Alexandria Zoological Park
Encyclopedia
The Alexandria Zoological Park is a 33 acres (13.4 ha) zoo
located in Alexandria, Louisiana
, United States. First opened to the public in 1926, it is owned by the City of Alexandria and operated by the Division of Public Works. It is home to about 500 animals.
The zoo was started in 1926 in Bringhurst Park as a row of cages. When the United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA) threatened to close the zoo in the 1960s, the city created the committee that is now Friends of the Alexandria Zoo (FOTAZ), the support organization for the zoo.
The zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums
(AZA) and takes part in about 20 Species Survival Plan
s (SSP).
Although public comment indicates that the zoo once housed a Chimpanzee and Buffalo, the zoo was mostly started with discarded pets such as rabbits, goats, and deer. There is very little documentation for these early years, but the zoo seems to have changed very little until the late 1960s or early 1970s when the United States Department of Agriculture
threatened to close it. This prompted City Commissioner O’Hearn Mathews to appoint the first zoo committee, which evolved into the Friends of the Alexandria Zoo (FOTAZ), the current support organization for the zoo.
Much of the credit for the current quality of the zoo has been given to Robert Leslie Whitt
(1951–2008), who served as director for thirty-four years prior to his death. Whitt was hired in 1974 by then Streets and Parks Commissioner Malcolm P. Hebert.
_zoo_picture_299.jpg)
In addition to its regular exhibits, the zoo has four themed habitat areas.
The zoo opened a small part of the African Experience in September 2003. The large naturalistic habitat for African lions includes large rock formations and a waterfall. This initial part of the exhibit also includes Dwarf Crocodile
s and Crested Porcupine
s. Two new exhibits in this area were opened in April, 2004. One is home to the zoo's Aldabra and Galapagos
tortoises, and the other is a "Venom Center" or African snake house.
Louisiana Habitat was opened in 1998, and features the plants, animals, architecture, industry and culture of Louisiana. Native species such as Alligator
, Spoonbill
, Otter
, Cougar, Black Bear
, Bobcat
, Raccoon
, Red Wolf
, White-tailed Deer
and many others live in naturalistic exhibits depicting the marshes, swamps, and uplands of the state. Turtles, fish, Otters, and Alligators can be seen from an underwater viewing area. This exhibit received a "best public facility" award in 1998 from the Louisiana Contractors magazine, and a "Significant Achievement" award in 2002 from the AZA.
Bayou Le Zoo Choo Choo, the zoo's miniature train, runs all year but only operates on weekends in January and February. It also runs during the zoo's Holiday Light Safari. The train depot is just to the left of the main entry area, and the train takes visitors all the way around the outside edge of the zoo.
s (SSP), including Andean Condor
, Chinese Alligator
, Clouded Leopard
, Colobus Monkey, Cotton-top Tamarin, Fishing Cat
, Gibbon
, Golden Lion Tamarin
, Indochinese Tiger
, Jaguar
, Lion
, Lion-tailed Macaque
, Louisiana Pine Snake
, Maned Wolf
, Ocelot
, Red Wolf
, Spectacled Bear
, Spider Monkey
, and Toucan
.
In addition to species involved in Species Survival Plans, the zoo is home to other threatened or endangered species, including African Dwarf Crocodile
, American Crocodile
, American Black Bear
, Bengal Tiger
, Black Howler Monkey, Brazilian Tapir
, Galapagos Tortoise
, Lowland Anoa, Nile Crocodile
, Palawan Peacock Pheasant
, Red-handed Tamarin
, and Red Kangaroo
.
Throughout the year, the zoo also sponsors special events to help promote conservation, including lectures, Party for the Planet, Wild Tie & Tennis Shoe Night, International Migratory Bird Day, Black Bear Awareness Day, and Endangered Species Day.
s, Giraffes, Pygmy Hippos
, hoofed mammals, birds, Leopard
s, Serval
s, Colobus Monkeys and other primates, Meerkat
s, and Nile crocodile
s.
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
located in Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....
, United States. First opened to the public in 1926, it is owned by the City of Alexandria and operated by the Division of Public Works. It is home to about 500 animals.
