New York City, New York, United States of America
The Central Park Zoo was the first zoo is New York, and began in the 1860s as a mere menagerie of animals. It was modified in and modernized in 1934, but was in very poor shape by the 1980’s and was closed to be completely renovated. The zoo reopened in 1988 to the public, after demolishing all cages and replacing them with open air, natural exhibits. The zoo is very small, covering only 5 acres so it has carefully selected the animals and built the enclosures to suit them rather than attempting to feature every animal usually seen in a zoo. There are 130 different species to visit, and three main areas of exhibits: The Tropics, the Temperate Zone, and the Artic.
The chilled penguin house is a favorite with visitors of all ages, and is home to Gentoo penguins. The penguins are one of many animals that guests can see being fed by their keepers, and this is an opportunity to learn more about these adorable marine acrobats. Close by is the polar bear pool were Gus, the resident polar bear, can be viewed swimming or playing with his favorite balls and tubes. Guests can watch Gus from three different places, at ground level, from underwater viewing areas or even from a platform above his enclosure.
Other marine animals at the zoo are spotted Harbor seals, with four feeding times throughout the day, and at the very heart of the park, the California Sea Lions. There are daily talks and feedings three times a day, as well as training sessions that showcase the acrobatics of sea lions that are natural behaviors in the wild. April, Clarisse, and Scooter show off their skills, while keepers explain the importance of such training in order to not only keep the animals from becoming bored but also in order to administer regular checkups and veterinarian care. These flippered clowns can be seen both at ground level and from an underwater viewing area.
IN June of 2009, the Central Park Zoo opened the Snow Leopard exhibit, featuring three of the worlds’ most endangered large cats. These beautiful, spotted cats have the thickest coat of all large cats, as their native range includes regions like the Himalayan Mountains and other mountainous regions of central Asia. The enclosure mimics these rocky ledges and cliffs to allow the cats to leap about and explore, as well as a lot of grassy areas, hot rocks for the colder months and a waterfall. The zoo is involved in with the Wildlife Conservation Society in conservation of these elusive cats, and along with the Bronx Zoo is housing them in hopes of both captive breeding as well as educating the public on the plights facing them in the wild.
In the Temperate Territory, visitors will find the adorable red panda, which looks more like a cousin of the raccoon than its distant cousins, the huge Great Pandas. Also on view are snow monkeys, or Japanese macaques, the most Northern ranging primate other than humans. Their exhibit features a rocky island which can be viewed from every side by guests. It also includes a Jacuzzi-like hot spring, as it is natural behavior for these apes to visit hot springs to warm up in parts of their native range. Close by, guests can also see the red pandas hanging out in the surrounding trees, with the bordering wetlands also housing turtles and local birdlife.
The Tropical Zone features an indoor rainforest, and has walking platforms at various levels of the forest. Guests can experience animals on the ground, or within the canopy of lush green rainforest trees. Lemurs, native to Madagascar hop and swing about the trees, golden weaver birds swoop about making nests, and Victoria crowned pigeons peck for seeds on the rainforest floor. Also on view are the coatis, the Tamandua or lesser anteater, and Golden Lion Tamarin, small endangered primates.
The Children’s Zoo offers little people the opportunity to get up close and personal with some of the more domestic animals, including goats, alpacas, and wooly sheep. There is a duck pond, and a duck blind where kids can hide and view the ducks without scaring them away. There is a giant turtle shell to explore, lily pads to leap on, spider webs to climb and other activities to inspire and delight a child’s imagination. Another fun activity for children is the 4D Dora Adventure, and a short 4D film Planet Earth: Ice Worlds.
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