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Bronx Zoo

 
Bronx Zoo

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Bronx Zoo



 
 
The Bronx Zoo is a famous zoo
Zoo

A Zoology garden, abbreviated to zoo, is an institution in which living animals are exhibited in captivity. In addition to their status as tourist attractions and recreational facilities, modern zoos may engage in captive breeding programs, conservation study, and educational outreach....
 located within the Bronx Park
Bronx Park

File:WSTM Free Culture NYU 0016.jpgBronx Park, laid out along the Bronx River in the Bronx, New York City, is the home of the New York Botanical Garden and the Bronx Zoo....
, in The Bronx
The Bronx

The Bronx is the northernmost of the Five Boroughs of New York City and the newest of the 62 Administrative divisions of New York#county of New York State....
 borough of New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
. The largest metropolitan zoo in the United States, the Bronx Zoo comprises of parklands and naturalistic habitats, through which the Bronx River flows. The Bronx Zoo is south of the New York Botanical Garden. Fordham University
Fordham University

'Fordham University' is a private university university in the United States, with three campuses located in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York in 1841 as St....
 owned most of the land which became the Bronx Zoo and New York Botanical Garden
New York Botanical Garden

The New York Botanical Garden also known as The NYBG is one of the premier botanical gardens in the United States, located in New York City....
. Fordham
Fordham University

'Fordham University' is a private university university in the United States, with three campuses located in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York in 1841 as St....
 sold it to the City of New York for only $1 under the condition that the lands be used for a zoo and garden; this was in order to create a natural buffer between the university grounds and the urban expansion that was nearing.






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The Bronx Zoo is a famous zoo
Zoo

A Zoology garden, abbreviated to zoo, is an institution in which living animals are exhibited in captivity. In addition to their status as tourist attractions and recreational facilities, modern zoos may engage in captive breeding programs, conservation study, and educational outreach....
 located within the Bronx Park
Bronx Park

File:WSTM Free Culture NYU 0016.jpgBronx Park, laid out along the Bronx River in the Bronx, New York City, is the home of the New York Botanical Garden and the Bronx Zoo....
, in The Bronx
The Bronx

The Bronx is the northernmost of the Five Boroughs of New York City and the newest of the 62 Administrative divisions of New York#county of New York State....
 borough of New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
. The largest metropolitan zoo in the United States, the Bronx Zoo comprises of parklands and naturalistic habitats, through which the Bronx River flows. The Bronx Zoo is south of the New York Botanical Garden. Fordham University
Fordham University

'Fordham University' is a private university university in the United States, with three campuses located in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York in 1841 as St....
 owned most of the land which became the Bronx Zoo and New York Botanical Garden
New York Botanical Garden

The New York Botanical Garden also known as The NYBG is one of the premier botanical gardens in the United States, located in New York City....
. Fordham
Fordham University

'Fordham University' is a private university university in the United States, with three campuses located in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York in 1841 as St....
 sold it to the City of New York for only $1 under the condition that the lands be used for a zoo and garden; this was in order to create a natural buffer between the university grounds and the urban expansion that was nearing. In the 1880s, New York State set aside the land for future development as parks. In 1895, New York State chartered the New York Zoological Society (later renamed to Wildlife Conservation Society
Wildlife Conservation Society

The Wildlife Conservation Society endeavors to save wildlife and wild lands though careful use of science, Wildlife conservation around the world, education and through a system of urban wildlife parks....
) for the purpose of founding a zoo.

The zoo opened its doors to the public on November 8, 1899, featuring 843 animals in 22 exhibits. Heins & LaFarge
Heins & LaFarge

The New York-based architectural firm of Heins & LaFarge, composed of Philadelphia-born architect George Lewis Heins and Christopher Grant LaFarge - the eldest son of the artist John LaFarge, famous especially for his stained glass panels - were responsible most notably for the original Romanesque-Byzantine east end and crossin...
 designed the original permanent buildings as a series of Beaux-Arts
Beaux-Arts architecture

Beaux-Arts architecture denotes the academic Neoclassical architecture architectural style that was taught at the ?cole des Beaux-Arts in Paris....
 pavilions grouped around the large circular sea lion pool. Many exhibits, for example World of Birds and World of Reptiles, maintain the original taxonomical arrangement, while others are arranged geographically, such as African Plains and Wild Asia.

