Utah's Hogle Zoo is a 42 acres (17 ha) zoo

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 Salt Lake City, Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah

Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...

. It is the state's largest zoo, housing animals from diverse ecosystem

Ecosystem

An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....

s. It is located at the mouth of Emigration Canyon

Emigration Canyon

Emigration Canyon is a CDP, township and canyon in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States, located east of Salt Lake City in the Wasatch Range. Beginning at the southern end of the University of Utah, the canyon itself heads east and northeast between Salt Lake City and Morgan County. The boundaries...

.

Utah's Hogle 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).

History

The zoo was founded and is operated by the Hogle family. Its original location was in Salt Lake City's Liberty Park (bordered by 500 and 700 East, and 900 and 1300 South streets). Before it was moved to its current site, the zoo elephant Alice had the first and only Asian elephant born in Utah. His name was Prince Utah and he died at eleven months old. Current exhibits included deer

Deer

Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...

, 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, three elephants

African Bush Elephant

The African Bush Elephant or African Savanna Elephant is the larger of the two species of African elephant. Both it and the African Forest Elephant have usually been classified as a single species, known simply as the African Elephant...

 (including one baby), and various birds, mammals, and reptiles from around the world. It officially became Hogle Zoo when it opened at the Emigration Canyon

Emigration Canyon

Emigration Canyon is a CDP, township and canyon in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States, located east of Salt Lake City in the Wasatch Range. Beginning at the southern end of the University of Utah, the canyon itself heads east and northeast between Salt Lake City and Morgan County. The boundaries...

 site, August 1, 1931, on a piece of land donated by Mr. and Mrs. James A. Hogle.

It is now owned by the city of Salt Lake City, and is supported through tax dollars and private donations raised by The Utah Zoological Association. In 2006, the zoo celebrated its 75th anniversary with free admission to persons born in 1931.

Exhibits

Elephant Encounter, opened in 2005, houses white rhinoceros

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...

 and African elephants in four exhibit areas as well as a 110,000-gallon pool. Visitors can view the animals from several vantage points, including an artificial kopje. A nearby thatch-roof building, the Convergys African Lodge, displays interpretive items such as elephant bones and a rhinoceros hide to educate visitors about pachyderm conservation.

Asian Highlands opened in June 2006 and exhibits Amur tiger

Amur Tiger

The Siberian tiger , also known as the Amur tiger, is a tiger subspecies inhabiting mainly the Sikhote Alin mountain region with a small subpopulation in southwest Primorye province in the Russian Far East. In 2005, there were 331–393 adult-subadult Amur tigers in this region, with a breeding adult...

s, Amur leopard

Amur Leopard

The Amur leopard , also known as the Far Eastern leopard, Korean leopard, and Manchurian leopard is one of nine recognised subspecies of leopard. It is a wild feline predator native to the mountainous areas of the Russian Far East. It used to inhabit the forests of Korea and China, but it has...

s, Pallas' cats, Siberian lynx

Eurasian Lynx

The Eurasian lynx is a medium-sized cat native to European and Siberian forests, South Asia and East Asia. It is also known as the European lynx, common lynx, the northern lynx, and the Siberian or Russian lynx...

, and snow leopard

Snow Leopard

The snow leopard is a moderately large cat native to the mountain ranges of South Asia and Central Asia...

s.

Conservation

Conservation efforts at the zoo include a Reduce, Reuse, Recycle program, water conservation, and earth-friendly biodegradable products. The zoo's efforts were recognized in 2005 by the Recycling Coalition of Utah and received the Thomas A. Martin Utah Recycler of the Year award for a non-profit business.

Following a June 2010 oil spill

Oil spill

An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially marine areas, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term is mostly used to describe marine oil spills, where oil is released into the ocean or coastal waters...

 from an underground Chevron

Chevron Corporation

Chevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation headquartered in San Ramon, California, United States and active in more than 180 countries. It is engaged in every aspect of the oil, gas, and geothermal energy industries, including exploration and production; refining,...

 pipeline in Red Butte Creek

Red Butte Creek

Red Butte Creek is a small stream whose headwaters are found in the northeast part of Salt Lake County. It flows west through the Red Butte Garden and Arboretum, by the University of Utah, Fort Douglas and flows southwesterly through Salt Lake City’s Liberty Park before forming a confluence with...

, 150 to 200 birds, many of them Canadian geese

Canada Goose

The Canada Goose is a wild goose belonging to the genus Branta, which is native to arctic and temperate regions of North America, having a black head and neck, white patches on the face, and a brownish-gray body....

, came in contact with the oil and were taken to Hogle Zoo to be cleaned.

Future

According to the Zoo's Master Plan, a new exhibit titled "Rocky Shores" is scheduled to open in Spring of 2012. The exhibit will feature a variety of animals including seals, sea lions, polar bears and brown bears.