Dakota Zoo
Encyclopedia
The Dakota Zoo is a zoo
in Bismarck, North Dakota
located on the banks of the Missouri River
, it is the third zoo built in North Dakota
.
The Dakota Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums
(AZA).
After some publicity from a local TV station, petitions were signed by 780 people supporting the idea of a community Zoo in Bismarck,l and Marc Christianson took these to the Bismarck Park Board to present the concept of a self-supporting community Zoo. In 1958, the Park Board made 88 acres (35.6 ha) of Park District land in Sertoma Park available to the zoo.
The majority of construction was initially done by Marc ans his crew with donated materials. The zoo opened on 3 June 1961 with 75 mammals, 23 birds, and about 15 acres (60,702.9 m²) of developed land. IN the first year, 40,000 people paid ten cents each to visit the zoo. By 2007 there were about 3400 zoo members, and more than 100,000 visitors per year to view 125 species of animals and birds.
The Dakota zoo has been accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) since 1991, and remains self-supported through admissions, concession sales, animal sales, the adopt an animal program, memberships, and donations.
s are mostly housed in the southern part of the zoo in large, open enclosures. Animals in this area include goat
s, pig
s, miniature horse
s, miniature donkey
s, highland cattle
, bison
, pronghorn
, Przewalski's horse
, Bactrian camel
, Dall sheep
, bighorn sheep
, mountain goat
s, moose
, reindeer
, longhorn cattle
, Clydesdale horses, and elk
. Llama
, mouflon
, and Aoudad
are in the North East section of the zoo.
Predator
s are housed in the northern part of the zoo, and include tiger
s, snow leopard
s, wolves, bear
s, lynx
, bobcat
s, mountain lions, coyote
s, fox
es, badger
s, and serval
s.
Bird
s are housed in a variety of smaller enclosures and aviaries, mostly in the center of the zoo, and include eagle
s, emu
s, many South American birds, turkey vulture
s, wild turkey
s, owl
s, and various water bird
s.
Monkey
s are mostly housed in the Monkey Barn near the center of the zoo, and include cotton-top tamarins, Goeldi’s monkey, golden-headed lion tamarin
, pygmy marmoset
, red ruffed lemur
s, Squirrel Monkey
s, white-fronted marmosets. Spider monkey
are in their own outdoor enclosure.
The zoo also includes an exhibit of reptiles and small mammal
s, a butterfly house, a prairie dog
town, and a monkey
barn.
Species Survival Plan
(SSP).
The "Beyond the Bear Necessities" capital campaign started in 1988, and raised money for exhibits such as the Bear Habitat, River Otter exhibit and Canine and small animal exhibits. The second campaign, called "Discovery 2000 - Turning Dollars Into Senses," raised $1.5 million for exhibits including Moose, Mountain Goat, Mountain Lion, Bobcat, Lynx and the Discovery Zoo. in 2002, "Make the Big Cats Roar" was launched to raise $1.9 million. This goal was reached in late 2005, and an extended goal of $2.3 million was added.
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....
in Bismarck, North Dakota
Bismarck, North Dakota
Bismarck is the capital of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. It is the second most populous city in North Dakota after Fargo. The city's population was 61,272 at the 2010 census, while its metropolitan population was 108,779...
located on the banks of the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
, it is the third zoo built in North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
.
The Dakota 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).
History
The Dakota Zoo began on a 67 acres (27.1 ha) farm owned by Marc and Betty Christianson on the northern edge of Bismarck. At first the farm boarded domestic animals such as dogs, cats, horses. At one point the farm was used to raise mink for profit. Over time, people who knew of the Christiansons' love for animals began dropping off strays and injured animals, knowing that they would be well taken care of. As the number of animals increased, word got out and more and more people came to see them.After some publicity from a local TV station, petitions were signed by 780 people supporting the idea of a community Zoo in Bismarck,l and Marc Christianson took these to the Bismarck Park Board to present the concept of a self-supporting community Zoo. In 1958, the Park Board made 88 acres (35.6 ha) of Park District land in Sertoma Park available to the zoo.
The majority of construction was initially done by Marc ans his crew with donated materials. The zoo opened on 3 June 1961 with 75 mammals, 23 birds, and about 15 acres (60,702.9 m²) of developed land. IN the first year, 40,000 people paid ten cents each to visit the zoo. By 2007 there were about 3400 zoo members, and more than 100,000 visitors per year to view 125 species of animals and birds.
