Binder Park Zoo
Encyclopedia
The Binder Park Zoo is a 433 acres (175.2 ha) zoo
that opened in 1977 near Battle Creek, Michigan
. Binder Park Zoo is one of the largest zoos in Michigan
, and features a large array of animals and plants, including the Wild Africa
Exhibit. It includes a train, a tram, and a carousel. A recent addition includes the Wildlife Discovery Theatre.
The Binder Park Zoo is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums
(AZA), and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums
(WAZA).
s, a new snow leopard
exhibit, cheetah
s, red panda
, and red kangaroo
. Also located in the main zoo is the Miller Children's Zoo, gift shop, Z.O. & O. Railroad station, the Binda Conservation Center, a restaurant, a 0.8 miles (1.3 km) habitat boardwalk called Swamp Adventure, and the new Conservation Carousel.
The Conservation Carousel opened in 2007, and includes various popular zoo animals such as a polar bear
, a tiger
, and a bronco
; the latter paying homage to the nearby Western Michigan University
.
s, llama
s, Guinea pig
s, and other small domestic animals. There is also a small dinosaur
area with a large brachiosaurus
sculpture and play areas.
s, zebra
s, ostrich
es, stork
, and antelope
. This award winning exhibit allows the animals to roam, cage free, in an 18 acres (7.3 ha), savanna
-like setting, very similar to how they might be viewed in the wild. To get a closer view, there is a one way, 0.8 miles (1.3 km) loop that begins and ends in a small African themed village, selling souvenirs and food and beverages. The trail itself is themed to resemble a trail inside an African National Park complete with a ranger station and fake poachers. Along the trail there is an opportunity to feed giraffes at the Twiga Overlook. Park visitors view the giraffes from a raised platform that places them at eye level with the animals. Leaves of romaine lettuce that are available for purchase can be placed in the palm of your hand where the giraffes will retrieve them with their 18 inches (457.2 mm) tongues. Other species are included in savanna settings, a walk-through aviary
, and other small exhibits. Some of which include African Wild Dogs, Colobus Monkeys & Black Mangabeys, and a forest farm featuring several African Domestic Animals.
The Wild Africa Exhibit is located away from the main zoo exhibits at the west end, accessible by a free Zebra-patterned tram, or a 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) walking path.
s from the San Diego Zoo, were brought to Binder Park Zoo from May to September in 2003, along with games and activities with an Australia
n culture twist.
In 2006 "Crunch," a 150 year old, 165 lb Alligator Snapping Turtle was on exhibit at Binder Park Zoo at the Conservation Discovery Center building from Memorial day to Labor day. The turtle is in the care of the Blackwater Turtle Refuge.
During the summer of 2008 there were numerous births at the zoo to animals that are or have been listed as endangered species. In June there was the birth of a female Snow Leopard cub and three Trumpeter Swan
cygnets. This was followed by the August birth of a female Addra Gazelle
. …
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....
that opened in 1977 near Battle Creek, Michigan
Battle Creek, Michigan
Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek Rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area , which encompasses all of Calhoun county...
. Binder Park Zoo is one of the largest zoos in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, and features a large array of animals and plants, including the Wild Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
Exhibit. It includes a train, a tram, and a carousel. A recent addition includes the Wildlife Discovery Theatre.
The Binder Park Zoo is an accredited member of 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 the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums
World Association of Zoos and Aquariums
The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums is the "umbrella" organisation for the world zoo and aquarium community. Its mission is to provide leadership and support for zoos, aquariums, and partner organizations of the world in animal care and welfare, conservation of biodiversity, environmental...
(WAZA).
Main Zoo Area
The main zoo area features animal exhibits including prairie dogPrairie dog
Prairie dogs are burrowing rodents native to the grasslands of North America. There are five different species of prairie dogs: black-tailed, white-tailed, Gunnison's, Utah and Mexican prairie dogs. They are a type of ground squirrel, found in the United States, Canada and Mexico...
s, a new snow leopard
Snow Leopard
The snow leopard is a moderately large cat native to the mountain ranges of South Asia and Central Asia...
exhibit, cheetah
Cheetah
The cheetah is a large-sized feline inhabiting most of Africa and parts of the Middle East. The cheetah is the only extant member of the genus Acinonyx, most notable for modifications in the species' paws...
s, red panda
Red Panda
The red panda , is a small arboreal mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It is the only species of the genus Ailurus. Slightly larger than a domestic cat, it has reddish-brown fur, a long, shaggy tail, and a waddling gait due to its shorter front legs...
, and red kangaroo
Kangaroo
A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...
. Also located in the main zoo is the Miller Children's Zoo, gift shop, Z.O. & O. Railroad station, the Binda Conservation Center, a restaurant, a 0.8 miles (1.3 km) habitat boardwalk called Swamp Adventure, and the new Conservation Carousel.
