San Antonio Zoo
Encyclopedia
The San Antonio Zoological Gardens and Aquarium is an Association of Zoos and Aquariums
-accredited zoo
in San Antonio
, Texas
, United States
. The 35 acres (14.2 ha) zoo has a collection of over 3,500 animals representing 750 species. The zoo's annual attendance exceeds 1,000,000.
The Richard Friedrich Aquarium was opened in 1948.
, deer
, monkey
s, lion
s, and bear
s on land he had deeded to the city. The land became Brackenridge Park
and Golf Course.
The San Antonio Zoo opened two of the first cageless exhibits in America in November 1929 that offered visitors views of the animals not available in caged exhibits. The Richard Friedrich Aquarium
was dedicated in 1948, and the Hixon Bird House, funded through the efforts of Colonel Frederick C. Hixon, opened in 1966. The zoo's bird collection is now one of the world's largest.
The San Antonio Zoo housed the first herd of Addra Gazelle in captivity in 1969 and continues to be active in the breeding program for this critically endangered species. Due to the former hoofstock quarantine point in San Antonio, the San Antonio Zoo has historically had a wide variety of hoofstock species.
The zoo is involved in breeding a number of endangered species including black rhino, leopard
, golden lion tamarin
, dama gazelle
, Attwater's Prairie Chicken
, black mangabey, African lion, black-footed ferret
, komodo dragon
, andean condor
, and Caribbean flamingo
s.
The zoo recently opened Phase II of the Africa Live project. Phase I brought a new exhibit for hippos with underwater viewing area and one for new Nile Crocodiles as well as many other smaller animals. Phase II contains Angolan Colobus Monkeys, Okapi, African Hunting Dogs, Rock Hyrax, and various species of birds contained in the 2nd largest aviary in the world.
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...
-accredited 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....
in San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The 35 acres (14.2 ha) zoo has a collection of over 3,500 animals representing 750 species. The zoo's annual attendance exceeds 1,000,000.
The Richard Friedrich Aquarium was opened in 1948.
History
What is now known as the San Antonio Zoo began in 1914 when Colonel George W. Brackenridge, one of the city's leading citizens, placed bisonBison
Members of the genus Bison are large, even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant and four extinct species are recognized...
, 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, lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
s, and 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 on land he had deeded to the city. The land became Brackenridge Park
Brackenridge Park
Brackenridge Park is a 343 acre public park in San Antonio, Texas. It was created in 1899 from land donated to the city by George Brackenridge.-Recreation:...
and Golf Course.
The San Antonio Zoo opened two of the first cageless exhibits in America in November 1929 that offered visitors views of the animals not available in caged exhibits. The Richard Friedrich 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...
was dedicated in 1948, and the Hixon Bird House, funded through the efforts of Colonel Frederick C. Hixon, opened in 1966. The zoo's bird collection is now one of the world's largest.
The San Antonio Zoo housed the first herd of Addra Gazelle in captivity in 1969 and continues to be active in the breeding program for this critically endangered species. Due to the former hoofstock quarantine point in San Antonio, the San Antonio Zoo has historically had a wide variety of hoofstock species.
The zoo is involved in breeding a number of endangered species including black rhino, leopard
Leopard
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...
, golden lion tamarin
Golden Lion Tamarin
The golden lion tamarin also known as the golden marmoset, is a small New World monkey of the family Callitrichidae...
, dama gazelle
Dama Gazelle
The Dama Gazelle is a species of gazelle. It lives in Africa in the Sahara desert and migrates south in search of food during the dry season. Their habitat includes open steppes, bushy, grassy steppes, semi-desert, and deserts, while their diet includes grasses, leaves, shoots, fruit, and...
, Attwater's Prairie Chicken
Attwater's Prairie Chicken
Attwater's Prairie Chicken is a highly endangered subspecies of the Greater Prairie Chicken that is native to coastal Texas and Louisiana in the United States.-Description:...
, black mangabey, African lion, black-footed ferret
Black-footed Ferret
The Black-footed Ferret , also known as the American polecat or Prairie Dog Hunter, is a species of Mustelid native to central North America. It is listed as endangered by the IUCN, because of its very small and restricted populations...
, komodo dragon
Komodo dragon
The Komodo dragon , also known as the Komodo monitor, is a large species of lizard found in the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang and Gili Dasami. A member of the monitor lizard family , it is the largest living species of lizard, growing to a maximum length of in rare cases...
, andean condor
Andean Condor
The Andean Condor is a species of South American bird in the New World vulture family Cathartidae and is the only member of the genus Vultur...
, and Caribbean flamingo
Flamingo
Flamingos or flamingoes are gregarious wading birds in the genus Phoenicopterus , the only genus in the family Phoenicopteridae...
s.
The zoo recently opened Phase II of the Africa Live project. Phase I brought a new exhibit for hippos with underwater viewing area and one for new Nile Crocodiles as well as many other smaller animals. Phase II contains Angolan Colobus Monkeys, Okapi, African Hunting Dogs, Rock Hyrax, and various species of birds contained in the 2nd largest aviary in the world.