Birmingham Zoo
Encyclopedia
The Birmingham Zoo is a zoological park
that opened in 1955 in Birmingham, Alabama
(USA). The 122 acres (49.4 ha) zoo is home to almost 800 animals representing over 200 species, including many endangered species
from six continents.
The Zoo is managed by a private non-profit corporation. It is a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums
(AZA), participates in AZA Species Survival Plan
s (SSP). It is located, along with the Birmingham Botanical Gardens
, in Lane Park
, a 200 acres (80.9 ha) city-owned park near the western terminus of U.S. Highway 280
at U.S. Highway 31
on the southern slope of Red Mountain.
The origins of the Birmingham Zoo start with a small menagerie of exotic animals kept in a Southside
firehouse. As the collection grew it was moved first to Magnolia Park (now Brother Bryan
Park) and then to Avondale Park
. At the time, the collection consisted mainly of non-exotic animals, except for "Miss Fancy," a lone elephant donated by the Birmingham Advertising Club which had purchased it as a promotional novelty from a struggling circus
stranded in the city.
As the collection grew in size and scope, city leaders contacted the Olmsted Brothers
landscape architecture
firm, which had drawn up plans for a system of parks in Birmingham, for advice about housing a zoological collection. They were put in contact with the few municipal zoos existing in that period and plans began for providing a new permanent home for the growing attraction.
Lane Park
Birmingham, under mayor A. O. Lane, had purchased land on the south of Red Mountain between 1889 and 1896. The former Red Mountain Cemetery, a pauper's cemetery was part of the parcel that was dedicated as a city park in 1934. The Works Progress Administration
built a fish hatchery
and a number of pavilions from the Hartselle sandstone
quarried out of the mountain within the park's borders. The hatchery was fed by a natural spring
and provided stock for recreational lakes in the region until the zoo took over the park.
The first source of post-World War II support for a new zoo came from the Birmingham Junior Chamber of Commerce. In 1946 Elton B. Stephens chaired a Jaycees
committee to create a new zoo for the city of Birmingham. In 1949, then Birmingham mayor, James R. Morgan, a key supporter of the development, began an initiative to help in the planning and development of a city zoo.
Jimmy Morgan Zoo
A zoo commission was also established, and it decided to build the zoo on 50 acres (20.2 ha) of land on the southern foot of Red Mountain with a budget of $250,000. A much larger parcel of land that included the zoo parcel was incorporated into the city of Birmingham and was named Lane Park
, home of the zoo as well as the neighboring botanical gardens.
The budget would be spent to build six exhibits with the opening of the zoo that included "Monkey Island," an elephant house, bear moat, birdhouse, snake pit and seal pool. The funds were raised through private donation
s, charter memberships, and in-kind donations from a broad base of community and business supporters.
The zoo, once known as The Jimmy Morgan Zoo, opened its doors with Monkey Island as its first official exhibit on April 2, 1955. The Jimmy Morgan Zoo operated as a quasi-private venture until city of Birmingham decided to assume responsibility in November 1955. The city changed the name to the Birmingham Zoo, and set an annual budget of $663,000 for its first year under city control.
By the early 1960s, the Alabama Zoological Society was created as a non-profit support group to raise funds to supplement the escalating operational necessities. Beginning in the 1960s and following decades, the City of Birmingham had many needs more important than the Birmingham Zoo. The situation was such the case with many municipal zoos across the nation at the time, and Birmingham was no different. The sources of funding for the zoo was inadequate to maintain and operate it at acceptable professional standards. A series of master plans were developed but never came to fruition due to lack of funding throughout the 1970s and 1980s. The need for significant improvements became increasingly evident by the 1990s.
The numerous financial demands on the city taking precedence led to the zoo's loss of accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums
in the late 1990s due to concern about aging facilities and uncertainty over continued funding.
