Magnetic Hill Zoo
Encyclopedia
The Magnetic Hill Zoo is a 40 acres (16.2 ha) zoo located adjacent to Magnetic Hill and the Magic Mountain Water Park
in the Magnetic Hill Area
of Moncton, New Brunswick
. The zoo has over 400 animals, making it the largest zoo in Atlantic Canada
. In 2008 the zoo rated fourth on a list of Canada's top ten zoos.
The zoo has been accredited member of the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums
(CAZA) since 1993.
In 1995, the Zoo began a 10 acres (4 ha) expansion called the African Oasis. At the same time the zoo also expanded by adding the Primate Conservation Center, frog bog, the koi pond, bird garden, the Camel-Zebra exhibit, and a children’s playground.
In 1997-98, the Insectarium exhibit, a new entrance building, and new food facilities were built. The bears were moved to a new exhibit, which permitted them to live in a natural habitat for the first time. The Zoo’s education programs received an Achievement Award from the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
A new reptile house exhibit, known as the Ecodome, was opened in 2003. The Ecodome was built on the site of the former bear “pit”. The Ecodome was awarded the Environmental Enrichment Award by CAZA. Exhibits for the barbary sheep and bison were also completed.
A new expanded Education Center with 3 classrooms, washrooms, an office, kitchen, first aid room, and Discovery Center were added in 2003.
Between 2003 and 2004 exhibits were expanded or refurbished, including habitats for the otters, wolves, watusi and eland. A deer contact area was constructed.
In 2005 construction began on the Pridelands exhibit a habitat, for lions and ostrich. The exhibit's grand opening was held in July 2006 and won the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums Environmental Enrichment Award for the exhibit. A new food concession stand was also renovated in 2005 and the Zoo was awarded the New-Brunswick Top Attraction Status.
In 2006 significant upgrades were made to the walking path system and signage in order to make the zoo more accessible to the public.
In 2008, a new Cougar Country Exhibit was built which was awarded the zoos third CAZA Environmental Enrichment Award.
In 2009, a new Jaguar Exhibit was built to resemble the Cougar Country Exhibit built the previous year. The Zoo’s animal collection was expanded to include mandrills, a colobus monkey, and two African lion cubs. Because of the continued successful breeding program of the Zoo’s black and white ruffed lemurs, the construction of a new enclosure for these monkeys was started. The former Insectarium exhibit was renovated and reopened as The Container.
Magnetic Hill Zoo has more than 400 animals, including over 100 indigenous and exotic species or birds, mammals, insects, reptiles and fish. Animals housed at the zoo include:
Magic Mountain Water Park
Magic Mountain Water Park , also known as Magic Mountain, is a water park located in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. It is part of the Magnetic Hill tourist site. The park is the largest man made tourist attraction in Atlantic Canada...
in the Magnetic Hill Area
Magnetic Hill Area Moncton
The Magnetic Hill area of Moncton is located at the North-Western edge of the city of Moncton in the Canadian province of New Brunswick.In the 1980s, both the federal, provincial and municipal governments invested significant money in a major tourism development for the area surrounding Magnetic...
of Moncton, New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
. The zoo has over 400 animals, making it the largest zoo in Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada is the region of Canada comprising the four provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec: the three Maritime provinces – New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia – and Newfoundland and Labrador...
. In 2008 the zoo rated fourth on a list of Canada's top ten zoos.
The zoo has been accredited member of the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums
Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums
-External links:*...
(CAZA) since 1993.
History
The Magnetic Hill Zoo began as the Magnetic Hill Game Farm in 1953. Originally the game farm was home to orphaned and injured indigenous species like owls, bears and deer. The city of Moncton took over the park in 1979 and began acquiring more exotic species which served as a catalyst for the renaming the farm to Magnetic Hill Zoo.In 1995, the Zoo began a 10 acres (4 ha) expansion called the African Oasis. At the same time the zoo also expanded by adding the Primate Conservation Center, frog bog, the koi pond, bird garden, the Camel-Zebra exhibit, and a children’s playground.
In 1997-98, the Insectarium exhibit, a new entrance building, and new food facilities were built. The bears were moved to a new exhibit, which permitted them to live in a natural habitat for the first time. The Zoo’s education programs received an Achievement Award from the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
A new reptile house exhibit, known as the Ecodome, was opened in 2003. The Ecodome was built on the site of the former bear “pit”. The Ecodome was awarded the Environmental Enrichment Award by CAZA. Exhibits for the barbary sheep and bison were also completed.
A new expanded Education Center with 3 classrooms, washrooms, an office, kitchen, first aid room, and Discovery Center were added in 2003.
