Zoo Atlanta
Encyclopedia
Zoo Atlanta is an Association of Zoos and Aquariums
(AZA) accredited zoological park in Atlanta
, Georgia
. Founded in 1889, the Zoo is Atlanta’s oldest cultural destination and is one of the oldest continuously operating zoological institutions in the United States.
Zoo Atlanta houses over 1,300 animals representing more than 220 species. Home to the nation’s largest collections of gorillas and orangutans, the Zoo is also one of only four zoos in the U.S. currently housing giant pandas.
The 1950s and 1960s were decades of renovation and construction at the Zoo, but by the early 1970s, many of its exhibits and facilities were outdated and showing signs of disrepair. In 1970, a small group of concerned citizens founded the Atlanta Zoological Society in hopes of raising funds and awareness for the institution.
When the Atlanta Zoo reached its period of sharpest decline in the mid-1980s, civic leadership appointed an emergency task force to address critical needs. The Zoo was privatized in 1985 with the creation of a nonprofit organization, Atlanta Fulton-County Zoo Inc., and was renamed Zoo Atlanta that same year. A 20-year period of aggressive restoration and revitalization followed, marked by several significant exhibit openings (e.g. The Ford African Rain Forest) in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Ten years after the Zoo’s 100th anniversary, Atlantans celebrated the long-awaited debut of giant pandas Lun Lun
and Yang Yang
.
experience is the largest of its kind in the southeastern U.S. The aviary is home to more than 500 free-flying parakeets, and guests are permitted to hand-feed the birds.
s, elephant
s, black rhinos, meerkat
s and warthog
s, as well as forest species, including yellow-backed duiker
s. A large, multi-species savanna landscape features giraffe
, zebra
, waterbuck
, ostrich
and East African crowned cranes.
s in North America, with 22 individuals living in social groups as of December 2009. Eighteen gorillas have been born at the Zoo since 1988, all of whom have been mother-reared or reared by a gorilla surrogate. Kali and Kazi, a rare set of twins, were born at Zoo Atlanta on October 31, 2005. Their mother, Kuchi, is the only known gorilla ever to independently rear twins in captivity.
Zoo Atlanta also remains home to all five of the offspring sired by its best-known gorilla, Willie B.
(ca. 1959-2000). Two of these, females Kudzoo and Sukari, have given birth to infants of their own: Macy Baby, born December 2005, and Gunther, born July 2006.
The Living Treehouse, an extension of The Ford African Rain Forest completed in 2004, features a large aviary of African bird life. The open-air, treetop setting provides close views of black-and-white-ruffed lemurs, ringtailed lemurs and drill
s, with adjacent habitats for Angolan colobus monkeys, Schmidt’s guenons and Wolf’s guenons. Zoo Atlanta’s is the nation’s only successful drill breeding program to date, having produced roughly half of the total U.S. population of these critically endangered primates.
s. Parents Lun Lun and Yang Yang arrived in Atlanta as juveniles in 1999 and reside at the Zoo on loan from China. The Zoo celebrated the birth of its first cub, Mei Lan, on September 6, 2006. Mei Lan was the only giant panda cub born in the U.S. that year. A second cub, male Xi Lan, born August 30, 2008, was the only giant panda cub born in the U.S. in 2008. A third cub, Po, was born 3 November 2010, the first panda born in the US during the 2010 calendar year. Jack Black
named Po after Black's character in Dreamworks Kung Fu Panda
to promote the release of Kung Fu Panda 2.
The Asian Forest also spotlights a number of other endangered species: Sumatran tiger
s, clouded leopard
, red panda
, Asian small-clawed otters and Komodo dragon
, as well as the nation’s largest zoological collection of orangutan
s. Zoo Atlanta’s Director of Animal Programs has served as the Chair of the Orangutan Species Survival Plan since 1991.
The Orangutan Learning Tree Project, launched at Zoo Atlanta in 2007, utilizes in-habitat touch screen technology to allow orangutans to engage in computer puzzles, games and problem-solving exercises while guests observe their activities on a linked monitor.
s, a critically endangered species harvested nearly to extinction for food and traditional medicine.
World of Reptiles highlights include Guatemalan beaded lizards, black mamba
, king cobra
, reticulated python
and greater siren
, among hundreds of snake
s, turtle
s, tortoise
s, lizard
s, frog
s, toad
s and salamander
s from around the world. Other points of interest include an amphibian wall presenting poison dart frog
s in simulated mini-rainforests, as well as an extensive collection of native Georgia species, including American alligator
, alligator snapping turtle
, eastern diamond-backed rattlesnake and gopher tortoise.
