Vancouver Game Farm: 1970-95

In the late 1960s, businessman Pat Hines purchased land in Aldergrove, British Columbia

Aldergrove, British Columbia

Aldergrove is a small town within the jurisdiction of the The Township of Langley, a municipality within Greater Vancouver. Located at the southeastern edge of both Langley and Greater Vancouver, and nearby to the metropolitan area of Abbotsford, British Columbia just east, Aldergrove has a...

 for 120 acre (0.4856232 km²) to construct a game farm, which was his dream. At first, Hines registered the business as the World Wide Game Farm Ltd., but on August 20, 1970, the site was opened to the public as the Vancouver Game Farm. The first animal to arrive was a llama

Llama

The llama is a South American camelid, widely used as a meat and pack animal by Andean cultures since pre-Hispanic times....

 named "Dennis", who came from Mount Vernon, Washington

Mount Vernon, Washington

Mount Vernon is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The population was 31,743 at the 2010 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included in the Mount Vernon-Anacortes, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is the county seat of Skagit County...

. Soon after, animals of every size and description began to fill the newly constructed paddocks

Pen (enclosure)

A pen is an enclosure for holding livestock. The term describes multiple types of enclosures that may confine one or many animals. Construction and terminology varies depending on region of the world, purpose, animal species to be confined, local materials used, and cultural tradition...

. Hines operated the game farm with his wife, Ann, other family members, and their employees. Their daughter Eleanor and her husband, Hugh Oakes, eventually took over management of the facility until 1991, when it was sold.

Greater Vancouver Zoological Centre: 1995-99

Under new ownership, the game farm underwent many changes, including a new name. In 1995, it was renamed the Greater Vancouver Zoological Centre, since it is part of the Greater Vancouver

Greater Vancouver

Greater Vancouver is the metropolitan area centred on the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, roughly coterminous with the Greater Vancouver Regional District, which is governed by a body known as Metro Vancouver...

 area rather than being a part of Vancouver

Vancouver

Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

. Improvements included the construction of new animal enclosures, miniature train rides, a picnic park with covered gazebos and barbecue

Barbecue

Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...

s, expanded landscaping, a remodeled entrance, more parking spaces, interpretive and educational programs and activities. In 1998, the "North American Wilds" exhibit opened, providing a narrative safari

Safari park

A safari park, sometimes known as a wildlife park, is a zoo-like commercial tourist attraction where visitors can drive in their own vehicles or ride in vehicles provided by the facility to observe freely roaming animals...

 bus ride for visitors through one area where carnivores like the American black bears

American black bear

The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...

 and Vancouver Island Wolves

Vancouver Island Wolf

The Vancouver Island Wolf is a subspecies of grey wolf, endemic to Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. It is very social with other wolves, and lives in packs of about five to thirty-five. It is an endangered subspecies, very shy, and is rarely seen by humans...

 live together; and travel into another habitat where grazers like the Roosevelt elk

Roosevelt elk

The Roosevelt elk , also known as Olympic elk, is the largest of the four surviving subspecies of elk in North America...

, black-tailed deer

Black-tailed Deer

Two forms of black-tailed deer or blacktail deer occupying coastal temperate rainforest on North America's Pacific coast are subspecies of the mule deer. They have sometimes been treated as a species, but virtually all recent authorities maintain they are subspecies...

 and North American plains bison

Plains Bison

The Plains Bison or Common bison is one of two subspecies/ecotypes of the American Bison, the other being the Wood Bison . Furthermore, it has been suggested that the Plains Bison consists of a northern and a southern subspecies, bringing the total to three...

 roamed. But after four years, there were more changes.

Greater Vancouver Zoo: 1999-present

In 1999, the facility went through another ownership change and was eventually renamed the much simpler Greater Vancouver Zoo. During this period, the zoo (like with most other zoos and aquariums these days) focused more towards conservation

Wildlife conservation

Wildlife conservation is the preservation, protection, or restoration of wildlife and their environment, especially in relation to endangered and vulnerable species. All living non-domesticated animals, even if bred, hatched or born in captivity, are considered wild animals. Wildlife represents all...

 and to building up its educational programs.

