Buffalo Zoo

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Buffalo Zoo
Date opened 1875
Location 300 Parkside Ave, Buffalo, New York, United States
Coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Land area 23.5 acres (9.5 ha)
Number of animals 1200
Annual visitors 400,000
Memberships AZA[1]
Major exhibits Rainforest Falls, Sea Lion Cove, Otter Creek, Vanishing Animals, Elephants, Giraffes, Kookaburra Corner, EcoStation, Heritage Farm (Children's Zoo)
Website www.buffalozoo.org
Buffalo Zoo Entrance Court
File:Entrance Court at Buffalo Zoo Correct Apr 13.jpg
Buffalo Zoo Entrance Court, April 2013
Location Parkside Ave. & Amherst St., Buffalo, New York
Area less than one acre
Built 1935 (1935)-1938
Architect Brent, John Edmonston
NRHP Reference # 13000305[2]
Added to NRHP May 22, 2013

Founded in 1875, the Buffalo Zoo, located at 300 Parkside Ave in Buffalo, New York, is the third oldest zoo in the United States. Each year, the Buffalo Zoo welcomes approximately 400,000 visitors and is the second largest tourist attraction in Western New York; second only to Niagara Falls.[citation needed] Located on 23.5 acres (9.5 ha) of Buffalo’s Delaware Park, the zoo exhibits a diverse collection of wild and exotic animals, and more than 320 different species of plants. Open year-round, the zoo serves as a source of conservation, education, and recreation for Western New York.

History

File:Entrance Court at Buffalo Zoo Apr 13.jpg
Former zoo entrance on Parkside Ave (new entrance, opened in 2013, is directly off the zoo's parking lot)

The zoo traces its history to the mid-19th century when Jacob E. Bergtold, a Buffalo furrier, presented a pair of deer to the city of Buffalo. To provide the deer with room to graze, Elam R. Jewett, the publisher of the Buffalo Daily Journal, offered to house the deer on his estate. Simultaneously, plans were being made for the municipal North Park (today's Delaware Park), and Mayor William F. Rogers hired landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted, to include a zoo as part of the park's design. Five years after, the deer were donated, more animals were added to the collection, and the first permanent building was erected, signifying the establishment of the Buffalo Zoological Gardens in 1875.[citation needed]

The zoo underwent a large expansion during the Great Depression and became a major work site for the Works Progress Administration. Among the new structures was the Buffalo Zoo Entrance Court at Parkside Avenue and Amherst Street. It was designed by African-American architect John Edmonston Brent and built 1935-1938.[3] The Buffalo Zoo Entrance Court was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.[2]

Throughout the next several decades, more exhibits and facilities were added, including the Reptile House (1942), Children’s Zoo (1965), Giraffe House and Veterinary Hospital (1967), and The Gorilla Habitat Building (1981). The zoo’s mission also began to change during the 1980s and 1990s under the direction of Minot Ortolani, as it began reducing the numbers of animals in its collection to focus on the breeding of endangered species that might not otherwise have a chance at survival. In addition to its conservation efforts, the zoo also placed more of an emphasis on education to teach visitors about the animals and their natural habitats.[citation needed]

In 2002, a 15-year Master Plan was unveiled to transform the zoo. New visitor amenities and naturalistic habitats were planned, including the Asian River and Highlands Zone, African Watering Hole, Arctic Edge, and the Wonders of Water Children’s Zoo. Phase One of the Master Plan has resulted in the opening of the Vanishing Animals exhibit, EcoStation, Otter Creek, and Sea Lion Cove. The completion of Phase One was marked by the September 10, 2008, opening of the South American Rainforest, a four-season attraction that features a two-story waterfall, dozens of colorful free-flighted birds, and a variety of other rainforest species. These include ocelots, blue poison dart frogs, and many other animals you can find in the rain forest.[4]

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Animal species in collection
Mammals
Birds
Reptiles
Amphibians
Fish
Invertebrates

Gallery

  • Panthera tigris altaica 02 - Buffalo Zoo.jpg

    Siberian tiger cubs playing in the snow at the Buffalo Zoo.

  • Spectacled Bear - Buffalo Zoo.jpg

    A spectacled bear at the Buffalo Zoo.

  • Choloepus didactylus 2 - Buffalo Zoo.jpg

    Two-toed sloth hanging from a tree at the Buffalo Zoo.

  • Plesiotrygon iwamae (Buffalo Zoo).jpg

    Long-tailed river stingray at the Buffalo Zoo.

  • Atelopus zeteki 2 - Buffalo Zoo.jpg

    A Panamanian golden frog in its habitat at the Buffalo Zoo.

  • Princess Parrot (Buffalo Zoo).jpg

    One of the Buffalo Zoo's princess parrots.

  • River Otter - Buffalo Zoo.jpg

    Northern river otter playing in the snow at the Buffalo Zoo.

  • Indian Rhinoceros - Buffalo Zoo.jpg

    One of the Buffalo Zoo's Indian rhinoceroses.

  • Snow leopard sleeping - Buffalo Zoo.jpg

    A sleeping snow leopard at the Buffalo Zoo.

  • Dasyprocta leporina - Buffalo Zoo.jpg

    One of the Buffalo Zoo's Brazilian agoutis.

  • Desert iguana - Buffalo Zoo.jpg

    Desert iguanas in their habitat at the Buffalo Zoo.

  • Polar Bear - Buffalo Zoo.jpg

    A polar bear roaming his habitat at the Buffalo Zoo.

  • A juvenile Sulawesi crested macaque at the Buffalo Zoo.

  • Lion buff zoo.JPG

    A lion sleeping against the protective glass at the Buffalo Zoo.

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. See also: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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