(Redirected from Cincinnati Zoo)
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, which has been rated (on numerous occasions) as one of the top zoos in the country, resides 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 other American zoos which are in suburban areas. Nicknamed "The Sexiest Zoo in America" it is world renowned for its breeding programs, especially for
cheetahs. A
bonobo born at the zoo in December 2003 raises the U.S. zoo population of our rapidly-disappearing closest cousin to 60, of which seven are in Cincinnati. A less happy claim to fame is that 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.
History
Established in 1875 by The Zoological Society 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.
[1]
Today

An
ocelot getting some sleep at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden.
Major exhibits include
Manatee Springs, an indoor exhibit featuring
Florida marine life; Vanishing Giants, an outdoor space for elephants and giraffes given by former
Reds owner
Marge Schott;
Kroger Lords of the Arctic (
polar bears); World of the
Insect;
Jungle Trails; Wings of the World; and the
Sumatran Rhinoceros. There currently are 700 species being maintained at the Cincinnati Zoo.
The Zoo is noted for its educational work; its education director
Barry Wakeman created programs that were models for other zoos. It also is famous for successfully breeding its current resident female Sumatran rhinoceros, Emi, three times.
The
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Opera sometimes held open-air concerts at the zoo, often to the accompaniment of the lions' roars. While the Symphony and Opera no longer perform there regularly, there is a pavilion where concerts still are held three or four times a year.
See also
★
Cincinnati Zoo Historic Structures
★
List of botanical gardens in the United States
External links
★ http://www.cincyzoo.org
★
Cincinnati Zoo Photographs
Referenes
1. Architecture In Cincinnati, , Sue Ann, Painter, Ohio University Press, ,