Between 2003 and 2004 exhibits were expanded or refurbished, including habitats for the otters, wolves, watusi and eland. A deer contact area was constructed.
In 2005 construction began on the Pridelands exhibit a habitat, for lions and ostrich. The exhibit's grand opening was held in July 2006 and won the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums Environmental Enrichment Award for the exhibit. A new food concession stand was also renovated in 2005 and the Zoo was awarded the New-Brunswick Top Attraction Status.
In 2006 significant upgrades were made to the walking path system and signage in order to make the zoo more accessible to the public.
In 2008, a new Cougar Country Exhibit was built which was awarded the zoos third CAZA Environmental Enrichment Award.
In 2009, a new Jaguar Exhibit was built to resemble the Cougar Country Exhibit built the previous year. The Zoo’s animal collection was expanded to include mandrills, a colobus monkey, and two African lion cubs. Because of the continued successful breeding program of the Zoo’s black and white ruffed lemurs, the construction of a new enclosure for these monkeys was started. The former Insectarium exhibit was renovated and reopened as The Container.
Friends of the Zoo
The zoo is supported heavily by a fund-raising organization, Friends of the Zoo, which was founded in 1989 by Shirley Dingley, Deborah Fisher, Bruce Dougan and Carolyn Dunlop. Friends of the Zoo focus primarily on raising funds to improve animal habitats at the Zoo.Animals
- African Lion (Panthera leo)
- Ankole Cattle (WatusiAnkole-Watusi (cattle)The Ankole-Watusi is a breed of cattle originally native to Africa. Its large, distinctive horns, that can reach up to from tip to tip, are used for defense. Ankole-Watusis weigh from . Living in the savannas and open grasslands, their diet consists of grass and leaves...
) (Bos taurus) - Arctic wolfArctic WolfThe Arctic Wolf , also called Polar Wolf or White Wolf, is a subspecies of the Gray Wolf, a mammal of the family Canidae. Arctic Wolves inhabit the Canadian Arctic, Alaska and the northern parts of Greenland....
(Canis lupus arctos) - Barbary SheepBarbary sheepThe 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...
(Ammotragus lervia) - Barn OwlBarn OwlThe Barn Owl is the most widely distributed species of owl, and one of the most widespread of all birds. It is also referred to as Common Barn Owl, to distinguish it from other species in the barn-owl family Tytonidae. These form one of two main lineages of living owls, the other being the typical...
(Tyto alba) - Black BearAmerican black bearThe 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...
(Ursus americanus) - Black vultureAmerican Black VultureThe Black Vulture also known as the American Black Vulture, is a bird in the New World vulture family whose range extends from the southeastern United States to Central Chile and Uruguay in South America...
(Coragyps atratus) - Black and White Ruffed LemurRuffed lemurThe ruffed lemurs of the genus Varecia are strepsirrhine primates and the largest extant lemurs within the family Lemuridae. Like all living lemurs, they are found only on the island of Madagascar...
(Varecia variegata) - Blue and Gold MacawMacawMacaws are small to large, often colourful New World parrots. Of the many different Psittacidae genera, six are classified as macaws: Ara, Anodorhynchus, Cyanopsitta, Primolius, Orthopsittaca, and Diopsittaca...
(Ara ararauna) - Burchelli's ZebraBurchell's ZebraBurchell's Zebra is a southern subspecies of the Plains Zebra.-Range:Formerly Burchell's zebra ranged north of the Vaal/Orange river system, extending northwest via southern Botswana to Etosha and the Kaokoveld, southeast to Swaziland and Kwazulu-Natal...
(Equus burchelli) - Channel-billed ToucanChannel-billed ToucanThe Channel-billed Toucan is a near-passerine bird which breeds in Trinidad and in tropical South America as far south as southern Brazil and central Bolivia.-Taxonomy:...
(Ramphastos vitellinus) - Coatimundi (Nasua narica)
- CrowCrowCrows form the genus Corvus in the family Corvidae. Ranging in size from the relatively small pigeon-size jackdaws to the Common Raven of the Holarctic region and Thick-billed Raven of the highlands of Ethiopia, the 40 or so members of this genus occur on all temperate continents and several...
(Corvus brachyrhynchos) - East African Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum)
- ElandCommon ElandThe common eland , also known as the southern eland or eland antelope, is a savannah and plains antelope found in East and Southern Africa. It is the largest antelope in the African continent...
(Tragelaphus oryx) - European Fallow DeerFallow DeerThe Fallow Deer is a ruminant mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. This common species is native to western Eurasia, but has been introduced widely elsewhere. It often includes the rarer Persian Fallow Deer as a subspecies , while others treat it as an entirely different species The Fallow...