The Dakota zoo has been accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) since 1991, and remains self-supported through admissions, concession sales, animal sales, the adopt an animal program, memberships, and donations.
Animals
UngulateUngulate
Ungulates are several groups of mammals, most of which use the tips of their toes, usually hoofed, to sustain their whole body weight while moving. They make up several orders of mammals, of which six to eight survive...
s are mostly housed in the southern part of the zoo in large, open enclosures. Animals in this area include goat
Goat
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, pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
s, miniature horse
Miniature horse
Miniature horses are found in many nations, particularly in Europe and the Americas. The designation of miniature horse is determined by the height of the animal, which, depending on the particular breed registry involved, is usually less than as measured at the last hairs of the mane, which are...
s, miniature donkey
Donkey
The donkey or ass, Equus africanus asinus, is a domesticated member of the Equidae or horse family. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African Wild Ass, E...
s, highland cattle
Highland cattle
Highland cattle or kyloe are a Scottish breed of beef cattle with long horns and long wavy coats which are coloured black, brindled, red, yellow or dun....
, bison
Bison
Members of the genus Bison are large, even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant and four extinct species are recognized...
, pronghorn
Pronghorn
The pronghorn is a species of artiodactyl mammal endemic to interior western and central North America. Though not an antelope, it is often known colloquially in North America as the prong buck, pronghorn antelope, or simply antelope, as it closely resembles the true antelopes of the Old World and...
, Przewalski's horse
Przewalski's Horse
Przewalski's Horse or Dzungarian Horse, is a rare and endangered subspecies of wild horse native to the steppes of central Asia, specifically China and Mongolia.At one time extinct in the wild, it has been reintroduced to its native habitat in Mongolia at the Khustain Nuruu...
, Bactrian camel
Bactrian camel
The Bactrian camel is a large, even-toed ungulate native to the steppes of central Asia. It is presently restricted in the wild to remote regions of the Gobi and Taklamakan Deserts of Mongolia and Xinjiang. A small number of wild Bactrian camels still roam the Mangystau Province of southwest...
, Dall sheep
Dall Sheep
The Dall sheep , Ovis dalli, is a species of sheep native to northwestern North America, ranging from white to slate brown in color and having curved yellowish brown horns...
, bighorn sheep
Bighorn Sheep
The bighorn sheep is a species of sheep in North America named for its large horns. These horns can weigh up to , while the sheep themselves weigh up to . Recent genetic testing indicates that there are three distinct subspecies of Ovis canadensis, one of which is endangered: Ovis canadensis sierrae...
, mountain goat
Mountain goat
The Mountain Goat , also known as the Rocky Mountain Goat, is a large-hoofed mammal found only in North America. Despite its vernacular name, it is not a member of Capra, the genus of true goats...
s, moose
Moose
The moose or Eurasian elk is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic configuration...
, reindeer
Reindeer
The reindeer , also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and one has already gone extinct.Reindeer vary considerably in color and size...
, longhorn cattle
Longhorn cattle
Longhorn cattle are a long-horned brown and white breed of beef cattle originating from Craven in the north of England. They have a white patch along the line of their spine and under their bellies....
, Clydesdale horses, and elk
Elk
The Elk is the large deer, also called Cervus canadensis or wapiti, of North America and eastern Asia.Elk may also refer to:Other antlered mammals:...
. Llama
Llama
The llama is a South American camelid, widely used as a meat and pack animal by Andean cultures since pre-Hispanic times....
, mouflon
Mouflon
The mouflon is a subspecies group of the wild sheep Ovis aries. Populations of Ovis aries can be partitioned into the mouflons and urials or arkars...
, and Aoudad
Barbary sheep
The Barbary Sheep is a species of caprid native to rocky mountains in North Africa. Six subspecies have been described. Although it is rare in its native North Africa, it has been introduced to North America, southern Europe and elsewhere...
are in the North East section of the zoo.
