Milwaukee County Zoo
Encyclopedia
The Milwaukee County Zoo is a zoo
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
, operated by the Milwaukee County Parks Commission. The zoo houses 1,800 animals and covers an area of 200 acres (80.9 ha). It is noted for the first birth of polar bears and siamang
s in captivity. The zoo is also home to one of the largest group of bonobo
s in one location outside their native Democratic Republic of the Congo
and to two of the National Zoo's world famous cheetahs.
s and created an iron bear den. In 1899, the zoo constructed a $2,137 herbivore building that housed a variety of animals. In 1900, West Park Zoo became Washington Park
Zoo and two years later, the zoo was expanded to 23 acres (9.3 ha). Even with the Great Depression
of the 1930s
, the zoo prospered, creating a bear den that resembled bears' natural habitat. In 1931, the zoo's bear collection contained 37 specimens. By 1937, the Washington Park
Zoo was beginning to show its age. A reptile
exhibit was opened in the main zoo building in 1942. George Speidel, zoo director at this time, began planning a new zoo.
, the zoo changed its name to the Zoological Society of Milwaukee County in 1953. Fundraising took place in 1956 to offset the estimated cost of building the new zoo: $12.6 million. The Milwaukee County Zoo opened in 1958 with the primate building, monkey island, feline house, pachyderm mall, and grizzly bear den. The zoo also featured a miniature train line, the "Zoo Line", which carried visitors around the zoo to view the exhibits and construction. In 1959, construction started on the dall sheep
mountain and the Alaskan bear exhibit. On May 13, 1961, the Milwaukee County Zoo officially opened to the public. Later additions included the aviary
(1962), the Australian building (1963), the original animal hospital (1963), the small mammal building (1965), the aquarium
(1968), the reptile
building (1968), the children's zoo (1971), and the polar bear
underwater viewing exhibit (1986). In 1965, four Zoomobile tour trains were donated by Allis-Chalmers
. In 1986, the children's zoo was renamed the Stackner Heritage Farm, and a dairy complex was constructed as part of it, to celebrate Wisconsin
as America's Dairyland. The complex included a cow barn, education center, and dairy store. In 1988, the Taylor Family Humboldt Penguin
exhibit, the education center, and the Peck Welcome Center opened. The following year, the renovated sea lion
exhibit, featuring underwater viewing, opened, and the aviary was renovated. More recent changes include the addition of the Sterns Family Ape
s of Africa
exhibit (1992), the renovation of the aquarium and reptile building (now known as the Aquatic and Reptile Center), the renovation of the small mammal building (1998), and the addition of the Wong Family Pheasantry (1998). In 2002, Monkey Island was renovated to include a large deck for viewing, and was renamed Macaque Island. 2003 saw a newly remodeled animal health center; 2004, a new education center; and 2005 and 2006, the remodeling of the Heritage Farm, feline building, and giraffe exhibit.
contains over 60 species in a walk-through building. One section is a cageless room where birds fly free.
s and gorillas
. For many years, Samson, the largest gorilla in captivity, was showcased in the Apes of Africa building.
s from the around the world, including mandrill
s and orangutan
s.
. It was remodeled in 2002 to include a large deck for viewing and an expanded shelter.
s, fish
, reptiles, and amphibians.
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 Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
, operated by the Milwaukee County Parks Commission. The zoo houses 1,800 animals and covers an area of 200 acres (80.9 ha). It is noted for the first birth of polar bears and siamang
Siamang
The siamang is a tailless, arboreal, black-furred gibbon native to the forests of Malaysia, Thailand, and Sumatra. The largest of the lesser apes, the siamang can be twice the size of other gibbons, reaching 1 m in height, and weighing up to 14 kg...
s in captivity. The zoo is also home to one of the largest group of bonobo
Bonobo
The bonobo , Pan paniscus, previously called the pygmy chimpanzee and less often, the dwarf or gracile chimpanzee, is a great ape and one of the two species making up the genus Pan. The other species in genus Pan is Pan troglodytes, or the common chimpanzee...
s in one location outside their native Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
and to two of the National Zoo's world famous cheetahs.
The Washington Park Zoo
West Park Zoo opened in 1892, displaying small mammals and birds. The following year, the zoo added two cinnamon bearCinnamon bear
The Cinnamon Bear is a subspecies of the American black bear, native to Colorado, New Mexico, Idaho, Montana, Washington, Wyoming, and western Canada...
s and created an iron bear den. In 1899, the zoo constructed a $2,137 herbivore building that housed a variety of animals. In 1900, West Park Zoo became Washington Park
Parks of Milwaukee
-List of parks in Milwaukee County park system:The Milwaukee County Park system was awarded the 2009 National Gold Medal Award "for excellence in the field of park and recreation management" by the National Recreation and Park Association.-Other parks:...
Zoo and two years later, the zoo was expanded to 23 acres (9.3 ha). Even with the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
of the 1930s
1930s
File:1930s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Dorothea Lange's photo of the homeless Florence Thompson show the effects of the Great Depression; Due to the economic collapse, the farms become dry and the Dust Bowl spreads through America; The Battle of Wuhan during the Second Sino-Japanese...