In 1999, members of the Alabama Zoological Society worked with Birmingham mayor Richard Arrington Jr.
and other political leaders to set up a public-private partnership
to operate the zoo. Strong community leaders were recruited to serve as the first board of directors of a new organization, Birmingham Zoo, Inc. (BZI) The new organization established a transitional funding package with contributions from four government entities to support BZI during its first five years of operation.
Early 21st century
BZI undertook an intense 18-month effort to address the most pressing and immediate problems so that the zoo could become accredited by the AZA once again, ranking the Zoo in the top 10% of animal holding facilities in the nation. The Zoo also received 501 (c)(3) status from the IRS
, and the first major capital campaign was launched in January 2001.
William R. Foster, DVM, joined the Zoo as Chief Executive Officer in January 2004. Foster, a veterinarian and leading zoo management authority on the national scene, is past president of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association and was president and executive director of the Louisville Zoo
.
Since privatization the Birmingham Zoo has hosted traveling exhibits of bats, koala
s and black-footed penguin
s, added a permanent Komodo dragon
exhibit and interactive lorikeet aviary
, and regained AZA accreditation. The Zoo completed the Junior League of Birmingham - Hugh Kaul Children's Zoo, a $15 million anchor exhibit dedicated to children and devoted to urban, rural and wild animals and environs of Alabama
in April 2005, its 50th anniversary of operation.
In 2004, the Zoo's older Western Lowland Gorilla
, Babec
became the first gorilla to be implanted with a pacemaker due to advanced heart disease.
The zoo draws more than 450,000 visitors annually and, in 2005, was named Alabama
's top tourist destination by the state's Bureau of Tourism and Travel. In 2006, the Birmingham Zoo drew more than 470,000 visitors making it second on the list of top tourist attractions in Alabama.
Main Zoo
Junior League of Birmingham-Hugh Kaul Children’s Zoo
Trails of Africa
In 2007, the zoo announced a major expansion called Trails of Africa. Under construction in 2010, this will be a 14 acre exhibit housing white rhinos
, reticulated giraffe
s, ostrich
es, African elephants, greater kudu
, red river hogs
, Grevy's zebras
, and many other animals. Although the exhibit is open, the grand opening scheduled for April 21, 2011. At this time, three elephants will be moved to the new facility. Trails of Africa will include a boma yard, safari cafe, waterhole exhibit, and many more small accessories. This will make the Birmingham zoo a national leader in the care and breeding of elephants. Future plans remain unknown for the Trails of Africa.
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 1955 in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
(USA). The 122 acres (49.4 ha) zoo is home to almost 800 animals representing over 200 species, including many endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
from six continents.
The Zoo is managed by a private non-profit corporation. It is a 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), participates in AZA 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). It is located, along with the Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Birmingham Botanical Gardens (USA)
The Birmingham Botanical Gardens is a botanical garden located inside of Lane Park at the southern foot of Red Mountain in Birmingham, Alabama. It is home to some 3,000 different types of plants in 20 different gardens that include a Japanese garden...
, in Lane Park
Lane Park
Lane Park is a large park located in Birmingham, Alabama. The park is home to the Birmingham Zoo and the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. The park is located between Mountain Brook and Homewood on the southern slope of Red Mountain and is adjacent to U.S. Highway 280....
, a 200 acres (80.9 ha) city-owned park near the western terminus of U.S. Highway 280
U.S. Route 280
U.S. Route 280 is a spur of U.S. Highway 80. It currently runs for 392 miles from Blichton, Georgia at U.S. Highway 80 to Birmingham, Alabama at I-20/I-59. For much of its route, U.S. 280 travels through rural areas and smaller cities in southern Georgia and east central Alabama. Once the...
at U.S. Highway 31
U.S. Route 31
U.S. Route 31 is a long north–south highway connecting northern Michigan to southern Alabama, with its northern terminus at Interstate 75 near Mackinaw City, Michigan, and southern terminus at the combined U.S. Route 90 & U.S. Route 98 at Spanish Fort, Alabama...
on the southern slope of Red Mountain.
