Animals at the St. Louis Zoo HISTORY ENTRANCE

The History of the Zoo

The St. Louis Zoo came to life as a result of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in 1904. The first exhibit was a giant elliptical bird cage that was created for the 1904 World’s Fair. By 1910, the St. Louis Zoological Society was formed. In 1913, the City of St. Louis set aside 77 acres of Forest Park for the formation of a full-scale zoological park. State legislation deemed that the zoo would never charge an admission price, letting millions of people each year enjoy the exhibits for free. Over time the zoo grew by adding:

•1921 – Bear Pits, Primate House, and Reptile House

•1930 – Bird House, Giant Pandas, and gorillas

•1972 – Big Cat Country

•1983 – Jungle of the Apes

•1989 – Living World

•1998 – New Children’s Zoo

•2000 – River’s Edge, Insectarium

•2003 – Penguin and Puffin Coast

The St. Louis Zoo continues to make improvements to its exhibits while it maintains the the historical quality of those that have been there for years.

Information obtained from the St. Louis Zoo website: www.stlzoo.org

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A Look Inside the Zoo…The zoo currently has over 9000 animals from over 800 different species.

Click on a picture below to see some of the animals that live in these areas.

Sea Lions

Bird Garden

Children’s Zoo

Insectarium

Reptile House

Primate House

Penguins, Puffins, Bears,

and Apes

River’s Edge

Big Cats and Hoofed Animals

Sea Lion Feeding

At the bottom of Historic Hill in the very center of the zoo, the sea lions entertain guests when they are fed three times each day.

The Bird Garden

The Bird Garden is located behind the Bird House on Historic Hill. This garden used to consist of four wooden cages built on the back of the bird house allowing a few birds access to the outdoors. In the late 1990’s, this area was updated and expanded to a large area between the Bird House and 1904 Flight Cage. There is a landscaped walking path that winds its way through many outdoor cages. The cages hold many different species of birds, including our nation’s symbol, the bald eagle.

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The Children’s Zoo

The inside part of the Children’s Zoo has some small animal exhibits like the meerkats and

sand foxes. There is also an exhibit of naked mole rats. In the center, there is a small area where you can pet rabbits and guinea pigs. A large window provides a view of zookeepers

preparing food for the animals.

The outside part of the Children’s Zoo contains a large otter exhibit and a

playground for the children. Some small animals are kept in outside cages,

including lorikeets, which are birds you can feed nectar to. The highlight is an area where you can enter the goat pen

and pet them.

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The Reptile House

The Reptile House, or Herpetarium, on Historic Hill is a beautiful building containing a wide variety of reptiles and amphibians. The caimans and tortoises are some of the largest

creatures found here, along with alligators, crocodiles, pythons, boa constrictors, and large lizards. There are also many species of snakes, lizards, frogs, toads, salamanders and other

interesting creatures.

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Insectarium

The Insectarium provides a view of the insect world

that you wouldn’t otherwise get. The

exhibits are very interactive, showing you variations from common household insects to the

exotic. The main attraction is the butterfly

house. Around 100 different types of

butterflies live in a dome that you can walk

through. It is a beautiful place to see these delicate creatures.

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Primate House

The Primate House sits on Historic Hill and houses the monkeys and lemurs at the zoo. Several of the species also have access to some outside pens on the side of the building. In the center of the building is a more natural habitat that is roofed with a skylight. In this area, some the of the smaller species are allowed to climb and play surrounded by almost invisible

wires for theirs and the guests safety.

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The Wild

Penguins, Puffins, Bears, and Great Apes

In 2003, the zoo’s penguins and puffins received a new home. This exhibit allows very close contact with these amazing animals. If you are there at the right time, you will be able to see the penguins being fed. On a hot day at the zoo, this is the place to be since the temperature in this exhibit is kept at a chilly 45 degrees Fahrenheit! It is obvious that these animals enjoy

their new environment as you will see on the next slide, Penguins 2…

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Penguins 1 Penguins 2 Bears Apes

The penguins enjoy swimming in their new pools.

They are so close you could reach out and touch them.

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Penguins 1 Penguins 2 Bears Apes

The bear pits surround the penguin and puffin exhibit. The bears in this area are spectacled bears, grizzly bears, black bears and polar bears. In all of the bear areas there are trees and rocks to climb, toys to play with, and a pool area for cooling off. The polar bear area’s pool is

cooled for them, especially during the summer months. Even some of the rocks in the exhibit are fakes with cooling systems contained in them.

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Penguins 1 Penguins 2 Bears Apes

The Great Apes area in currently closed and under construction. This area was improved in the 1980’s from areas of huge cages with metal bars to a more natural

habitat. Since that time, the gorillas have had both indoor and outdoor space to roam, but the chimpanzees and orangutans have been limited to indoor quarters. Now, in

2005, all of the apes will have both indoor and outdoor space.

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Penguins 1 Penguins 2 Bears Apes

The River’s Edge

The River’s Edge exhibit was opened in 2000, replacing penned in areas with a more natural habitat for the animals. You wind your way through dense vegetation on a path and encounter

many animals during your travels, including hyenas, rhinos, cheetahs, hippos, warthogs, elephants, and some others. You really feel like you are very close to the animals and get a

better understanding of how they actually live. This area stresses conservation of these animals. On the next slide, River’s Edge 2, you will see some of the largest members of the zoo family…

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River’s Edge 2

The Asian elephants have a large area where they eat, sleep, and even play in a water area that includes a small waterfall.

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River’s Edge 1

Red Rocks

Big Cats and Hoofed Animals

Big Cat Country includes many species of cats, including the ones above: Tigers, Jaguars, Lions, Pumas, and Snow Leopards. Some of the cats are in fenced in

enclosures and others are in large pits. The view of these large predators is intimidating and fascinating at the same time.

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Where Big Cat Country is full of predators, the rest of the Red Rock area is mostly prey. Many species of antelope reside here, but that’s not all. Zebras, camels, ostriches, giraffes,

kangaroos, bantengs, okapi, and many other animals also call this area home. These exhibits are mostly outdoor areas, but there is an antelope house for the animals to escape to when

weather conditions get bad.

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