Akron Zoo
Encyclopedia
The Akron Zoo is a 50 acres (20.2 ha) non-profit zoo
located just west of downtown in Akron, Ohio
, United States
.
The Akron Zoo is home to over 700 animals representing over 90 different species and it has over 1 million visitors annually. The animal exhibits are divided into six different themed areas containing animals from different regions of the world. The zoo is the most visited attraction in Summit County
and rated in the top 10% of all zoos and aquariums in the United States.
The Akron Zoo is one of 218 accredited world conservation zoos by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). As an AZA member, Akron Zoo participates in breeding programs to save endangered species.
Ten new exhibits were opened in 1954, and one more, the Merry Miller, in 1955. With the sponsorship of the Yusef-Khan Grotto, admission was free to all mentally challenged, handicapped, and underprivileged children.
In 1979, the Zoo changed its name to the Akron Zoological Park, and the City of Akron turned over governance of the Zoo to the Board of Trustees. The City of Akron retained ownership of the land, and non-profit Akron Zoo now owned all of the zoo’s contents. The zoo adopted a new theme of "North and South American Animals" to provide a stable base for education and conservation goals.
The Akron Zoo made nearly $500,000 in capital improvements between 1985 and 1988. Special events such as Holiday Lights and Boo at the Zoo bolstered the Zoo’s annual attendance with 1988 drawing 133,000 guests breaking the 1957 attendance record of 128,344 visitors. As the decade closed, the Akron Zoological Park was accredited by the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums, recognizing the Akron Zoo’s professional stature among accredited zoos and aquariums nationwide.
In May, 2005 the zoo opened their largest expansion in their history, Legends of the Wild. This area features 16 animal exhibits, over 20 animal species and over 400 total animals, including snow leopards, jaguars, lemurs, bats and many more.
On October 1, 2005, the Akron Zoo unveiled Komodo Kingdom Education Center, featuring Komodo dragons, Galapagos tortoises and Chinese alligators. Certification by Leaders in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is pending. The zoo utilized current green technology for heating and cooling and the building was built using many earth-friendly materials.
In 2009 the Akron Zoo announced plans to open a Conservation Carousel in 2010 with a couple of dozens rare and endangered species at the top of the zoo by the Zoo Gardens.
The Legends of the Wild is the Akron Zoo's largest exhibit. It includes a 25-foot waterfall and 16 animal exhibits. The displays in Legends of the Wild’s exhibit are the snow leopard
, jaguars, lemurs and a sanctuary for straw colored bats, short tailed bats, and Rodrigues fruit bats.
The Komodo Kingdom is an indoor Exhibit featuring a Komodo dragon
, Galápagos tortoise
s, golden lion tamarins
and stingray
s.
Jellies Rhythm in the Blue exhibit features seven species of jellyfish along with an interactive touch tank.
Penguin Point is home to 18 endangered Humboldt penguin
s.
Farmland, Wild Prairie and Lehner Family Zoo Gardens are home to Sheep, African pygmy goat
s, and other domesticated animals are displayed in this interactive farmland exhibit.
Tiger Valley shows African lions
, Sumatran tigers
, sloth bears
, and red pandas
.
The Venezuelan Waterfowl Foundation is active internationally and it was formed as a result of the staff’s efforts in working with conservationists in Venezuela and other accredited institutions within the zoo community. The Foundation focuses on the conservation of the Andean river systems and is researching the illusive torrent duck.
The Butterfly Conservation Initiative is a partnership of Akron Zoo partnered and the other Ohio Zoos, The Wilds, and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) to help create a butterfly habitat at The Wilds. 10 acres (4 ha) of open grassland and meadow habitat were planted, creating a suitable site to support a variety of resident and migrant butterfly species.
The Akron Zoo has participated in the Audubon Christmas Bird Census, which is coordinated by the National Audubon Society
to document wintering bird populations across the United States. In 2003, participants from the Akron Zoo donated 18.5 hours for the census. The volunteers observed a total of 28 species, and counted 2,568 individual birds.
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
located just west of downtown in Akron, Ohio
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The Akron Zoo is home to over 700 animals representing over 90 different species and it has over 1 million visitors annually. The animal exhibits are divided into six different themed areas containing animals from different regions of the world. The zoo is the most visited attraction in Summit County
Summit County, Ohio
Summit County is an urban county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population was 542,899. In the 2010 Census the population was 541,781. Its county seat is Akron...
and rated in the top 10% of all zoos and aquariums in the United States.
The Akron Zoo is one of 218 accredited world conservation zoos by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). As an AZA member, Akron Zoo participates in breeding programs to save endangered species.
History
In 1900, the 79 acres (32 ha) that is now Perkins Woods Park was donated to Akron by George and Ann Perkins, for "...the sole purpose of devoting the same to the uses of a public park, especially as a place for recreation for children." To this end, the Akron Museum of Natural History was incorporated in 1950, and the Akron Children’s Zoo was opened in 1953 in association with the Museum. The children's zoo illustrated Mother Goose rhymes with live animal exhibits.Ten new exhibits were opened in 1954, and one more, the Merry Miller, in 1955. With the sponsorship of the Yusef-Khan Grotto, admission was free to all mentally challenged, handicapped, and underprivileged children.
In 1979, the Zoo changed its name to the Akron Zoological Park, and the City of Akron turned over governance of the Zoo to the Board of Trustees. The City of Akron retained ownership of the land, and non-profit Akron Zoo now owned all of the zoo’s contents. The zoo adopted a new theme of "North and South American Animals" to provide a stable base for education and conservation goals.