The World of Reptiles is the zoo's oldest public building, designed in the late 1950s and opened to the public in 1962. In 2009, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums noted that "the facility is a major concern primarily because of age," an observation they also made five years previously. The World of Reptiles once housed critically endangered gharial
(a species of crocodile from India), but because the aging facility could not maintain adequate heat, they were sent to other zoos.
. The Outback Station Petting Zoo, designed to resemble an Australian sheep outpost, offers hands-on encounters with Kunekune pigs, Gulf Coast sheep and Boer
, Nubian and Nigerian dwarf goats
.
The Children’s Zoo also features an authentic Georgia wetlands inhabited year-round by an American alligator
and yellow-bellied sliders
, as well as Base Camp Discovery, site of the Zoo’s seasonal golden lion tamarin
free-ranging program. A new playground opened in KIDZone in 2007.
habitat invites guests to “crawl into the secret lives of nature’s weirdest underground family.” Designed to simulate subterranean Africa, the experience features close, eye-level views of an active colony of naked mole rats in a network of underground chambers. On an adjacent playground, younger guests are encouraged to “tunnel and play the mole rat way.”
. Cooperative involvement in Species Survival Plans helps to ensure the health, genetic diversity and demographic sustainability of future animal generations.
The Zoo currently contributes to the following individual Species Survival Plans:
Zoo Atlanta also participates in several international conservation initiatives, among them the Asian Turtle Crisis and Global Amphibian Decline. Staff members from Zoo Atlanta and the Atlanta Botanical Garden were among the first to respond to the global amphibian extinction crisis by establishing captive assurance colonies of Panamanian frogs threatened by the spread of chytrid fungus. (Chytrid is the cause of the infectious amphibian disease chytridiomycosis.)
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...
(AZA) accredited zoological park in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. Founded in 1889, the Zoo is Atlanta’s oldest cultural destination and is one of the oldest continuously operating zoological institutions in the United States.
Zoo Atlanta houses over 1,300 animals representing more than 220 species. Home to the nation’s largest collections of gorillas and orangutans, the Zoo is also one of only four zoos in the U.S. currently housing giant pandas.
History
Zoo Atlanta’s history dates to 1889, when businessman George V. Gress purchased a bankrupt traveling circus and donated the animals to the city of Atlanta. City leaders opted to house the collection in Grant Park, a popular Victorian picnic and promenade spot. Original residents of the Zoo included a black bear, a jaguar, a hyena, an elk, a Mexican hog, a raccoon, lions, monkeys, camels, pumas and snakes. The Zoo’s collection expanded in the 1930s with the personal donation of a private menagerie owned by Asa G. Candler, Jr.Asa G. Candler, Jr.
Asa Griggs "Buddy" Candler, Jr. was the eccentric son of Asa Griggs Candler, co-founder of Coca-Cola. Candler, Jr. helped build his father's business into an empire. He later became a real-estate developer, opening the Briarcliff Hotel at the corner of Ponce de Leon Avenue and N. Highland Ave...
The 1950s and 1960s were decades of renovation and construction at the Zoo, but by the early 1970s, many of its exhibits and facilities were outdated and showing signs of disrepair. In 1970, a small group of concerned citizens founded the Atlanta Zoological Society in hopes of raising funds and awareness for the institution.
When the Atlanta Zoo reached its period of sharpest decline in the mid-1980s, civic leadership appointed an emergency task force to address critical needs. The Zoo was privatized in 1985 with the creation of a nonprofit organization, Atlanta Fulton-County Zoo Inc., and was renamed Zoo Atlanta that same year. A 20-year period of aggressive restoration and revitalization followed, marked by several significant exhibit openings (e.g. The Ford African Rain Forest) in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Ten years after the Zoo’s 100th anniversary, Atlantans celebrated the long-awaited debut of giant pandas Lun Lun
Lun Lun
Lun Lun is a female giant panda at Zoo Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia. The panda, now , was born at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China on August 25, 1997. Her original name, Hua Hua, was changed to Lun Lun by her sponsor, the Taiwanese rock star Su Huilun...
and Yang Yang
Yang Yang (Atlanta giant panda)
Yang Yang is a male giant panda currently residing at Zoo Atlanta. He is the mate to Lun Lun and the father to Mei Lan, Xi Lan, and Po, born on November 3, 2010....
.