The zoo was started in 1926 in Bringhurst Park as a row of cages. When the United States Department of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
(USDA) threatened to close the zoo in the 1960s, the city created the committee that is now Friends of the Alexandria Zoo (FOTAZ), the support organization for the zoo.
The zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums
Association of Zoos and Aquariums
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums was founded in 1924 and is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and public aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation.The AZA headquarters is located in Silver...
(AZA) and takes part in about 20 Species Survival Plan
Species Survival Plan
The American Species Survival Plan or SSP program was developed in 1981 by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to help ensure the survival of selected species in zoos and aquariums, most of which are threatened or endangered in the wild....
s (SSP).
History
The Alexandria Zoological Park was established in 1926 in Bringhurst Park. Photos from the early 1930s show cages constructed of chain link fence and iron bars, with very little vegetation planted near the exhibits. The only exhibits to survive from this era are the original fish pools, which are now used for wild fowl habitat. Additional cages, including a Sea Lion pool, were added in the 1940s.Although public comment indicates that the zoo once housed a Chimpanzee and Buffalo, the zoo was mostly started with discarded pets such as rabbits, goats, and deer. There is very little documentation for these early years, but the zoo seems to have changed very little until the late 1960s or early 1970s when the United States Department of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
threatened to close it. This prompted City Commissioner O’Hearn Mathews to appoint the first zoo committee, which evolved into the Friends of the Alexandria Zoo (FOTAZ), the current support organization for the zoo.
Much of the credit for the current quality of the zoo has been given to Robert Leslie Whitt
Les Whitt
Robert Leslie Whitt, known as Les Whitt , was the award-winning director of Alexandria Zoological Park in Alexandria, the seat of Rapides Parish and the largest city in Central Louisiana, having served from 1974 until his death from heart complications only six days prior to what would have been...
(1951–2008), who served as director for thirty-four years prior to his death. Whitt was hired in 1974 by then Streets and Parks Commissioner Malcolm P. Hebert.
Exhibits and other facilities
The zoo opened a small part of the African Experience in September 2003. The large naturalistic habitat for African lions includes large rock formations and a waterfall. This initial part of the exhibit also includes Dwarf Crocodile
Dwarf Crocodile
The dwarf crocodile is an African species of crocodile. It is also the smallest extant crocodile species in the world. Recent sampling has identified three genetically distinct populations...
s and Crested Porcupine
Crested Porcupine
The crested porcupine is a species of rodent in the Hystricidae family.It is extant in mainland Italy, Sicily, North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa.-Physical Attributes:...
s. Two new exhibits in this area were opened in April, 2004. One is home to the zoo's Aldabra and Galapagos
Galápagos tortoise
The Galápagos tortoise or Galápagos giant tortoise is the largest living species of tortoise, reaching weights of over and lengths of over . With life spans in the wild of over 100 years, it is one of the longest-lived vertebrates...
tortoises, and the other is a "Venom Center" or African snake house.
Louisiana Habitat was opened in 1998, and features the plants, animals, architecture, industry and culture of Louisiana. Native species such as Alligator
Alligator
An alligator is a crocodilian in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. There are two extant alligator species: the American alligator and the Chinese alligator ....
, Spoonbill
Spoonbill
Spoonbills are a group of large, long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae, which also includes the Ibises.All have large, flat, spatulate bills and feed by wading through shallow water, sweeping the partly opened bill from side to side...
, Otter
Otter
The Otters are twelve species of semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals....
, Cougar, Black Bear
American black bear
The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...
, Bobcat
Bobcat
The bobcat is a North American mammal of the cat family Felidae, appearing during the Irvingtonian stage of around 1.8 million years ago . With twelve recognized subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to northern Mexico, including most of the continental United States...
, Raccoon
Raccoon
Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...
, Red Wolf
Red Wolf
The red wolf is a North American canid which once roamed throughout the Southeastern United States and is a glacial period survivor of the Late Pleistocene epoch...
, White-tailed Deer
White-tailed Deer
The white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...
and many others live in naturalistic exhibits depicting the marshes, swamps, and uplands of the state. Turtles, fish, Otters, and Alligators can be seen from an underwater viewing area. This exhibit received a "best public facility" award in 1998 from the Louisiana Contractors magazine, and a "Significant Achievement" award in 2002 from the AZA.
