Dallas Zoo
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| Dallas Zoo | |
 This statue is the tallest in Texas. It marks the location of the Dallas Zoo.
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| Date opened | 1888 |
| Location | Dallas, Texas, USA |
| Land area | 95 acres (0.38 km²) |
| Number of Animals | 1,800 |
| Accreditations/ Memberships |
AZA |
| Website | |
Dallas Zoo is a zoo located 3 miles (5 km) south of downtown Dallas in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas, Texas (USA). The zoo was originally founded in 1888 and now covers 95 acres (0.38 km²), making it the largest zoological park in Texas [1]. It has about 1,800 animals on zoo grounds with another 4-5000 animals at The Dallas Aquarium in Fair park, which it also manages. The facility is immediately adjacent to the Dallas Zoo Station on DART's Red Line.
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[edit] Exhibits
The zoo is divided into two major regions: Zoo North and the Wilds of Africa.
Zoo North is home to most of the traditional zoo animals, including elephants and tigers. Many of the exhibits in this portion of the zoo are somewhat old and outdated, including the Large Mammal Building (which features African elephants and giraffes), the Hill (black rhinoceroses, cheetahs, and hoofed mammals), and Cat Row. Other exhibits include the Bird and Reptile Building (Dallas is one of the few zoos in the country to exhibit tuatara and the only American zoo to display perentie monitors), the new tiger and otter exhibits, primates, and Bug U!, a collection of Texas invertebrates.
On the other side of the zoo, the Wilds of Africa features a penguins, mandrills, and a nature trail. The nature trail, winding through a wooded section of the zoo, takes guests through a forest aviary and past gorillas, chimpanzees, and crocodiles. Also on this trail are two species for which the zoo is famous for breeding: okapi and saddle-billed storks. Most of the Wilds can be seen only through the monorail, which crosses several African biomes - Forest, Mountain, Woodland, River, Desert, and Bush. Animals seen along the monorail include zebras, ibexes, and a wide variety of African antelope and birds.
[edit] The Gorilla Escape and Other Incidents
On March 18, 2004 a gorilla named Jabari scaled a retaining wall and injured four visitors. He was fatally shot by a police SWAT team after being pursued by zoo employees through the Wilds of Africa exhibit.[2] This incident prompted several zoos to create or enhance Emergency Response Teams to deal with escaped animals.
In early 2008, the zoo was plagued by the deaths of several high profile animals, including an elephant, a giraffe, a cheetah, the zoo's only lion, Boris, and a number of smaller animals.
[edit] Oldest Captive Gorilla
Jenny the world's oldest captive gorilla celebrated her 55th birthday on May 9th 2008, with a four layer frozen fruit cake. Jenny resides at the Dallas Zoo in the wilds of Africa Exhibit. Jenny's 55th birthday demonstrates the advances that have been made in veterinary medicine and nutrition. The average life span of gorilla's in the wild is anywhere from 30- 35 years of age. Only 4 other gorillas in captivity are over the age of 50.[3]
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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