Boundless Budgies: A Parakeet Adventure
Opened in April 2009, this interactive new parakeetParakeet
Parakeet is a term for any one of a large number of unrelated small to medium sized species of parrot, that generally have long tail feathers...
experience is the largest of its kind in the southeastern U.S. The aviary is home to more than 500 free-flying parakeets, and guests are permitted to hand-feed the birds.
African Plains
Zoo Atlanta’s African Plains showcase wildlife native to the grasslands and desert, including lionLion
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, elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
s, black rhinos, 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"...
s and warthog
Warthog
The Warthog or Common Warthog is a wild member of the pig family that lives in grassland, savanna, and woodland in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the past it was commonly treated as a subspecies of P...
s, as well as forest species, including yellow-backed duiker
Yellow-backed Duiker
The Yellow-backed Duiker , is an antelope found in central and western Africa. They have the widest range of any duiker in the genus Cephalophus....
s. A large, multi-species savanna landscape features giraffe
Giraffe
The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...
, zebra
Zebra
Zebras are several species of African equids united by their distinctive black and white stripes. Their stripes come in different patterns unique to each individual. They are generally social animals that live in small harems to large herds...
, waterbuck
Waterbuck
The Waterbuck is a large antelope found widely in Sub-Saharan Africa.Waterbuck stand at the shoulder. Males weigh and females . Their coats are reddish brown in colour and become progressively darker with age; they have a white 'bib' under their throats and white on their rumps...
, 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...
and East African crowned cranes.
The Ford African Rain Forest
Zoo Atlanta holds the largest collection of western lowland gorillaWestern 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...
s in North America, with 22 individuals living in social groups as of December 2009. Eighteen gorillas have been born at the Zoo since 1988, all of whom have been mother-reared or reared by a gorilla surrogate. Kali and Kazi, a rare set of twins, were born at Zoo Atlanta on October 31, 2005. Their mother, Kuchi, is the only known gorilla ever to independently rear twins in captivity.
Zoo Atlanta also remains home to all five of the offspring sired by its best-known gorilla, Willie B.
Willie B.
Willie B. was a silverback Gorilla who lived at Zoo Atlanta for 39 years, from 1961 until his death in February of 2000. When he died at the age of 41, he was the oldest Gorilla in the United States to have fathered offspring....
(ca. 1959-2000). Two of these, females Kudzoo and Sukari, have given birth to infants of their own: Macy Baby, born December 2005, and Gunther, born July 2006.
The Living Treehouse, an extension of The Ford African Rain Forest completed in 2004, features a large aviary of African bird life. The open-air, treetop setting provides close views of black-and-white-ruffed lemurs, ringtailed lemurs and drill
Drill
A drill or drill motor is a tool fitted with a cutting tool attachment or driving tool attachment, usually a drill bit or driver bit, used for drilling holes in various materials or fastening various materials together with the use of fasteners. The attachment is gripped by a chuck at one end of...
s, with adjacent habitats for Angolan colobus monkeys, Schmidt’s guenons and Wolf’s guenons. Zoo Atlanta’s is the nation’s only successful drill breeding program to date, having produced roughly half of the total U.S. population of these critically endangered primates.
Asian Forest
Zoo Atlanta is one of only four institutions in the U.S. housing giant pandaGiant Panda
The giant panda, or panda is a bear native to central-western and south western China. It is easily recognized by its large, distinctive black patches around the eyes, over the ears, and across its round body. Though it belongs to the order Carnivora, the panda's diet is 99% bamboo...
s. Parents Lun Lun and Yang Yang arrived in Atlanta as juveniles in 1999 and reside at the Zoo on loan from China. The Zoo celebrated the birth of its first cub, Mei Lan, on September 6, 2006. Mei Lan was the only giant panda cub born in the U.S. that year. A second cub, male Xi Lan, born August 30, 2008, was the only giant panda cub born in the U.S. in 2008. A third cub, Po, was born 3 November 2010, the first panda born in the US during the 2010 calendar year. Jack Black
Jack Black
Jack Black , is an American actor and musician, notably of Tenacious D.Jack Black may also refer to:* Jack Black , late 19th - early 20th Century author and hobo* Jack Black , drummer for 1970s UK punk band The Boys...
named Po after Black's character in Dreamworks Kung Fu Panda
Kung Fu Panda
Kung Fu Panda is a 2008 American computer-animated action comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures...
to promote the release of Kung Fu Panda 2.