The Conservation Carousel opened in 2007, and includes various popular zoo animals such as a polar bear
Polar Bear
The polar bear is a bear native largely within the Arctic Circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world's largest land carnivore and also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak Bear, which is approximately the same size...
, a tiger
Tiger
The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...
, and a bronco
Bronco
Bronco, or bronc is a term used in the United States, northern Mexico and Canada to refer to an untrained horse or one that habitually bucks. It may refer to a feral horse that has lived in the wild its entire life, but is also used to refer to domestic horses not yet fully trained to saddle, and...
; the latter paying homage to the nearby Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University is a public university located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1903 by Dwight B. Waldo, and as of the Fall 2010 semester, its enrollment is 25,045....
.
Miller Children's Zoo
Binder Park Zoo features an award winning exhibit aimed at children in which many of the animals can be interacted with. Children's Zoo features goatGoat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s, llama
Llama
The llama is a South American camelid, widely used as a meat and pack animal by Andean cultures since pre-Hispanic times....
s, Guinea pig
Guinea pig
The guinea pig , also called the cavy, is a species of rodent belonging to the family Caviidae and the genus Cavia. Despite their common name, these animals are not in the pig family, nor are they from Guinea...
s, and other small domestic animals. There is also a small dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
area with a large brachiosaurus
Brachiosaurus
Brachiosaurus is a genus of sauropod dinosaur from the Jurassic Morrison Formation of North America. It was first described by Elmer S. Riggs in 1903 from fossils found in the Grand River Canyon of western Colorado, in the United States. Riggs named the dinosaur Brachiosaurus altithorax,...
sculpture and play areas.
Wild Africa
The Wild Africa Exhibit at Binder Park Zoo is a permanent exhibit featuring giraffeGiraffe
The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...
s, zebra
Zebra
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, ostrich
Ostrich
The Ostrich is one or two species of large flightless birds native to Africa, the only living member of the genus Struthio. Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species apart from the Common Ostrich, but most taxonomists consider it to be a...
es, stork
Stork
Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family Ciconiidae. They are the only family in the biological order Ciconiiformes, which was once much larger and held a number of families....
, and antelope
Antelope
Antelope is a term referring to many even-toed ungulate species indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelopes comprise a miscellaneous group within the family Bovidae, encompassing those old-world species that are neither cattle, sheep, buffalo, bison, nor goats...
. This award winning exhibit allows the animals to roam, cage free, in an 18 acres (7.3 ha), savanna
Savanna
A savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Some...
-like setting, very similar to how they might be viewed in the wild. To get a closer view, there is a one way, 0.8 miles (1.3 km) loop that begins and ends in a small African themed village, selling souvenirs and food and beverages. The trail itself is themed to resemble a trail inside an African National Park complete with a ranger station and fake poachers. Along the trail there is an opportunity to feed giraffes at the Twiga Overlook. Park visitors view the giraffes from a raised platform that places them at eye level with the animals. Leaves of romaine lettuce that are available for purchase can be placed in the palm of your hand where the giraffes will retrieve them with their 18 inches (457.2 mm) tongues. Other species are included in savanna settings, a walk-through aviary
Aviary
An aviary is a large enclosure for confining birds. Unlike cages, aviaries allow birds a larger living space where they can fly; hence, aviaries are also sometimes known as flight cages...
, and other small exhibits. Some of which include African Wild Dogs, Colobus Monkeys & Black Mangabeys, and a forest farm featuring several African Domestic Animals.
The Wild Africa Exhibit is located away from the main zoo exhibits at the west end, accessible by a free Zebra-patterned tram, or a 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) walking path.
Special guests
In 2003, two koalaKoala
The koala is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia, and the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae....
s from the San Diego Zoo, were brought to Binder Park Zoo from May to September in 2003, along with games and activities with an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n culture twist.
In 2006 "Crunch," a 150 year old, 165 lb Alligator Snapping Turtle was on exhibit at Binder Park Zoo at the Conservation Discovery Center building from Memorial day to Labor day. The turtle is in the care of the Blackwater Turtle Refuge.
During the summer of 2008 there were numerous births at the zoo to animals that are or have been listed as endangered species. In June there was the birth of a female Snow Leopard cub and three Trumpeter Swan
Trumpeter Swan
The Trumpeter Swan, Cygnus buccinator, is the largest native North American bird, if measured in terms of weight and length, and is the largest living waterfowl species on earth. It is the North American counterpart of the European Whooper Swan.-Description:Males typically measure from and weigh...
cygnets. This was followed by the August birth of a female Addra Gazelle
Dama Gazelle
The Dama Gazelle is a species of gazelle. It lives in Africa in the Sahara desert and migrates south in search of food during the dry season. Their habitat includes open steppes, bushy, grassy steppes, semi-desert, and deserts, while their diet includes grasses, leaves, shoots, fruit, and...
. …