In 2000, the Greater Vancouver Zoo joined the Oregon Spotted Frog

Oregon spotted frog

The Oregon spotted frog is a member of the true frogs from the family Ranidae.-Description:The Oregon spotted frog reaches a length of to . Females are slightly larger than males. These frogs range in color from green to reddish-brown and have black spots on the head and back...

 Recovery Program. At the time, the frog was the only species to receive an "emergency listing" as an endangered species in Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. The zoo is currently still involved with this program, releasing frogs into the wild after they are weighed, measured, and tagged. Furthermore, many animals have been rescued over the years and eventually released back into the wild, but some animals like "Shadow", a grizzly bear

Grizzly Bear

The grizzly bear , also known as the silvertip bear, the grizzly, or the North American brown bear, is a subspecies of brown bear that generally lives in the uplands of western North America...

, could not be returned because she had been abandoned as a young cub and was not able to learn the skills needed to survive in the wild. In addition, the majority of the zoo's reptiles, exotic birds, various cat species

Big cat

The term big cat – which is not a biological classification – is used informally to distinguish the larger felid species from smaller ones. One definition of "big cat" includes the four members of the genus Panthera: the tiger, lion, jaguar, and leopard. Members of this genus are the only cats able...

, and many others were taken in for numerous reasons, such as being rescued from the illegal pet trade or after being abandoned as pets.

New educational programs were introduced by the zoo. In 2005, the "Radical Raptor Birds of Prey" show was created, in which eagle

Eagle

Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...

s, owl

Owl

Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...

s, hawk

Hawk

The term hawk can be used in several ways:* In strict usage in Australia and Africa, to mean any of the species in the subfamily Accipitrinae, which comprises the genera Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis and Megatriorchis. The large and widespread Accipiter genus includes goshawks,...

s, and falcon

Falcon

A falcon is any species of raptor in the genus Falco. The genus contains 37 species, widely distributed throughout Europe, Asia, and North America....

s performed free flying presentations at the zoo's amphitheatre. Since then, the zoo has introduced a one week summer camp

Summer camp

Summer camp is a supervised program for children or teenagers conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as campers....

 program for children ages 10-14 to handle and learn about the many birds of prey

Bird of prey

Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh....

 species since 2007. In 2006, the zoo opened ist indoor "Animalasium – Educational Training Centre" to teach the public about conservation and education for animals and their environments

Environment (biophysical)

The biophysical environment is the combined modeling of the physical environment and the biological life forms within the environment, and includes all variables, parameters as well as conditions and modes inside the Earth's biosphere. The biophysical environment can be divided into two categories:...

. In addition, the centre will also be used for various other functions, such as birthday parties, group sessions and guest speaker events. Furthermore, the Zoo offers Educational Walking Tours for school groups that is based on a B.C. Ministry of Education curriculum

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

.

The new owners also completed building new enclosures for the grizzly bear, the Arctic Wolf

Arctic Wolf

The Arctic Wolf , also called Polar Wolf or White Wolf, is a subspecies of the Gray Wolf, a mammal of the family Canidae. Arctic Wolves inhabit the Canadian Arctic, Alaska and the northern parts of Greenland....

, the camel

Camel

A camel is an even-toed ungulate within the genus Camelus, bearing distinctive fatty deposits known as humps on its back. There are two species of camels: the dromedary or Arabian camel has a single hump, and the bactrian has two humps. Dromedaries are native to the dry desert areas of West Asia,...

s, the mountain sheep, and the hippopotamus

Hippopotamus

The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...

, while making improvements to the giraffe

Giraffe

The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...

 enclosure. On August 23, 2008, the zoo introduced a pair of muskox to their new 32000 sq ft (2,972.9 m²) enclosure, which with the Arctic Wolf, Arctic Fox

Arctic fox

The arctic fox , also known as the white fox, polar fox or snow fox, is a small fox native to Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and is common throughout the Arctic tundra biome. The Greek word alopex, means a fox and Vulpes is the Latin version...

, reindeer

Reindeer

The reindeer , also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and one has already gone extinct.Reindeer vary considerably in color and size...