The Asian Forest also spotlights a number of other endangered species: Sumatran tiger
Sumatran Tiger
The Sumatran tiger is a tiger subspecies that inhabits the Indonesian island of Sumatra and has been classified as critically endangered by IUCN in 2008 as the population is projected at 176 to 271 mature individuals, with no subpopulation having an effective population size larger than 50...
s, clouded leopard
Clouded Leopard
The clouded leopard is a felid found from the Himalayan foothills through mainland Southeast Asia into China, and has been classified as vulnerable in 2008 by IUCN...
, red panda
Red Panda
The red panda , is a small arboreal mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It is the only species of the genus Ailurus. Slightly larger than a domestic cat, it has reddish-brown fur, a long, shaggy tail, and a waddling gait due to its shorter front legs...
, Asian small-clawed otters and 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...
, as well as the nation’s largest zoological collection of orangutan
Orangutan
Orangutans are the only exclusively Asian genus of extant great ape. The largest living arboreal animals, they have proportionally longer arms than the other, more terrestrial, great apes. They are among the most intelligent primates and use a variety of sophisticated tools, also making sleeping...
s. Zoo Atlanta’s Director of Animal Programs has served as the Chair of the Orangutan Species Survival Plan since 1991.
The Orangutan Learning Tree Project, launched at Zoo Atlanta in 2007, utilizes in-habitat touch screen technology to allow orangutans to engage in computer puzzles, games and problem-solving exercises while guests observe their activities on a linked monitor.
The World of Reptiles
Zoo Atlanta’s Herpetology Department is one of the largest and most diverse in North America, with over 450 reptiles and amphibians representing more than 115 species. The Zoo is the only zoological institution to successfully breed Arakan forest turtleArakan Forest Turtle
The Arakan forest turtle is an extremely rare turtle species which lives only in the Arakan hills of western Myanmar....
s, a critically endangered species harvested nearly to extinction for food and traditional medicine.
World of Reptiles highlights include Guatemalan beaded lizards, black mamba
Black mamba
The black mamba , also called the common black mamba or black-mouthed mamba, is the longest venomous snake in Africa, averaging around in length, and sometimes growing to lengths of...
, king cobra
King Cobra
The king cobra is the world's longest venomous snake, with a length up to 5.6 m . This species, which preys chiefly on other snakes, is found predominantly in forests from India through Southeast Asia to the Philippines and Indonesia...
, reticulated python
Reticulated Python
Python reticulatus, also known as the reticulated python is a species of python found in Southeast Asia. Adults can grow to over 8.7 m in length but normally grow to an average of 3-6 m . They are the world's longest snakes and longest reptile, but are not the most heavily built...
and greater siren
Greater Siren
The greater siren is an eel-like amphibian. The largest of the Sirens, they can grow from to in length. They range in color from black to brown, and have a lighter gray or yellow underbelly....
, among hundreds of snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s, turtle
Turtle
Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield...
s, tortoise
Tortoise
Tortoises are a family of land-dwelling reptiles of the order of turtles . Like their marine cousins, the sea turtles, tortoises are shielded from predators by a shell. The top part of the shell is the carapace, the underside is the plastron, and the two are connected by the bridge. The tortoise...
s, lizard
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
s, frog
Frog
Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
s, toad
Toad
A toad is any of a number of species of amphibians in the order Anura characterized by dry, leathery skin , short legs, and snoat-like parotoid glands...
s and salamander
Salamander
Salamander is a common name of approximately 500 species of amphibians. They are typically characterized by a superficially lizard-like appearance, with their slender bodies, short noses, and long tails. All known fossils and extinct species fall under the order Caudata, while sometimes the extant...
s from around the world. Other points of interest include an amphibian wall presenting poison dart frog
Poison dart frog
Poison dart frog is the common name of a group of frogs in the family Dendrobatidae which are native to Central and South America. These species are diurnal and often have brightly-colored bodies...
s in simulated mini-rainforests, as well as an extensive collection of native Georgia species, including American alligator
American Alligator
The American alligator , sometimes referred to colloquially as a gator, is a reptile endemic only to the Southeastern United States. It is one of the two living species of alligator, in the genus Alligator, within the family Alligatoridae...
, alligator snapping turtle
Alligator Snapping Turtle
The alligator snapping turtle is one of the largest freshwater turtles in the world. It is not closely related to, but is often associated with the common snapping turtle. They are the sole living member of the genus Macrochelys--while common snappers are in the genus Chelydra...
, eastern diamond-backed rattlesnake and gopher tortoise.