Bayou Le Zoo Choo Choo, the zoo's miniature train, runs all year but only operates on weekends in January and February. It also runs during the zoo's Holiday Light Safari. The train depot is just to the left of the main entry area, and the train takes visitors all the way around the outside edge of the zoo.
Conservation
As part of its conservaton effort, the zoo participate in about 20 Species Survival PlanSpecies Survival Plan
The American Species Survival Plan or SSP program was developed in 1981 by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to help ensure the survival of selected species in zoos and aquariums, most of which are threatened or endangered in the wild....
s (SSP), including Andean Condor
Andean Condor
The Andean Condor is a species of South American bird in the New World vulture family Cathartidae and is the only member of the genus Vultur...
, Chinese Alligator
Chinese Alligator
The Chinese alligator or Alligator Alligator sinensis) is one of two known living species of Alligator, a genus in the family Alligatoridae. The Chinese alligator is native only to China...
, Clouded Leopard
Clouded Leopard
The clouded leopard is a felid found from the Himalayan foothills through mainland Southeast Asia into China, and has been classified as vulnerable in 2008 by IUCN...
, Colobus Monkey, Cotton-top Tamarin, Fishing Cat
Fishing Cat
The Fishing Cat is a medium-sized wild cat of South and Southeast Asia. In 2008, the IUCN classified the fishing cat as endangered since they are concentrated primarily in wetland habitats, which are increasingly being settled, degraded and converted...
, Gibbon
Gibbon
Gibbons are apes in the family Hylobatidae . The family is divided into four genera based on their diploid chromosome number: Hylobates , Hoolock , Nomascus , and Symphalangus . The extinct Bunopithecus sericus is a gibbon or gibbon-like ape which, until recently, was thought to be closely related...
, Golden Lion Tamarin
Golden Lion Tamarin
The golden lion tamarin also known as the golden marmoset, is a small New World monkey of the family Callitrichidae...
, Indochinese Tiger
Indochinese Tiger
The Indochinese tiger or Corbett's tiger is a subspecies of tiger found in Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand, and Vietnam and formerly in China. Tigers in peninsular Malaysia, formerly classified as Indochinese, have recently been reclassified as a separate subspecies, Malayan tiger Panthera tigris...
, Jaguar
Jaguar
The jaguar is a big cat, a feline in the Panthera genus, and is the only Panthera species found in the Americas. The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. The jaguar's present range extends from Southern United States and Mexico...
, Lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
, Lion-tailed Macaque
Lion-tailed Macaque
The lion-tailed macaque is an Old World monkey that is endemic to the Western Ghats of South India.-Physical Characteristics:...
, Louisiana Pine Snake
Louisiana Pine Snake
The Louisiana Pine Snake is a large, nonvenomous constrictor of the Colubridae family. This powerful snake is notable because if its large eggs and small clutch sizes. The Louisiana Pine Snake is indigenous to west-central Louisiana and eastern Texas, where it relies strongly on the Baird's...
, Maned Wolf
Maned Wolf
The maned wolf is the largest canid of South America, resembling a large fox with reddish fur.This mammal is found in open and semi-open habitats, especially grasslands with scattered bushes and trees, in south, central-west and south-eastern Brazil The maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) is the...
, Ocelot
Ocelot
The ocelot , pronounced /ˈɒsəˌlɒt/, also known as the dwarf leopard or McKenney's wildcat is a wild cat distributed over South and Central America and Mexico, but has been reported as far north as Texas and in Trinidad, in the Caribbean...
, Red Wolf
Red Wolf
The red wolf is a North American canid which once roamed throughout the Southeastern United States and is a glacial period survivor of the Late Pleistocene epoch...
, Spectacled Bear
Spectacled Bear
The spectacled bear , also known as the Andean bear and locally as ukuko, jukumari or ucumari, is the last remaining short-faced bear and the closest living relative to the Florida spectacled bear and short-faced bears of the Middle Pleistocene to Late Pleistocene age.The spectacled bear is a...
, Spider Monkey
Spider monkey
Spider monkeys of the genus Ateles are New World monkeys in the subfamily Atelinae, family Atelidae. Like other atelines, they are found in tropical forests of Central and South America, from southern Mexico to Brazil...