, and Emperor

Emperor Goose

The Emperor Goose is a species of goose. It breeds around the Bering Sea, mostly in Alaska, USA, but also in Kamchatka, Russia...

 and Snow Goose

Snow Goose

The Snow Goose , also known as the Blue Goose, is a North American species of goose. Its name derives from the typically white plumage. The genus of this bird is disputed...

 enclosures, completes their new "Arctic Section" exhibit.

However, many believe that the zoo is not doing enough to improve its facilities, which has caused local organizations to claim that it is abusing animals.

Accusations of cruelty and incidents

In 1997, two reports by Zoocheck Canada and UK veterinarian Samantha Lindley called on
the Greater Vancouver Zoo to improve conditions for the animals it holds, such as rhinoceros

Rhinoceros

Rhinoceros , also known as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to southern Asia....

 and big cats. By 2003, few improvements had been made.

On May 31, 2006, the Crown Counsel of British Columbia laid formal charges against the Greater Vancouver Zoo, in accordance with the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, for failing to provide adequate facilities for a baby hippo acquired in October 2004. This was the first case of a major Canadian zoo being charged with cruelty to animals. However, in January 2007, the case was stayed, as crown counsel believed, with the opening of a new habitat for hippos, that it was no longer in the public interest. This was not seen as vindication for the Greater Vancouver Zoo nor a statement that charges were unjustified. The zoo eventually lost its Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums

Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums

-External links:*...

 accreditation over this incident for two years.

In May, 2008, someone broke into the zoo when it was closed, entered the Spider Monkey

Spider monkey

Spider monkeys of the genus Ateles are New World monkeys in the subfamily Atelinae, family Atelidae. Like other atelines, they are found in tropical forests of Central and South America, from southern Mexico to Brazil...

 enclosure, killed Jocko (the male monkey) and kidnapped Mia (the female monkey). The case is still unsolved and there is currently a $3,000 reward for Mia's safe return.

In June, 2008, the zoo made headlines when Skye, a female Golden Eagle

Golden Eagle

The Golden Eagle is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas...

, was killed by a lioness after landing in the lion enclosure, following a run-in with a group of crows.

Two months after that incident, a four-year-old boy was landed on by a Harris's Hawk

Harris's Hawk

The Harris's Hawk or Harris Hawk formerly known as the Bay-winged Hawk or Dusky Hawk, is a medium-large bird of prey which breeds from the southwestern United States south to Chile and central Argentina...

 when he volunteered in the Radical Raptors Birds of Prey show. According to the zoo's spokesperson, the hawk mistook the boy's head for a perch. However, questions have been raised as to what motivated the bird to leap off the lure and fly towards the boy. After the incident, the zoo removed Harris's Hawks from the bird show and put a stop to audience participation.

On April 20, 2009, it was reported that four 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...

s had died in early March, shortly after two African Buffalo

African Buffalo

The African buffalo, affalo, nyati, Mbogo or Cape buffalo is a large African bovine. It is not closely related to the slightly larger wild Asian water buffalo, but its ancestry remains unclear...

 were introduced to their enclosure. The zoo did not make the incident public at the time. A spokesperson for the Vancouver Humane Society stated that the zebras were between five and 15 years old, and probably died from exertional myopathy

Myopathy

In medicine, a myopathy is a muscular disease in which the muscle fibers do not function for any one of many reasons, resulting in muscular weakness. "Myopathy" simply means muscle disease...

, a muscle disease causing damage to muscle tissues which is caused by physiological changes (often extreme exertion, struggle, or stress). The spokesperson also stated that African Buffalo are extremely dangerous and although the two species co-exist in the wild, they should not have been placed together in an enclosed space. The British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a non-profit animal welfare organization originally founded in England in 1824 to pass laws protecting carriage horses from abuse. SPCA groups are now found in many nations, where they campaign for animal welfare, assist in cruelty to animals...

 has launched an investigation of the incident, while the Vancouver Humane Society will ask the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums

Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums

-External links:*...

to investigate the incident and review the zoo's accreditation. The zoo replaced the dead animals with two new zebras.

External links

Greater Vancouver Zoo