Denver Zoo

The Denver Zoo is an 80-acre facility located in City Park of Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1896, it is owned by the City and County of Denver and funded in part by the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD). The zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). It was the most popular paid attraction in the Denver metropolitan area in 2005.

History

Early years

The zoo was founded in 1896 when an orphaned American black bear cub Billy Bryan -- short for William Jennings Bryan, after the contemporary American politician -- was given to Mayor Thomas S. McMurry as a gift. McMurry gave the hard-to-manage cub to the keeper of City Park, Alexander J. Graham, who started the zoo with this animal. Other animals at the young zoo included native waterfowl at Duck Lake, native prairie dogs and antelope which roamed the park, and a flock of Chinese pheasants, which later populated the eastern plains of the state.

In 1905, a population of red squirrels was added to the zoo's collection; this population grew rapidly and decimated the bird population at Duck Lake. A plan to shoot the squirrels was scrapped when citizens protested; instead, as many squirrels as could be caught were sent to the Denver Mountain Parks.

Mid-twentieth century

The zoo was a motley menagerie until 1906, when Mayor Robert W. Speer declared that the zoo's "[p]rison bars can be done away with" in favor of "concrete rocks, waterfalls, trees, etc. Speer hired the city's landscape architect, Saco R. DeBoer, to draw up the plans for his renovation and appointed Victor H. Borcherdt as zoo director.

Borcherdt's most notable claim to fame was the construction of the Bear Mountain exhibit, which he designed, from 1917 to 1918. This structure, 43 ft. (13 m) tall by 185 ft (56 m) long and costing $50,000 to build, was built of dyed and textured concrete forms cast from Dinosaur Mountain in Morrison, Colorado. Hidden moats replaced cage bars, and native plants and an artificial stream enhanced the natural look. The south tip of the exhibit was designed to resemble Mesa Verde National Park. Originally it housed monkeys, but due to escape problems, sea lions were housed there instead. Today coati reside in the southern section and grizzly bears and Asiatic black bears inhabit the other two sections. Bear Mountain established Denver as the foremost among American zoos, and the Saint Louis Zoo hired Borcherdt after seeing the exhibit.

Although other zoos in the region made extensive use of New Deal funds to upgrade their facilities, only one notable addition was made to the Denver Zoo between 1918 and 1950, Monkey Island, built in 1937 using funds from the Works Progress Administration. Mayor Benjamin F. Stapleton funded the zoo very little, and it was in poorly maintained condition when Mayor Quigg Newton was elected in 1947. Newton hired DeBoer, the architect involved with the zoo's design forty years previous, to plan a rebirth. Starting with the 1950 overhaul of Monkey Island, the zoo has steadily added to and improved its exhibits and today is a world-class institution.

1990s-present

On November 6, 1994, twin polar bear cubs Klondike and Snow were born to a first-time mother named Ulu, who rejected the cubs. They were successfully raised by zoo staff and became a popular attraction. The bears now reside at SeaWorld Orlando. Their story is commemorated at the Denver Zoo by a bronze sculpture.

On February 24, 2007, a jaguar mauled zookeeper Ashlee Pfaff inside the animal's enclosure. The jaguar was shot and killed by the zoo's emergency response team while rescuing Pfaff, who later died of her injuries at a local hospital. This event occurred despite zoo policy prohibiting direct contact between keepers and big cats. An investigation by the zoo concluded the attack was the result of human error by Pfaff.

Exhibits and other facilities

The Denver Zoo houses species from all over the world, including hoofed mammals, carnivorous mammals, pachyderms, birds, reptiles, and fishes. Exhibits include the following:

Exhibit	Year opened	Description
Bear Mountain	1918	This historic exhibit is considered the first natural-style zoo exhibit in North America. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 and underwent a $250,000 restoration.It is home to Grizzly Bears, Asiatic Black Bears, and coati
Monkey Island	1937	This exhibit was created with funds from the Works Progress Administration.
Children's Zoo	1951
Pachyderm Habitat	1959
Feline House	1964
Giraffe House	1966
Animal Hospital	1969
Bird World	1975	This building features open aviaries in which guests can mingle with exotic birds.
Mountain Sheep Habitat
Northern Shores	1987	This exhibit features species such as polar bears and pinnipeds, and was home to the famous polar bear cubs Klondike and Snow.
Wolf Pack Woods	1988
Gates Center and Wild Encounters Outdoor Amphitheater		These are part of the Zoo's educational programs.
Tropical Discovery	1993	This building contains numerous aquaria and various tropical mammals, amphibians, and reptiles, including Komodo dragons.
Primate Panorama	1996	This facility spreads over seven acres and primarily houses apes and other primates.
Predator Ridge	2005	This very large exhibit represents the African savanna. It has the ability to rotate different African predators (lions, hyenas, and African wild dogs), whose overlapping scents provide environmental enrichment for the animals.
Asian Tropics		Projected to open in 2009, this $40 million exhibit will house Asian elephants and other large animals outdoors, where they will rotate among different habitats in the same style as Predator Ridge. It will also have an indoor facility for smaller species.

Gallery

Notes

References

• "Jaguar kills Denver zookeeper". The Denver Post, Retrieved on 2007-02-25.
• About the Denver Zoo (Official Site). Denver Zoological Foundation. .
• Doligosa, Jr., Felix "Zoo plans Asian animal exhibit". Rocky Mountain News. .
• Kelley, Joanne "Destination: Denver". Rocky Mountain News, Retrieved on 2006-06-21.
• Monaghan, Kelly (2007). Other Orlando, The. 4th ed., The Other Orlando.com. ISBN-10 1887140662.
• Noel, Thomas J. (1997). Mile High City: An Illustrated History of Denver. Denver, Colorado & Encinitas, California: Heritage Media Corporation. ISBN 1-886483-10-8.

External links

• Official site