History
Early historyThe origins of the Birmingham Zoo start with a small menagerie of exotic animals kept in a Southside
Southside, Birmingham, Alabama
The Southside encompasses the southern half of Birmingham's downtown area from the Railroad Reservation to the crest of Red Mountain and from Interstate 65 on the west to Elton B. Stephens Expressway on the east near Green Springs Highway...
firehouse. As the collection grew it was moved first to Magnolia Park (now Brother Bryan
Brother Bryan
James Alexander Bryan, known as Brother Bryan, was a well-loved pastor of Third Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama....
Park) and then to Avondale Park
Avondale, Birmingham, Alabama
Avondale was a company town built around the Avondale Mills east of Birmingham, Alabama in Jefferson County. The town was incorporated on March 18, 1887...
. At the time, the collection consisted mainly of non-exotic animals, except for "Miss Fancy," a lone elephant donated by the Birmingham Advertising Club which had purchased it as a promotional novelty from a struggling circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
stranded in the city.
As the collection grew in size and scope, city leaders contacted the Olmsted Brothers
Olmsted Brothers
The Olmsted Brothers company was an influential landscape design firm in the United States, formed in 1898 by stepbrothers John Charles Olmsted and Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. .-History:...
landscape architecture
Landscape architecture
Landscape architecture is the design of outdoor and public spaces to achieve environmental, socio-behavioral, or aesthetic outcomes. It involves the systematic investigation of existing social, ecological, and geological conditions and processes in the landscape, and the design of interventions...
firm, which had drawn up plans for a system of parks in Birmingham, for advice about housing a zoological collection. They were put in contact with the few municipal zoos existing in that period and plans began for providing a new permanent home for the growing attraction.
Lane Park
Birmingham, under mayor A. O. Lane, had purchased land on the south of Red Mountain between 1889 and 1896. The former Red Mountain Cemetery, a pauper's cemetery was part of the parcel that was dedicated as a city park in 1934. The Works Progress Administration
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
built a fish hatchery
Hatchery
A hatchery is a facility where eggs are hatched under artificial conditions, especially those of fish or poultry. It may be used for ex-situ conservation purposes, i.e. to breed rare or endangered species under controlled conditions; alternatively, it may be for economic reasons A hatchery is a...
and a number of pavilions from the Hartselle sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
quarried out of the mountain within the park's borders. The hatchery was fed by a natural spring
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
and provided stock for recreational lakes in the region until the zoo took over the park.
The first source of post-World War II support for a new zoo came from the Birmingham Junior Chamber of Commerce. In 1946 Elton B. Stephens chaired a Jaycees
Junior Chamber International
Junior Chamber International is the only worldwide non-political and non-sectarian youth service organization. It is an international community of citizens between the ages of to with the aim and purpose of creating positive changes in the world...
committee to create a new zoo for the city of Birmingham. In 1949, then Birmingham mayor, James R. Morgan, a key supporter of the development, began an initiative to help in the planning and development of a city zoo.
Jimmy Morgan Zoo
A zoo commission was also established, and it decided to build the zoo on 50 acres (20.2 ha) of land on the southern foot of Red Mountain with a budget of $250,000. A much larger parcel of land that included the zoo parcel was incorporated into the city of Birmingham and was named Lane Park
Lane Park
Lane Park is a large park located in Birmingham, Alabama. The park is home to the Birmingham Zoo and the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. The park is located between Mountain Brook and Homewood on the southern slope of Red Mountain and is adjacent to U.S. Highway 280....
, home of the zoo as well as the neighboring botanical gardens.
The budget would be spent to build six exhibits with the opening of the zoo that included "Monkey Island," an elephant house, bear moat, birdhouse, snake pit and seal pool. The funds were raised through private donation
Donation
A donation is a gift given by physical or legal persons, typically for charitable purposes and/or to benefit a cause. A donation may take various forms, including cash, services, new or used goods including clothing, toys, food, and vehicles...
s, charter memberships, and in-kind donations from a broad base of community and business supporters.