Predator
Predation
In ecology, predation describes a biological interaction where a predator feeds on its prey . Predators may or may not kill their prey prior to feeding on them, but the act of predation always results in the death of its prey and the eventual absorption of the prey's tissue through consumption...
s are housed in the northern part of the zoo, and include 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...
s, snow leopard
Snow Leopard
The snow leopard is a moderately large cat native to the mountain ranges of South Asia and Central Asia...
s, wolves, bear
Bear
Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
s, lynx
Lynx
A lynx is any of the four Lynx genus species of medium-sized wildcats. The name "lynx" originated in Middle English via Latin from Greek word "λύγξ", derived from the Indo-European root "*leuk-", meaning "light, brightness", in reference to the luminescence of its reflective eyes...
, 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...
s, mountain lions, coyote
Coyote
The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...
s, fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
es, badger
Badger
Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the weasel family, Mustelidae. There are nine species of badger, in three subfamilies : Melinae , Mellivorinae , and Taxideinae...
s, and 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.
Bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s are housed in a variety of smaller enclosures and aviaries, mostly in the center of the zoo, and include eagle
Eagle
Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
s, emu
Emu
The Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae) is the largest bird native to Australia and the only extant member of the genus Dromaius. It is the second-largest extant bird in the world by height, after its ratite relative, the ostrich. There are three subspecies of Emus in Australia...
s, many South American birds, turkey vulture
Turkey Vulture
The Turkey Vulture is a bird found throughout most of the Americas. It is also known in some North American regions as the Turkey Buzzard , and in some areas of the Caribbean as the John Crow or Carrion Crow...
s, wild turkey
Wild Turkey
The Wild Turkey is native to North America and is the heaviest member of the Galliformes. It is the same species as the domestic turkey, which derives from the South Mexican subspecies of wild turkey .Adult wild turkeys have long reddish-yellow to grayish-green...
s, owl
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
s, and various water bird
Water bird
The term water bird or waterbird is used to refer to birds that live on or around water. Some definitions apply the term especially to birds in freshwater habitats, though others make no distinction from birds that inhabit marine environments. In addition, some water birds are more terrestrial or...
s.
Monkey
Monkey
A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
s are mostly housed in the Monkey Barn near the center of the zoo, and include cotton-top tamarins, Goeldi’s monkey, golden-headed lion tamarin
Golden-headed Lion Tamarin
The golden-headed lion tamarin is a lion tamarin endemic to Brazil. It is found only in the lowland and premontane tropical forest fragments in the state of Bahia, and therefore is considered to be an endangered species. It lives at heights of . Its preferred habitat is within mature forest, but...
, pygmy marmoset
Pygmy Marmoset
The pygmy marmoset or dwarf monkey is a New World monkey native to the rainforest canopies of western Brazil, southeastern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, and northern Bolivia. It is one of the smallest primates, and the smallest true monkey, with its body length ranging from...
, red ruffed lemur
Red Ruffed Lemur
The red ruffed lemur is one of two species in the genus Varecia, the ruffed lemurs; the other is the black-and-white ruffed lemur . Like all lemurs, it is native to Madagascar and occurs only in the rainforests of Masoala, in the northeast of the island...
s, Squirrel Monkey
Squirrel monkey
The squirrel monkeys are the New World monkeys of the genus Saimiri. They are the only genus in the subfamily Saimirinae.Squirrel monkeys live in the tropical forests of Central and South America in the canopy layer. Most species have parapatric or allopatric ranges in the Amazon, while S...
s, white-fronted marmosets. 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...
are in their own outdoor enclosure.
The zoo also includes an exhibit of reptiles and small mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s, a butterfly house, a prairie dog
Prairie 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...
town, and a monkey
Monkey
A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
barn.
Conservation
The zoo participates in the AZAAssociation 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...
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....
(SSP).
The future
In 1987 the Bismark tribune challenged the zoo to develop a master plan to outline the future course of the zoo. The zoo board developed a plan which is reviewed and updated regularly, with the last review having been in 2005. There have been three major capital campaigns since the master plan was initiated, to raise money for the zoo.The "Beyond the Bear Necessities" capital campaign started in 1988, and raised money for exhibits such as the Bear Habitat, River Otter exhibit and Canine and small animal exhibits. The second campaign, called "Discovery 2000 - Turning Dollars Into Senses," raised $1.5 million for exhibits including Moose, Mountain Goat, Mountain Lion, Bobcat, Lynx and the Discovery Zoo. in 2002, "Make the Big Cats Roar" was launched to raise $1.9 million. This goal was reached in late 2005, and an extended goal of $2.3 million was added.