, the zoo prospered, creating a bear den that resembled bears' natural habitat. In 1931, the zoo's bear collection contained 37 specimens. By 1937, the Washington Park
Parks of Milwaukee
-List of parks in Milwaukee County park system:The Milwaukee County Park system was awarded the 2009 National Gold Medal Award "for excellence in the field of park and recreation management" by the National Recreation and Park Association.-Other parks:...
Zoo was beginning to show its age. A reptile
Reptile
Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
exhibit was opened in the main zoo building in 1942. George Speidel, zoo director at this time, began planning a new zoo.
The Milwaukee County Zoo
Although still located in Washington ParkParks of Milwaukee
-List of parks in Milwaukee County park system:The Milwaukee County Park system was awarded the 2009 National Gold Medal Award "for excellence in the field of park and recreation management" by the National Recreation and Park Association.-Other parks:...
, the zoo changed its name to the Zoological Society of Milwaukee County in 1953. Fundraising took place in 1956 to offset the estimated cost of building the new zoo: $12.6 million. The Milwaukee County Zoo opened in 1958 with the primate building, monkey island, feline house, pachyderm mall, and grizzly bear den. The zoo also featured a miniature train line, the "Zoo Line", which carried visitors around the zoo to view the exhibits and construction. In 1959, construction started on the 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...
mountain and the Alaskan bear exhibit. On May 13, 1961, the Milwaukee County Zoo officially opened to the public. Later additions included the 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...
(1962), the Australian building (1963), the original animal hospital (1963), the small mammal building (1965), the aquarium
Aquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
(1968), the reptile
Reptile
Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
building (1968), the children's zoo (1971), and the 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...
underwater viewing exhibit (1986). In 1965, four Zoomobile tour trains were donated by Allis-Chalmers
Allis-Chalmers
The Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Co. of West Allis, Wisconsin, is an American company known for its past as a manufacturer with diverse interests, perhaps most famous for their bright Persian Orange farm tractors...
. In 1986, the children's zoo was renamed the Stackner Heritage Farm, and a dairy complex was constructed as part of it, to celebrate Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
as America's Dairyland. The complex included a cow barn, education center, and dairy store. In 1988, the Taylor Family Humboldt Penguin
Humboldt Penguin
The Humboldt Penguin is a South American penguin, that breeds in coastal Peru and Chile. Its nearest relatives are the African Penguin, the Magellanic Penguin and the Galápagos Penguin...
exhibit, the education center, and the Peck Welcome Center opened. The following year, the renovated sea lion
Sea Lion
Sea lions are pinnipeds characterized by external ear-flaps, long fore-flippers, the ability to walk on all fours, and short thick hair. Together with the fur seal, they comprise the family Otariidae, or eared seals. There are six extant and one extinct species in five genera...
exhibit, featuring underwater viewing, opened, and the aviary was renovated. More recent changes include the addition of the Sterns Family Ape
Ape
Apes are Old World anthropoid mammals, more specifically a clade of tailless catarrhine primates, belonging to the biological superfamily Hominoidea. The apes are native to Africa and South-east Asia, although in relatively recent times humans have spread all over the world...
s of 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 (1992), the renovation of the aquarium and reptile building (now known as the Aquatic and Reptile Center), the renovation of the small mammal building (1998), and the addition of the Wong Family Pheasantry (1998). In 2002, Monkey Island was renovated to include a large deck for viewing, and was renamed Macaque Island. 2003 saw a newly remodeled animal health center; 2004, a new education center; and 2005 and 2006, the remodeling of the Heritage Farm, feline building, and giraffe exhibit.
Exhibits
Taylor Family Humboldt Penguins
This is an exhibit featuring Humboldt Penguins with underwater viewing.Herb and Nada Mahler Family Aviary
The aviaryAviary
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...
contains over 60 species in a walk-through building. One section is a cageless room where birds fly free.
Sterns Family Apes of Africa
This indoor building features bonoboBonobo
The bonobo , Pan paniscus, previously called the pygmy chimpanzee and less often, the dwarf or gracile chimpanzee, is a great ape and one of the two species making up the genus Pan. The other species in genus Pan is Pan troglodytes, or the common chimpanzee...
s and gorillas
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...
. For many years, Samson, the largest gorilla in captivity, was showcased in the Apes of Africa building.
Primates of the World
Adjacent to Apes of Africa, this exhibit showcases primatePrimate
A primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...
s from the around the world, including mandrill
Mandrill
The mandrill is a primate of the Old World monkey family, closely related to the baboons and even more closely to the drill. Both the mandrill and the drill were once classified as baboons in genus Papio, but recent research has determined they should be separated into their own genus, Mandrillus...
s and orangutan
Orangutan
Orangutans are the only exclusively Asian genus of extant great ape. The largest living arboreal animals, they have proportionally longer arms than the other, more terrestrial, great apes. They are among the most intelligent primates and use a variety of sophisticated tools, also making sleeping...
s.
Macaque Island
Macaque Island features Japanese macaquesJapanese Macaque
The Japanese macaque , historically known as saru , but now known as Nihonzaru to distinguish it from other primates, is a terrestrial Old World monkey species native to Japan....
. It was remodeled in 2002 to include a large deck for viewing and an expanded shelter.
Otto Borchert Family Special Exhibits Gallery
This building is dedicated to special or traveling exhibits.Aquatic and Reptile Center
This building holds invertebrateInvertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
s, fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
, reptiles, and amphibians.
External links
- The Zoological Society of Milwaukee County