The zoo, once known as The Jimmy Morgan Zoo, opened its doors with Monkey Island as its first official exhibit on April 2, 1955. The Jimmy Morgan Zoo operated as a quasi-private venture until city of Birmingham decided to assume responsibility in November 1955. The city changed the name to the Birmingham Zoo, and set an annual budget of $663,000 for its first year under city control.
By the early 1960s, the Alabama Zoological Society was created as a non-profit support group to raise funds to supplement the escalating operational necessities. Beginning in the 1960s and following decades, the City of Birmingham had many needs more important than the Birmingham Zoo. The situation was such the case with many municipal zoos across the nation at the time, and Birmingham was no different. The sources of funding for the zoo was inadequate to maintain and operate it at acceptable professional standards. A series of master plans were developed but never came to fruition due to lack of funding throughout the 1970s and 1980s. The need for significant improvements became increasingly evident by the 1990s.
The numerous financial demands on the city taking precedence led to the zoo's loss of accreditation 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...
in the late 1990s due to concern about aging facilities and uncertainty over continued funding.
In 1999, members of the Alabama Zoological Society worked with Birmingham mayor Richard Arrington Jr.
Richard Arrington Jr.
Richard Arrington Jr. was the first African American mayor of the city of Birmingham, Alabama , serving 20 years, from 1979 to 1999. He replaced David Vann and, upon retiring after five terms in office, installed then-City Council president William A. Bell as interim mayor...
and other political leaders to set up a public-private partnership
Public-private partnership
Public–private partnership describes a government service or private business venture which is funded and operated through a partnership of government and one or more private sector companies...
to operate the zoo. Strong community leaders were recruited to serve as the first board of directors of a new organization, Birmingham Zoo, Inc. (BZI) The new organization established a transitional funding package with contributions from four government entities to support BZI during its first five years of operation.
Early 21st century
BZI undertook an intense 18-month effort to address the most pressing and immediate problems so that the zoo could become accredited by the AZA once again, ranking the Zoo in the top 10% of animal holding facilities in the nation. The Zoo also received 501 (c)(3) status from the IRS
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
, and the first major capital campaign was launched in January 2001.
William R. Foster, DVM, joined the Zoo as Chief Executive Officer in January 2004. Foster, a veterinarian and leading zoo management authority on the national scene, is past president of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association and was president and executive director of the Louisville Zoo
Louisville Zoo
Founded in 1969, the Louisville Zoo, or the Louisville Zoological Garden, is a zoo in Louisville, Kentucky, situated in the city's Poplar Level neighborhood...
.
Since privatization the Birmingham Zoo has hosted traveling exhibits of bats, koala
Koala
The koala is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia, and the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae....
s and black-footed penguin
Penguin
Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have become flippers...
s, added a permanent Komodo dragon
Komodo dragon
The Komodo dragon , also known as the Komodo monitor, is a large species of lizard found in the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang and Gili Dasami. A member of the monitor lizard family , it is the largest living species of lizard, growing to a maximum length of in rare cases...
exhibit and interactive lorikeet 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 regained AZA accreditation. The Zoo completed the Junior League of Birmingham - Hugh Kaul Children's Zoo, a $15 million anchor exhibit dedicated to children and devoted to urban, rural and wild animals and environs of Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
in April 2005, its 50th anniversary of operation.
In 2004, the Zoo's older Western Lowland Gorilla
Western Lowland Gorilla
The western lowland gorilla is a subspecies of the western gorilla that lives in montane, primary, and secondary forests and lowland swamps in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. It is the gorilla usually found in zoos...
, Babec
Babec
Babec was a male silverback Western Lowland Gorilla , the youngest of three sons born to Otto and Benga at Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo. Between 1988 and 1992 he sired 8 offspring, 5 of them with Madge of the Cincinnati Zoo...
became the first gorilla to be implanted with a pacemaker due to advanced heart disease.