, and Toucan
Toucan
Toucans are members of the family Ramphastidae of near passerine birds from the Neotropics. The family is most closely related to the American barbets. They are brightly marked and have large, often colorful bills. The family includes five genera and about forty different species...
.
In addition to species involved in Species Survival Plans, the zoo is home to other threatened or endangered species, including African Dwarf Crocodile
Dwarf Crocodile
The dwarf crocodile is an African species of crocodile. It is also the smallest extant crocodile species in the world. Recent sampling has identified three genetically distinct populations...
, American Crocodile
American Crocodile
The American crocodile is a species of crocodilian found in the Neotropics. It is the most widespread of the four extant species of crocodiles from the Americas. Populations occur from the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of southern Mexico to South America as far as Peru and Venezuela. It also lives...
, American Black Bear
American black bear
The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...
, Bengal Tiger
Bengal Tiger
The Bengal tiger is a tiger subspecies native to the Indian subcontinent that in 2010 has been classified as endangered by IUCN...
, Black Howler Monkey, Brazilian Tapir
Brazilian Tapir
The South American Tapir , or Brazilian Tapir or Lowland Tapir or Anta, is one of four species in the tapir family, along with the Mountain Tapir, the Malayan Tapir, and Baird's Tapir...
, Galapagos Tortoise
Galápagos tortoise
The Galápagos tortoise or Galápagos giant tortoise is the largest living species of tortoise, reaching weights of over and lengths of over . With life spans in the wild of over 100 years, it is one of the longest-lived vertebrates...
, Lowland Anoa, Nile Crocodile
Nile crocodile
The Nile crocodile or Common crocodile is an African crocodile which is common in Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Egypt, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Gabon, South Africa, Malawi, Sudan, Botswana, and Cameroon...
, Palawan Peacock Pheasant
Palawan Peacock Pheasant
The Palawan Peacock-Pheasant, Polyplectron napoleonis, is a medium-sized bird in the family Phasianidae. It was long known as Polyplectron emphanum .-Description:...
, Red-handed Tamarin
Red-handed Tamarin
The red-handed tamarin , also known as the golden-handed tamarin or Midas tamarin, is a New World monkey named for the contrasting reddish-orange hair on their feet and hands. It is native to wooded areas north of the Amazon River in Brazil, Guyana, French Guiana, Suriname, and possibly Venezuela...
, and Red Kangaroo
Red Kangaroo
The Red Kangaroo is the largest of all kangaroos, the largest mammal native to Australia, and the largest surviving marsupial. It is found across mainland Australia, avoiding only the more fertile areas in the south, the east coast, and the northern rainforests.-Description:This species is a very...
.
Throughout the year, the zoo also sponsors special events to help promote conservation, including lectures, Party for the Planet, Wild Tie & Tennis Shoe Night, International Migratory Bird Day, Black Bear Awareness Day, and Endangered Species Day.
The future
African Experience is not complete as of 2009. It will be expanded to house many other animals including ZebraZebra
Zebras are several species of African equids united by their distinctive black and white stripes. Their stripes come in different patterns unique to each individual. They are generally social animals that live in small harems to large herds...
s, Giraffes, Pygmy Hippos
Pygmy Hippopotamus
The pygmy hippopotamus is a large mammal native to the forests and swamps of western Africa . The pygmy hippo is reclusive and nocturnal...
, hoofed mammals, birds, Leopard
Leopard
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...
s, Serval
Serval
The serval , Leptailurus serval or Caracal serval, known in Afrikaans as Tierboskat, "tiger-forest-cat", is a medium-sized African wild cat. DNA studies have shown that the serval is closely related to the African golden cat and the caracal...
s, Colobus Monkeys and other primates, Meerkat
Meerkat
The meerkat or suricate, Suricata suricatta, is a small mammal belonging to the mongoose family. Meerkats live in all parts of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, in much of the Namib Desert in Namibia and southwestern Angola, and in South Africa. A group of meerkats is called a "mob", "gang" or "clan"...
s, and Nile crocodile
Nile crocodile
The Nile crocodile or Common crocodile is an African crocodile which is common in Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Egypt, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Gabon, South Africa, Malawi, Sudan, Botswana, and Cameroon...
s.