Buffalo Zoo

Infobox zoo
zoo_name=Buffalo Zoo


image_caption=
date_opened=1875
location=Buffalo, New York, USA
area=23 acres
members=AZA
num_animals=1200
exhibits=Rainforest Falls, Sea Lion Cove, Otter Creek, Vanishing Animals, Eco-Station, Elephants, Giraffes
website=http://www.buffalozoo.org/Founded in 1875, the Buffalo Zoo located in Buffalo, New York is the third oldest zoo in the United States. Each year, the Buffalo Zoo welcomes approximately 400,000 visitors and is the second largest tourist attraction in Western New York, second only to Niagara Falls. Located on convert|23.5|acre|m2 of Buffalo’s Delaware Park, the Zoo exhibits a diverse collection of wild and exotic animals, and more than 320 different species of plants. Open year-round, the Zoo serves as a source of conservation, education and recreation for Western New York.

History

The Zoo traces its history to more than a century ago, when Jacob E. Bergtold, a prominent furrier, presented a pair of deer to the City of Buffalo. To provide the deer with room to graze, Elam R. Jewett, the publisher of the Buffalo Daily Journal, offered to house the deer on his estate. Plans were also in the works for a park to be constructed that would give city residents a place to stroll and socialize. Mayor William F. Rogers hired Frederick Law Olmsted, a talented landscape architect, to design North Park, which is known today as Delaware Park. Five years after the deer were donated, more animals were added to the collection, and the first permanent building was erected, signifying the establishment of the Buffalo Zoological Gardens in 1875.

The Zoo underwent a large expansion during the Great Depression and became a major work site for the Works Progress Administration. Throughout the next several decades, more exhibits and facilities were added, including the Reptile House, Children’s Zoo, Giraffe House and Veterinary Hospital. The Zoo’s mission also began to change during the 1980s and 1990s, as it began reducing the numbers of animals in its collection to focus on the breeding of endangered species that might not otherwise have a chance at survival. In addition to its conservation efforts, the Zoo also placed more of an emphasis on education to teach visitors about the animals and their natural habitats.

In 2002, a 15-year Master Plan was unveiled to transform the Zoo. High quality visitor amenities and naturalistic habitats will enhance future exhibits, including the Asian River and Highlands Zone, African Watering Hole, Arctic Edge and the Wonders of Water Children’s Zoo. Phase One of the Master Plan has resulted in the opening of the Vanishing Animals exhibit, EcoStation, Otter Creek and Sea Lion Cove. The completion of Phase One was marked by the September 10, 2008 opening of the South American Rainforest, a four-season attraction that features a two-story waterfall, dozens of colorful free-flighted birds and a variety of other rainforest species. [cite book | last=Heap | first=Mildred F. | date=1982 | title=The Buffalo Zoo Story | publisher=Buffalo Zoological Gardens ]

Animal species in collection

Mammals

*Addax
*American Bison
*Amur (Siberian) tiger
*Angolan roan antelope
*Asian Elephant
*Brazilian Agouti
*Brazilian Porcupine
*Brown Capuchin
*California Sea Lion
*Capybara
*Cottontop Tamarin
*Dama / Scrub Wallaby
*Domestic Donkey
*Domestic Zebu
*Gemsbok
*Giant Anteater
*Golden Lion Tamarin
*Golden Tiger
*Grizzly bear
*Guanaco
*Howler monkey
*Indian Rhinoceros
*Japanese Macaque
*Kodiak Bear
*Lemurine douroucouli / Owl Monkey
*Linnaeus's Two-toed Sloth
*Lion
*Mandrill
*Maned Wolf
*Mouflon
*Northern River Otter
*Ocelot
*Ossabaw Island Pig
*Peccary
*Pygmy goat
*Polar bear

*Reindeer
*Reticulated Giraffe
*Ring-tailed Lemur
*Rock Hyrax
*Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep
*Serval
*Six-banded Armadillo
*Slender-tailed Meerkat
*Snow Leopard
*Spectacled Bear
*Spotted (axis) deer
*Spotted Hyena
*Sulawesi Crested Macaque
*Tamandua
*Vampire bat
*Western Lowland Gorilla
*White-faced Saki Monkey
*Zebra