The zoo draws more than 450,000 visitors annually and, in 2005, was named Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
's top tourist destination by the state's Bureau of Tourism and Travel. In 2006, the Birmingham Zoo drew more than 470,000 visitors making it second on the list of top tourist attractions in Alabama.
Attractions/Exhibits
- Alligator Swamp (Now open after renovations)
- Bird Aviaries
- Camel Rides (19 March through 1 August only)
- Cassowary Exhibit
- Flamingo Lagoon
- Kangaroo Kountry
- Lorikeet Interactive Feeding and Observation Aviary
- Macaw Plaza
- Predator Building
- Predator Zone
- Primate Building
- Reptile Building
- Sea Lions and Red Diamond Sea Lion Splash Show
- Secretary Birds
- Tortoise Yard
- Waterfowl Ponds
- Wildlife Stage
Junior League of Birmingham-Hugh Kaul Children’s Zoo
- Alabama Barn (contact area)
- Alabama Stream
- Alabama Wilds
- Contact Yard (contact area)
- Grandma's Back porch
- Granny's Butterfly House (Memorial Day through Labor Day)
- Granny's Goose Patch
Trails of Africa
- Boma Interactive and Experience Yard
- Giraffe Feeding Station
- Main Elephant Yard (Boma Yard)
- Pachyderm Building
- Rhino Encounter
- Savannah Hoofstock Yards
- Safari Cafe
Rhino Encounter
The rhino encounter where visitors can get close to the zoo's two white rhinos, Ajabu and Laptop. The iron bars are made to look like bamboo. The Birmingham zoo is one of the only zoos in the world that lets you get close up with a rhino. Guests can brush and clean one of the zoo's most prized animals.Other facilities and activities
- Camel Ride (19 March through 1 August)
- Carousel
- Kudzoo Cafe
- Lorikeet Feeding
- Pelican Feeding
- Predator Zone
- Red Diamond Express and Birmingham Zoo Express Trains
- Safari Cafe
- Safari Peak Pavilion
- Sea Lion Splash Show
- Wildlife Show
Trails of Africa
Though currently only around 50 acres (202,343 m²) are developed at the zoo, approximately another 70 acres (283,280.2 m²) remain for future development.In 2007, the zoo announced a major expansion called Trails of Africa. Under construction in 2010, this will be a 14 acre exhibit housing white rhinos
White Rhinoceros
The White Rhinoceros or Square-lipped rhinoceros is one of the five species of rhinoceros that still exist. It has a wide mouth used for grazing and is the most social of all rhino species...
, reticulated giraffe
Somali Giraffe
The Somali Giraffe, or more commonly known as Reticulated Giraffe , is a subspecies of giraffe native to Somalia, northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia...
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, African elephants, greater kudu
Greater Kudu
The Greater Kudu is a woodland antelope found throughout eastern and southern Africa. Despite occupying such widespread territory, they are sparsely populated in most areas, due to a declining habitat, deforestation and hunting....
, red river hogs
Red River Hog
The red river hog , also known as the bush pig , is a wild member of the pig family living in Africa, with most of its distribution in the Guinean and Congolian forests...
, Grevy's zebras
Grevy's Zebra
The Grévy's zebra , also known as the Imperial zebra, is the largest extant wild equid and one of three species of zebra, the other two being the plains zebra and the mountain zebra. Named after Jules Grévy, it is the sole extant member of the subgenus Dolichohippus. The Grévy's zebra is found in...
, and many other animals. Although the exhibit is open, the grand opening scheduled for April 21, 2011. At this time, three elephants will be moved to the new facility. Trails of Africa will include a boma yard, safari cafe, waterhole exhibit, and many more small accessories. This will make the Birmingham zoo a national leader in the care and breeding of elephants. Future plans remain unknown for the Trails of Africa.