Baton Rouge Zoo
Encyclopedia
The Baton Rouge Zoo is located 15 minutes North of downtown Baton Rouge, Louisiana
. The Zoo is owned and operated by the Recreation and Park Commission of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana
(BREC), and is home to over 1,800 animals from around the world. The Baton Rouge Zoo has been accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums
since 1977—the first zoo in Louisiana to be accredited.
The zoo is open daily except on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day.
TV personality by the name of "Buckskin" Bill ended his popular children's program in the 1950's and 60's by saying "Baton Rouge needs a zoo." He helped rally the Baton Rouge community into supporting the zoo not only in passing the millage election to fund it but also in running a penny drive that raised money for the zoo's first two elephants (one of which was named Penny). The zoo first opened to the public on Easter Sunday, 1970.
Otter Pond includes a replica of a fishing cabin, from which visitors can see the otters underwater.
Parrot Paradise is a walk-through aviary that lets visitors get close to birds from around the world.
s (SSP), including the Guam rail
, Arabian oryx
, and golden lion tamarin
which have been successfully reintroduced into the wild.
The zoo has various education programs including outreach, reading programs, day camps, classes, teacher workshops, and demonstrations at the zoo. Together these programs reach more than 45,000 children each year. The zoo also works with various departments of the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine when conducting research.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
. The Zoo is owned and operated by the Recreation and Park Commission of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana
East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana
East Baton Rouge Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Baton Rouge, Louisiana's state capital. As of the 2010 census, the population was 440,171. The parish has a total area of , of which is land and is water. It is the most populous parish in the state...
(BREC), and is home to over 1,800 animals from around the world. The Baton Rouge Zoo has been accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums
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...
since 1977—the first zoo in Louisiana to be accredited.
The zoo is open daily except on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day.
History
A local WAFBWAFB
WAFB is the CBS-affiliated television station for Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 9 from a transmitter southwest of Arlington. Owned by Raycom Media, WAFB is sister to Class A MyNetworkTV affiliate WBXH-CA. The two share studios on Government...
TV personality by the name of "Buckskin" Bill ended his popular children's program in the 1950's and 60's by saying "Baton Rouge needs a zoo." He helped rally the Baton Rouge community into supporting the zoo not only in passing the millage election to fund it but also in running a penny drive that raised money for the zoo's first two elephants (one of which was named Penny). The zoo first opened to the public on Easter Sunday, 1970.
Exhibits
Elephant Oasis includes a shaded area for visitors to watch and learn about the zoos two Asian elephants. Since the original penny drive that helped raise money for the zoo's first elephants, the zoo has had a total of 13 Elephants in residence, most of which are now at other zoos.Otter Pond includes a replica of a fishing cabin, from which visitors can see the otters underwater.
Parrot Paradise is a walk-through aviary that lets visitors get close to birds from around the world.
Conservation and Education
The zoo participates in more than 30 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....
s (SSP), including the Guam rail
Guam Rail
The Guam Rail, Gallirallus owstoni, is a flightless bird, endemic to Guam. The Guam Rail, which is locally known as the Ko'ko' in Chamorro, disappeared from southern Guam in the early 1970s and was extirpated from the entire island by the late 1980s...
, Arabian oryx
Arabian Oryx
The Arabian Oryx or White Oryx is a medium sized antelope with a distinct shoulder hump, long straight horns, and a tufted tail. It is a bovid, and the smallest member of Oryx genus, native to desert and steppe areas of the Arabian peninsula...
, and 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...
which have been successfully reintroduced into the wild.
The zoo has various education programs including outreach, reading programs, day camps, classes, teacher workshops, and demonstrations at the zoo. Together these programs reach more than 45,000 children each year. The zoo also works with various departments of the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine when conducting research.