Birds

*Black Swan
*Black-necked Swan
*Blue-crowned Mot-mot
*Boat-billed Heron
*Bourke's Parrot
*Cape Teal
*Chestnut-mandible Toucan
*Chicken
*Chilöe Wigeon
*Cinereous / Eurasian Black Vulture
*Cloncurry Parrot
*Common Peafowl
*Common Pintail Duck
*Eastern Rosella
*Falcated Duck
*Finch (5 species)
*Lady Ross' Plantain-eater
*Lilac-breasted Roller
*Lories and lorikeets (9 species)
*Mandarin Duck
*Princess Parrot
*Red-billed Leiothrix / Pekin Robin
*Red-breasted Goose
*Roseate Spoonbill
*Ringneck dove / Barbary Coast dove
*Scarlet Ibis
*Shama Thrush
*Speckled Mousebird
*Superb Starling
*Trumpeter Hornbill

Reptiles

*African pancake tortoise
*American alligator
*Anaconda
*Annam Leaf Turtle
*Asian water dragon
*Beaded lizard
*Belted chameleon
*Black tree monitor
*Dwarf Caiman
*Chinese three-striped box turtle
*Common Chuckwalla
*Desert Grassland Whiptail Lizard
*Desert iguana
*Desert tortoise
*Eastern diamondback rattlesnake
*Eastern indigo snake
*Eastern massasauga rattlesnake
*Egyptian spiny-tailed / dabb lizard
*Emerald tree boa
*Fence lizard
*Frilled lizard
*Giant River Turtle
*Gila monster
*Gopher tortoise
*Hump-headed dragon
*Indochinese box turtle
*King cobra
*Mata mata
*Mexican lance-headed rattlesnake
*Monkey-tail Anole
*Northern blue-tongued skink
*Olive python
*Plumed basilisk
*Prehensile-tailed skink
*Reticulated python
*Scheltopusik/glass lizard
*South American red-footed tortoise
*Spotted turtle
*Venezuelan/Colombian rattlesnake

Amphibians

*Green and black poison dart frog
*Malayan Leaf Frog
*Lemur tree frog
*Panamanian golden frog

Fish

*Cichlid
*Long-tailed river stingray
*Piranha
*Spotted Raphael catfish

Invertebrates

*Birdeater Tarantula
*Giant cockroach
*Pinktoe tarantula
*Red-headed centipede

PETA protests

The organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have cited unsafe animal conditions at the aging facility. On November 20th, 2007 PETA published a press release calling on the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to revoke its accreditation of the zoo based on USDA reports alleging unsafe animal conditions and nonstandard handling procedures. [cite web | title=PETA Calls for Buffalo Zoo to Be Stripped of Accreditation | url=http://www.peta.org/mc/NewsItem.asp?id=10499 | date=2007-11-20 | publisher=PETA | accessdate=2008-01-02] Although it is normal for animals to die in captivity, the report alleged that these deaths could have been prevented given adequate facilities and training. The zoo has denied such claims, calling PETA an extremist organization. [cite news | last=Watson | first=Stephen T. | title=Buffalo Zoo under scrutiny for deaths of three polar bears: Acriculture Dept. raises concerns - PETA wants national accreditation revoked | date-2007-11-21 | url=http://www.zoocheck.com/news_us_buffalopolarbeardeaths07.html | publisher=ZooCheck Canada | accessdate=2008-01-03]

References

External links

* [http://www.buffalozoo.org Buffalo Zoo's homepage]
* [http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/otherwny/story/221902.html $400,000 Grant Boosts New Children’s Zoo]
* [http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2007/09/24/story14.html Renovations Secure Zoo’s Accreditation]
* [http://www.oleantimesherald.com/articles/2007/08/30/news/doc46d70d4fe88ff430899364.txt On the Hunt For ‘Allegheny Alligators’]
* [http://www.buffalorocket.com/2007%20Issue%2045/BUFFALO%20ROCKET%20-%20THURSDAY%2C%20NOVEMBER%208%2C%202007%20-%20PAGE%201.html Changes at Zoo Make For Happier Animals and Happier People]
* [http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2004/04/05/newscolumn1.html?page=2 Buffalo Zoo Welcomes A New Visitor: The Crane]