Riverbanks Zoo
Encyclopedia
The Riverbanks Zoo and Garden is a 170 acres (68.8 ha) zoo
, aquarium
, and botanical garden
located at 500 Wildlife Parkway, along the Saluda River
, in Columbia, South Carolina
, USA.
Riverbanks Zoo and Garden is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
since 1973, and dates back to the early 19th century with South Carolina's textile industry and the American Civil War
.
Riverbanks Zoo and Garden is South Carolina's largest gated attraction, averaging 1,000,000 visitors each year. Riverbanks is a four-time winner of the Southeastern Tourism Society's Shining Example Award as the southeast's top tourist attraction and a two-time winner of the SC Parks Recreation and Tourism Governor's Cup Award as South Carolina's Leading Attraction.
. Recent additions to the Zoo include exhibits for African elephants, gorillas and koalas. The Birdhouse at Riverbanks (opened 2002) was given a Significant Achievement Award by the AZA as one of the best new zoo exhibits in the United States and features a display of king, rockhopper and gentoo penguins.
African Plains is a 2 acre (0.809372 ha) exhibit featuring giraffe
, Grant's zebra
, and ostrich
.
The Aquarium Reptile Complex is a 20000 ft2 building with a 50000 gallon tank for Pacific coral reef species, as well as exhibits for Galapagos tortoises, false gharial
s, and other reptiles.
Opened in 2002, Ndoki Forest houses two of the larger African species, the African elephant and western lowland gorilla
, as well as de Brazza's monkey
, slender-tailed meerkat
, and various birds. The elephants live in a 1/2 acre yard with a 250000 gallon pool.
with more than 4,200 species of native and exotic plants. A trail system lets visitors explore several kilometers of bottomland and upland mixed hardwood forests in search of the of native wildlife that call the Zoo and Garden home.
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....
, 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...
, and botanical garden
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
located at 500 Wildlife Parkway, along the Saluda River
Saluda River
The Saluda River is a principal tributary of the Congaree River, about 200 mi long, in northern and western South Carolina in the United States...
, in Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
, USA.
Riverbanks Zoo and Garden is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
History
Riverbanks Zoo has been listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
since 1973, and dates back to the early 19th century with South Carolina's textile industry and the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Riverbanks Zoo and Garden is South Carolina's largest gated attraction, averaging 1,000,000 visitors each year. Riverbanks is a four-time winner of the Southeastern Tourism Society's Shining Example Award as the southeast's top tourist attraction and a two-time winner of the SC Parks Recreation and Tourism Governor's Cup Award as South Carolina's Leading Attraction.
Animals and Exhibits
The Zoo is home to over 3,000 animals, with collections of mammals, birds, reptiles and fishFish
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...
. Recent additions to the Zoo include exhibits for African elephants, gorillas and koalas. The Birdhouse at Riverbanks (opened 2002) was given a Significant Achievement Award by the AZA as one of the best new zoo exhibits in the United States and features a display of king, rockhopper and gentoo penguins.
African Plains is a 2 acre (0.809372 ha) exhibit featuring giraffe
Giraffe
The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...
, Grant's zebra
Grant's Zebra
The Grant's Zebra is the smallest of six subspecies of the Plains Zebra.-Distribution:The distribution of this subspecies is in Zambia west of the Luangwa river and west to Kariba, Shaba Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, north to the Kibanzao Plateau. In Tanzania north from...
, and 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...
.
The Aquarium Reptile Complex is a 20000 ft2 building with a 50000 gallon tank for Pacific coral reef species, as well as exhibits for Galapagos tortoises, false gharial
False gharial
The false gharial , also known as the Malayan gharial, false gavial, or Tomistoma is a freshwater crocodile of the Crocodylidae family with a very thin and elongated snout...
s, and other reptiles.
Opened in 2002, Ndoki Forest houses two of the larger African species, the African elephant and 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...
, as well as de Brazza's monkey
De Brazza's Monkey
De Brazza's monkey is an Old World monkey endemic to the wetlands of central Africa.- Taxonomy :Locally known as swamp monkeys, these primates are named after the Italian-French explorer Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza. They were given the species name neglectus because of their skill in hiding from...
, slender-tailed meerkat
Meerkat
The meerkat or suricate, Suricata suricatta, is a small mammal belonging to the mongoose family. Meerkats live in all parts of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, in much of the Namib Desert in Namibia and southwestern Angola, and in South Africa. A group of meerkats is called a "mob", "gang" or "clan"...
, and various birds. The elephants live in a 1/2 acre yard with a 250000 gallon pool.
Botanical Garden
Riverbanks also has a 70 acres (28.3 ha) botanical gardenBotanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
with more than 4,200 species of native and exotic plants. A trail system lets visitors explore several kilometers of bottomland and upland mixed hardwood forests in search of the of native wildlife that call the Zoo and Garden home.