The Akron Zoo made nearly $500,000 in capital improvements between 1985 and 1988. Special events such as Holiday Lights and Boo at the Zoo bolstered the Zoo’s annual attendance with 1988 drawing 133,000 guests breaking the 1957 attendance record of 128,344 visitors. As the decade closed, the Akron Zoological Park was accredited by the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums, recognizing the Akron Zoo’s professional stature among accredited zoos and aquariums nationwide.
In May, 2005 the zoo opened their largest expansion in their history, Legends of the Wild. This area features 16 animal exhibits, over 20 animal species and over 400 total animals, including snow leopards, jaguars, lemurs, bats and many more.
On October 1, 2005, the Akron Zoo unveiled Komodo Kingdom Education Center, featuring Komodo dragons, Galapagos tortoises and Chinese alligators. Certification by Leaders in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is pending. The zoo utilized current green technology for heating and cooling and the building was built using many earth-friendly materials.
In 2009 the Akron Zoo announced plans to open a Conservation Carousel in 2010 with a couple of dozens rare and endangered species at the top of the zoo by the Zoo Gardens.
Attractions and regions
The zoo has six themed areas of the park that are molded after specific regions on the globe.The Legends of the Wild is the Akron Zoo's largest exhibit. It includes a 25-foot waterfall and 16 animal exhibits. The displays in Legends of the Wild’s exhibit are the snow leopard
Snow Leopard
The snow leopard is a moderately large cat native to the mountain ranges of South Asia and Central Asia...
, jaguars, lemurs and a sanctuary for straw colored bats, short tailed bats, and Rodrigues fruit bats.
The Komodo Kingdom is an indoor Exhibit featuring a 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...
, Galápagos tortoise
Galápagos tortoise
The Galápagos tortoise or Galápagos giant tortoise is the largest living species of tortoise, reaching weights of over and lengths of over . With life spans in the wild of over 100 years, it is one of the longest-lived vertebrates...
s, golden lion tamarins
Golden Lion Tamarin
The golden lion tamarin also known as the golden marmoset, is a small New World monkey of the family Callitrichidae...
and stingray
Stingray
The stingrays are a group of rays, which are cartilaginous fishes related to sharks. They are classified in the suborder Myliobatoidei of the order Myliobatiformes, and consist of eight families: Hexatrygonidae , Plesiobatidae , Urolophidae , Urotrygonidae , Dasyatidae , Potamotrygonidae The...
s.
Jellies Rhythm in the Blue exhibit features seven species of jellyfish along with an interactive touch tank.
Penguin Point is home to 18 endangered Humboldt penguin
Penguin
Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have become flippers...
s.
Farmland, Wild Prairie and Lehner Family Zoo Gardens are home to Sheep, African pygmy goat
Pygmy goat
A pygmy goat is a small breed of domestic goat. Although they produce a very large amount of milk for their size, and can be eaten, pygmy goats are not typically used for milk or meat, unlike larger dairy and meat goat breeds. Pygmy goats tend to be more robust and breed more continually throughout...
s, and other domesticated animals are displayed in this interactive farmland exhibit.
Tiger Valley shows African lions
Lion
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...
, Sumatran tigers
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...
, sloth bears
Sloth Bear
The sloth bear , also known as the labiated bear, is a nocturnal insectivorous species of bear found wild within the Indian subcontinent. The sloth bear evolved from ancestral brown bears during the Pleistocene and shares features found in insect-eating mammals through convergent evolution...
, and red pandas
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...
.
Animal Enrichment Activities
Enrichment activates are commonly used in zoos today. They are characterized as changes in the ordinary that are meant to encourage animals' natural behaviors. Some of the natural behaviors encouraged from enrichment are foraging for food and hiding in nature’s provisions. Zoo keepers occasionally introduce various scents around an animal’s exhibit that are unfamiliar to the animal. Plants and trees are sometimes added or removed to allow for animal to create new hiding places or have more open space. Animals often receive new toys and puzzle feeders in their areas.Volunteers
The Akron Zoo has had a tremendous amount of funding and help through their adult volunteer program. These volunteers, known as Edzoocators, frequently help out with special events, and their biggest fundraiser for the zoo is Boo at the Akron Zoo, which had its 20 year anniversary in 2009. A new addition to the zoo is that of the Jr. Interpreter Teen Program. Started in 2008, the Jr. Interpreters are teen volunteers who spend up to 40 hours each week during the summer to help out around the zoo, particularly at the Touch Tank.Conservation Efforts
The Akron Zoo is involved in several conservation projects that focus in restoration, preservation and reintroduction.The Venezuelan Waterfowl Foundation is active internationally and it was formed as a result of the staff’s efforts in working with conservationists in Venezuela and other accredited institutions within the zoo community. The Foundation focuses on the conservation of the Andean river systems and is researching the illusive torrent duck.
The Butterfly Conservation Initiative is a partnership of Akron Zoo partnered and the other Ohio Zoos, The Wilds, and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) to help create a butterfly habitat at The Wilds. 10 acres (4 ha) of open grassland and meadow habitat were planted, creating a suitable site to support a variety of resident and migrant butterfly species.
The Akron Zoo has participated in the Audubon Christmas Bird Census, which is coordinated by the National Audubon Society
National Audubon Society
The National Audubon Society is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation. Incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such organizations in the world and uses science, education and grassroots advocacy to advance its conservation mission...
to document wintering bird populations across the United States. In 2003, participants from the Akron Zoo donated 18.5 hours for the census. The volunteers observed a total of 28 species, and counted 2,568 individual birds.