The World of Reptiles is the zoo's oldest public building, designed in the late 1950s and opened to the public in 1962. In 2009, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums noted that "the facility is a major concern primarily because of age," an observation they also made five years previously. The World of Reptiles once housed critically endangered gharial
Gharial
The gharial , , also called Indian gavial or gavial, is the only surviving member of the once well-represented family Gavialidae, a long-established group of crocodilians with long, slender snouts...
(a species of crocodile from India), but because the aging facility could not maintain adequate heat, they were sent to other zoos.
The Orkin Children’s Zoo
Outback Station centers on Australian wildlife: red kangaroos, kookaburras, Major Mitchell’s cockatoos and southern cassowaryCassowary
The cassowaries are ratites, very large flightless birds in the genus Casuarius native to the tropical forests of New Guinea, nearby islands and northeastern Australia. There are three extant species recognized today...
. The Outback Station Petting Zoo, designed to resemble an Australian sheep outpost, offers hands-on encounters with Kunekune pigs, Gulf Coast sheep and Boer
Boer goat
The Boer goat was developed inSouth Africa in the early 1900s for meat production. Their name is derived from the Dutch word "Boer" meaning farmer. The Boer goat was probably bred from the indigenous goats of the Namaqua Bushmen and the Fooku tribes, with some crossing of Indian and European...
, Nubian and Nigerian dwarf goats
Nigerian Dwarf (goat)
The Nigerian Dwarf goat is a miniature dairy goat breed of West African ancestry. Originally brought to the United States on ships as food for large cats such as lions, the survivors originally lived in zoos. Nigerian Dwarf goats are popular as hobby goats due to their easy maintenance and small...
.
The Children’s Zoo also features an authentic Georgia wetlands inhabited year-round by an American alligator
American Alligator
The American alligator , sometimes referred to colloquially as a gator, is a reptile endemic only to the Southeastern United States. It is one of the two living species of alligator, in the genus Alligator, within the family Alligatoridae...
and yellow-bellied sliders
Yellow-bellied slider
The yellow-bellied slider is a land and water turtle belonging to the family Emydidae. This subspecies of pond slider is native to the southeastern United States, specifically from Florida to southeastern Virginia, and is the most common turtle species in its range...
, as well as Base Camp Discovery, site of the Zoo’s seasonal 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...
free-ranging program. A new playground opened in KIDZone in 2007.
Naked mole rats
Opened in 2008, the naked mole ratNaked Mole Rat
The naked mole rat , also known as the sand puppy or desert mole rat, is a burrowing rodent native to parts of East Africa and the only species currently classified in the genus Heterocephalus...
habitat invites guests to “crawl into the secret lives of nature’s weirdest underground family.” Designed to simulate subterranean Africa, the experience features close, eye-level views of an active colony of naked mole rats in a network of underground chambers. On an adjacent playground, younger guests are encouraged to “tunnel and play the mole rat way.”
Operations
Zoo Atlanta is open 363 days a year, closing only on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.Guest Services
- The Zoo is fully accessible to disabled guests; wheelchairs and strollers are available for rental.
- Visitor Information Program (VIP) staff and volunteers are available daily to answer guest questions, assist in planning Zoo visits and provide tourist information and details about Atlanta hotels, restaurants and attractions. Keeper Talks, Animal Q&A and training demonstrations take place regularly on grounds.
Wildlife Shows
- Zoo Atlanta’s Wildlife Theater hosts a popular free-flighted bird show, Saturdays and Sundays in fall and winter and daily (excepting Monday) between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
- The Amy’s Tree Theater features an up-close-and-personal look at many of the Zoo’s educational ambassadors in an educational and entertaining program centered on animal enrichment training. The Amy’s Tree show also runs daily between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and on weekends in fall and winter.
Rides and Play
New playgrounds are located in the KIDZone and at the naked mole rat habitat. Other rides and attractions include the Nabisco Endangered Species Carousel, Georgia Natural Gas Blue Flame Express Zoo Train, Rock Climber and Wild Like Me, an indoor educational play area designed to connect children with animal growth and behavior.Shopping and Dining
Wild Planet Café offers sandwiches, wraps, gourmet salads, combo baskets and children’s menus. Additional lunch and snack options, Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs, Willie B.’s, Flamingo Joe’s and Dippin’ Dots, are located throughout the Zoo. Shoppers may browse souvenirs, toys, games, clothing, books and collectibles at the Zoo Atlanta Trading Company and Pandamonium.Conservation
Zoo Atlanta is an active participant in the AZA Species Survival PlanSpecies Survival Plan
The American Species Survival Plan or SSP program was developed in 1981 by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to help ensure the survival of selected species in zoos and aquariums, most of which are threatened or endangered in the wild....