(Dama dama) - Fantail Pigeon (Columba livia domestica)
- Great Horned OwlGreat Horned OwlThe Great Horned Owl, , also known as the Tiger Owl, is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an adaptable bird with a vast range and is the most widely distributed true owl in the Americas.-Description:...
(Bubo virginianus) - Guinea pigGuinea pigThe 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...
(Cavia porcellus) - India Blue Peafowl (Pavo cristatus)
- JaguarJaguarThe 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...
(Panthera onca) - KookaburraKookaburraKookaburras are terrestrial kingfishers native to Australia and New Guinea. They are large to very large, with a total length of . The name is a loanword from Wiradjuri guuguubarra, and is onomatopoeic of its call...
(Dacelo novaeguineae) - Lesser Sulphur-Crested CockatooYellow-crested CockatooThe Yellow-crested Cockatoo, Cacatua sulphurea, also known as the Lesser Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, is a medium-sized cockatoo with white plumage, bluish-white bare orbital skin, grey feet, a black bill, and a retractile yellow crest. The sexes are similar...
(Cacatua sulphurea) - Marabou StorkMarabou StorkThe Marabou Stork, Leptoptilos crumeniferus, is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It breeds in Africa south of the Sahara, occurring in both wet and arid habitats, often near human habitation, especially waste tips...
(Leptoptilos crumeniferus) - Przewalski's HorsePrzewalski's HorsePrzewalski'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...
(Equus ferus przewalskii)
- Pygmy GoatPygmy goatA pygmy goat is a small breed of domestic goat. Although they produce a very large amount of milk for their size, and can be eaten, pygmy goats are not typically used for milk or meat, unlike larger dairy and meat goat breeds. Pygmy goats tend to be more robust and breed more continually throughout...
(Capra hircus) - PonyPonyA pony is a small horse . Depending on context, a pony may be a horse that is under an approximate or exact height at the withers, or a small horse with a specific conformation and temperament. There are many different breeds...
(Equus caballus) - RaccoonRaccoonProcyon 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...
(Procyon lotor) - Red-eared Slider TurtleRed-eared sliderThe red-eared slider is a semiaquatic turtle belonging to the family Emydidae. It is a subspecies of pond slider. It is the most popular pet turtle in the United States and also popular in the rest of the world...
(Trachemys scripta elegans) - Red-golden PheasantGolden PheasantThe Golden Pheasant or "Chinese Pheasant", is a gamebird of the order Galliformes and the family Phasianidae...
(Chrysolophus pictus) - Reeves muntjacReeves's MuntjacThe Reeves' Muntjac is a muntjac species found widely in southeastern China and in Taiwan. They have also been introduced in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Ireland by 2008. It feeds on herbs, blossoms, succulent shoots, grasses and nuts, and was also reported to eat trees...
(Muntiacus reevesi) - Rhea (Rhea americana)
- Ring tailed lemur (Lemur catta)
- River Otter (Lontra canadensis)
- Ringed Neck DoveBarbary DoveThe Ringneck Dove, Ring Dove, or Barbary Dove, Streptopelia risoria, is a domestic member of the dove family .Although the Ringneck Dove is normally assigned its own systematic name, as Streptopelia risoria, considerable doubt exists as to its appropriate classification...
(Streptopelia risoria) - Scarlet MacawScarlet MacawThe Scarlet Macaw is a large, colorful macaw. It is native to humid evergreen forests in the American tropics. Range extends from extreme south-eastern Mexico to Amazonian Peru, Bolivia and Brazil in lowlands up to up to...
(Ara macao) - Sicilian DonkeyDonkeyThe 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...
(Equus asinus) - Sika DeerSika DeerThe Sika Deer, Cervus nippon, also known as the Spotted Deer or the Japanese Deer, is a species of deer native to much of East Asia and introduced to various other parts of the world...
(Cervus nippon) - Silky ChickenChickenThe chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
(Gallus domesticus) - Sulphur-crested CockatooSulphur-crested CockatooThe Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Cacatua galerita, is a relatively large white cockatoo found in wooded habitats in Australia and New Guinea. They can be locally very numerous, leading to them sometimes being considered pests...
(Cacatua sulphurea) - White-handed Gibbon (Hylobates lar)
- White-tailed DeerWhite-tailed DeerThe 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...
(Odocoileus virginianus) - Wood BisonWood BisonThe Wood Bison, Bison bison athabascae, also called Mountain Bison, Wood Buffalo or Mountain Buffalo, is a distinct northern subspecies or ecotype of the American Bison...
(Bison bison athabascae)