Oakland Zoo
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Oakland Zoo is a zoological garden in Oakland , California .
Founded in 1922 by Henry A. Snow , the zoo has been located in Knowland Park , an area of around 212 hectares in southeast Oakland, since 1939 . It is home to more than 440 domestic and exotic animal species , with the zoo traditionally striving to keep animals close to nature. A special attraction of the zoo is the “Valley Children's Zoo”, completed in 2005, a facility for children, the construction of which is also the largest renovation and expansion project in the history of the zoo.
The zoo has been operated since 1982 by the East Bay Zoological Society , a non-profit organization based in Oakland.
history
Foundation and first years
The naturalist, big game hunter and gatherer Henry A. Snow founded the zoo in 1922. The first location was the area between 19th Street and Harrison Street in downtown Oakland , today's Oakland business district.
To support the zoo, Henry A. Snow's son Sidney founded the Alameda County Botanical and Zoological Society in 1936 , a forerunner of today's operating company East Bay Zoological Society.
After the zoo changed its location several times, it moved into its current quarters in 1939. This area was converted into a state park in April 1948 under Joseph P. Knowland , then chairman of the California State Park Commission . In 1950, the park was renamed in honor of Knowland in Joseph Knowland State Arboretum and Park (mostly short "Knowland Park").
First expansion phase and turning point in 1982
Under the direction of William Penn Mott Jr., then executive director of the City Parks Commission , the zoological garden was improved and expanded between 1957 and 1961. The first major construction project was the construction of a new elephant house for the sum of 15,000 US dollars at the time . In 1965 the “Baby Zoo” led by Lutz Ruhe and the “African Veldt” landscape were added, in 1975 the “Australian Outback” landscape and in 1980 a facility for tigers .
In 1982 the City of Oakland assigned the management of the zoo to the East Bay Zoological Society. The first director appointed was William Penn Mott Jr., who initiated another phase of growth and structural transformation. Penn Mott drafted a master plan for the zoo, hired a deputy director, commissioned the establishment of a fully equipped veterinary station and had numerous renovations carried out on the zoo and the park area.
The years from 1985 to 2005
In 1985, Joel J. Parrott, the previous deputy director, was appointed to succeed Penn Mott. This set up a six-stage development and expansion plan for the next 20 years.
In 1987 the Oakland Zoo's Education Department was created as an educational facility for school and other visitor groups. In the same year the construction of a new facility for mantled baboons was completed, two years later that of a facility for chimpanzees . In 1989 a new elephant enclosure was inaugurated. This facility, called "Mahali Pa Tempo" ( Swahili for "place of the elephants") was designed to be larger and modeled on the natural habitat of the elephants.
In 1991 and 1992 new systems for gibbons ("Gibbon Island") and lions ("Simba Pori", Swahili for "land of the lions") followed. In 1996 a facility for sun bears was inaugurated. In April 1998, the so-called "African Village" opened, a village area based on the model of an East African Kikuyu village, in which various animal species from the African savannah can be seen and over 75 species of plants from South and East Africa are located.
In 1999 a new education center was opened and two years later the entrance area of the zoo was fundamentally redesigned. In autumn 2001 a new facility for squirrel monkeys was inaugurated and the tiger enclosure was rebuilt and expanded.
Valley Children's Zoo
In 2005, the Valley Children's Zoo, the largest construction project in the history of Oakland Zoo, was completed. The approximately 1.2 hectare site contains numerous interactive offers for children. A petting zoo as well as oversized snakes and grasses should make nature come alive for children. Insect replicas made of metal can be discovered on paths and walls.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Oakland Zoo website , History , accessed January 3, 2008.
Web links
Coordinates: 37 ° 45 ′ 0 ″ N , 122 ° 8 ′ 49 ″ W.