. Cooperative involvement in Species Survival Plans helps to ensure the health, genetic diversity and demographic sustainability of future animal generations.
The Zoo currently contributes to the following individual Species Survival Plans:
- Aruba Island rattlesnake
- Bali mynahBali StarlingThe Bali Starling , also known as Rothschild’s Mynah, Bali Myna, or Bali Mynah, locally known as Jalak Bali, is a medium-sized , stocky myna, almost wholly white with a long, drooping crest, and black tips on the wings and tail. The bird has blue bare skin around the eyes, greyish legs and a yellow...
- Black rhinoBlack RhinocerosThe Black Rhinoceros or Hook-lipped Rhinoceros , is a species of rhinoceros, native to the eastern and central areas of Africa including Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroon, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Angola...
- BongoBongo (antelope)The western or lowland bongo, Tragelaphus eurycerus eurycerus, is a herbivorous, mostly nocturnal forest ungulate and among the largest of the African forest antelope species....
- Burmese star tortoiseBurmese Star TortoiseThe Burmese star tortoise is becoming extinct in its native Myanmar . It lives in the dry, deciduous forest, and is eaten both by the native Burmese, and is traded to the Chinese, where it is sometimes found in the food markets. It is on CITES Appendix II, meaning a permit from the country of...
- Clouded leopardClouded LeopardThe clouded leopard is a felid found from the Himalayan foothills through mainland Southeast Asia into China, and has been classified as vulnerable in 2008 by IUCN...
- ElephantElephantElephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
- Giant pandaGiant PandaThe giant panda, or panda is a bear native to central-western and south western China. It is easily recognized by its large, distinctive black patches around the eyes, over the ears, and across its round body. Though it belongs to the order Carnivora, the panda's diet is 99% bamboo...
- GorillaGorillaGorillas are the largest extant species of primates. They are ground-dwelling, predominantly herbivorous apes that inhabit the forests of central Africa. Gorillas are divided into two species and either four or five subspecies...
- Golden lion tamarinGolden Lion TamarinThe golden lion tamarin also known as the golden marmoset, is a small New World monkey of the family Callitrichidae...
- GuenonGuenonThe guenons are the genus Cercopithecus of Old World monkeys. Not all the members of this genus have the word "guenon" in their common names, and because of changes in scientific classification, some monkeys in other genera may have common names that do include the word "guenon"...
- Komodo dragonKomodo dragonThe 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...
- Kori bustardKori BustardThe Kori Bustard is a large bird native to Africa. It is a member of the bustard family. It may be the heaviest bird capable of flight....
- LemurLemurLemurs are a clade of strepsirrhine primates endemic to the island of Madagascar. They are named after the lemures of Roman mythology due to the ghostly vocalizations, reflective eyes, and the nocturnal habits of some species...
- LionLionThe 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...
- OrangutanOrangutanOrangutans are the only exclusively Asian genus of extant great ape. The largest living arboreal animals, they have proportionally longer arms than the other, more terrestrial, great apes. They are among the most intelligent primates and use a variety of sophisticated tools, also making sleeping...
- OtterOtterThe Otters are twelve species of semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals....
- Radiated tortoiseAstrochelysAstrochelys is a genus of tortoises in the family Testudinidae. There are two species, both found in Madagascar and both classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.- Species :...
- Red pandaRed PandaThe red panda , is a small arboreal mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It is the only species of the genus Ailurus. Slightly larger than a domestic cat, it has reddish-brown fur, a long, shaggy tail, and a waddling gait due to its shorter front legs...
- Sumatran tigerSumatran TigerThe Sumatran tiger is a tiger subspecies that inhabits the Indonesian island of Sumatra and has been classified as critically endangered by IUCN in 2008 as the population is projected at 176 to 271 mature individuals, with no subpopulation having an effective population size larger than 50...
Zoo Atlanta also participates in several international conservation initiatives, among them the Asian Turtle Crisis and Global Amphibian Decline. Staff members from Zoo Atlanta and the Atlanta Botanical Garden were among the first to respond to the global amphibian extinction crisis by establishing captive assurance colonies of Panamanian frogs threatened by the spread of chytrid fungus. (Chytrid is the cause of the infectious amphibian disease chytridiomycosis.)