepherd in the area found the cub with its female sibling, but the female had died a week later due to malnutrition. He then handed over the male cub to Pakistani authorities to care for him. Since there are no captive breeding programs or rehabilitation centers for snow leopards in Pakistan, the authorities decided to send the cub to the Bronx Zoo. The leopard will be returned to its place of birth following construction of a rehab facility in the Naltar Valley with cooperation from the United States.[26][27][28]
In January 2010, the zoo was selected to house four abandoned baby bear cubs. The Wildlife Conservation Society suspects that their mother was killed in a mudslide. The four cubs are healthy and happy in their new home.[1]
In February 2010, the Bronx Zoo put an "assurance colony" of Kihansi Spray Toads. The species disappeared in their native Tanzania home.[2]
[edit] Incidents
[edit] 1985 zookeeper death
On July 29, 1985, two Siberian tigresses killed 24-year-old animal keeper Robin Silverman after she entered their enclosure with a volunteer aide.[29] It was unclear why Silverman entered the enclosure; the zoo's general curator suspected a lapse in concentration while Silverman's family suspected a lapse on the part of the zoo. It was the first fatality in the zoo's history.[30]
[edit] 2012 mauling
On September 21, 2012, a man, David Villalobos, 25, jumped off a monorail train (he was not strapped in, and cleared the 16-foot-high perimeter fence around the area) into the tiger exhibit and was mauled by a male 11-year-old Siberian (Amur) tiger named Bashuta, who has been in residence at the Zoo for three years and will not be euthanized as a result of the incident, since it was clearly provoked and there was not a fatality. He was alone with the tiger for about 10 minutes, and was attacked on his shoulder, arms, legs, and back, before he was rescued by zoo officials (who used fire extinguishers to chase the tiger away and told him to escape by rolling under a wire), according to Zoo Director Jim Breheny. He is in stable condition at an area hospital, and will likely be arrested for trespassing (it was initially thought before an interview that it was a possible suicide attempt; Villalobos, who had petted the 400-pound animal, wanted to be one with the tiger").[31]
[edit] Animal escapes
On March 26, 2011, the Bronx Zoo announced that the reptile house was closed after a venomous adolescent Egyptian cobra was discovered missing from its off-exhibit enclosure on March 25. Zoo officials were confident the missing cobra would be found in the building and not outside, since the Egyptian cobra is known to be uncomfortable in open areas.[32] The missing snake quickly sparked a popular Twitter parody account, @BronxZoosCobra,[33] which narrated the daily hijinks of the Egyptian cobra.[34] on March 31, zoo authorities found the snake in a non-public, non-exhibit area of the reptile house.[35]
On May 9, 2011, a female Green Peafowl escaped from the zoo before being caught on May 11.[36]
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