In 2006, the Bronx Zoo is home to more than 4,000 animals, many of which are endangered or threatened species. Nearly two million people visit the Zoo each year

The Zoo has been designated as a New York City landmark
New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Historic preservation Law....
.

Recent news

Bronx Zoo made the news in August 2006 when it agreed to enter a rare Snow Leopard
Snow Leopard

The snow leopard , sometimes known as "ounce," is a moderately large Felidae native to the mountain ranges of Central Asia. The classification of this species has been subject to change and its exact taxonomy position is still unclear....
 cub, Leo, into its breeding program. The 13-month-old cub was found stuck in mud following a landslide in Naltar Valley which killed its mother. A Pakistani shepherd in the area found the cub with its female sibling, but the latter died a week later due to malnutrition. He then handed over the cub to Pakistani authorities who took care of him, but since there are no captive breeding programs or rehabilitation center
Wildlife rehabilitation

Wildlife rehabilitation is the process of removing from the wild and caring for injured, orphaned, or sick wild animals. The goal of wildlife rehabilitation is to provide the food, housing and medical care of these animals, returning them to the wild after treatment....
 for Snow Leopards in Pakistan, it was decided to hand over the cub to the Bronx Zoo. The leopard will be returned to its place of birth following construction of a rehab facility in the Naltar Valley with US cooperation.

In November 2006, the Zoo opened up brand-new eco-friendly restrooms outside the Bronx River Gate. According to the Clivus multrum company, which built the composting toilet
Composting toilet

A composting toilet is a closed unit, not connected to a sewage system or septic tank, used to receive, contain, and Composting human waste via aerobic biodegradation....
s chosen by the Zoo, these facilities will service 500,000 people and save of water a year. In March 2007, the Wildlife Conservation Society
Wildlife Conservation Society

The Wildlife Conservation Society endeavors to save wildlife and wild lands though careful use of science, Wildlife conservation around the world, education and through a system of urban wildlife parks....
 and the Fordham University
Fordham University

'Fordham University' is a private university university in the United States, with three campuses located in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York in 1841 as St....
 Graduate School of Education announced they will offer a joint program leading to a Master of Science degree in education and New York state initial teacher certification in adolescent science education (biology grades 7-12). The program will begin in 2008 and is the first joint degree program of its kind.

On 20 June 2008, The Wildlife Conservation Society opened the Madagascar! exhibit at the Bronx Zoo. The exhibit attempts to recreate a small section of what many people call the eighth continent. It contains a variety of wildlife from Madagascar
Madagascar

Madagascar, or Republic of Madagascar , is an island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa. The main island, also called Madagascar, is the List of islands by area, and is home to 5% of the world's plant and animal species, of which more than 80% are Endemism to Madagascar....
, including lemur
Lemur

Lemurs make up the infraorder Lemuriformes and are members of a group of primates known as prosimians. The term "lemur" is derived from the Latin word lemures, meaning "spirits of the night" or "ghosts"....
s, hissing cockroach
Madagascar hissing cockroach

The Madagascar hissing cockroach , also known as the hissing roach or simply hisser, is one of the largest species of cockroach, reaching 2?3 inches at maturity....
es, sifaka
Sifaka

Sifakas are a genus from the primate family Indriidae. Like all lemurs, they are found only on the island of Madagascar.Sifakas are medium sized indrids, reaching a length of 45 to 55 cm and a weight of 4 to 6 kg ....
 lemurs, and the Nile crocodile
Nile crocodile

The Nile crocodile is an African reptile of the Family Crocodylidae....
.

On 24 January 2009, the zoo announced it was closing the Skyfari due to high costs.

See also

  • Wildlife Conservation International
    Wildlife Conservation International

    Wildlife Conservation International is a field division of the Wildlife Conservation Society. It is based in Bronx, New York.The organization is mainly present in Africa and Asia as well as North America and South America....
  • Ota Benga
    Ota Benga

    Ota Benga was a Democratic Republic of the Congo pygmy who was featured in a 1906 human zoo exhibit at the Bronx Zoo alongside an orangutan. The exhibit was intended to promote the concept of human evolution, eugenics and scientific racism....


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