Honolulu Zoo
Encyclopedia
The Honolulu Zoo is a 42 acre (17 ha) zoo
located in Queen Kapiolani Park
in Honolulu, Hawaii
, USA
. It is the only zoo in the United States
to be established by grants made by a sovereign monarch
, and is built on part of the 300 acres (121 ha) royal Queen Kapiolani Park
. The Honolulu Zoo now features over 1,230 animals in specially designed habitats.
Over 601,510 people visit the zoo annually. The zoo is administered by the City & County of Honolulu through the Department of Enterprise Services. Its support agency, the Honolulu Zoo Society (HZS), provides fundraising and program services for the zoo.
available for the establishment of a grand public park for the people of his kingdom
. Two hundred subscribers to the king's project formed the Kapiolani Park Association for the purpose of pursuing the mission. In 1877, the marshes, ponds and lagoons in the area were beautified and it was opened as Queen Kapiolani Park in honor of Esther Kapiolani, Queen Consort of Hawaii.
Even as a public park, King Kalākaua continued using the park as a place for his personal collection of exotic birds and horses. The park brought more exotic animals as it staged the Kamehameha Day
celebrations and various carnivals and fairs. In 1896, the City & County of Honolulu assumed control of Queen Kapiolani Park.
In 1914, the City & County of Honolulu appointed Ben Hollinger to be its new Administrator of Parks and Recreation and Queen Kapiolani Park came under his control. Hollinger maintained a fascination with animals and began collecting them to showcase at the park in Waikīkī. The park became home for a monkey
, a honey bear
and several lion
cubs. In 1916, a steamship on its way from Australia
to Canada
pulled into port at Honolulu Harbor
. On board was an African elephant named Daisy. Hollinger pleaded with the City & County of Honolulu to purchase the elephant, which they did. With the acquisition of an elephant, Honolulu officially had a zoo. Daisy entertained visitors at the park until 1933, when Daisy was killed by Honolulu Police Department
officers after trampling her trainer, George Conradt.
, the Honolulu Zoo was almost shut down for lack of finances. Even through the difficulty, it expanded its collection on November 29, 1949 with the purchase of an elephant, a Bactrian camel
, sea lion
s, several bird
species, spider monkey
s and a tortoise
. The Honolulu Zoo continued to operate in disrepair.
, an elephant
, chimpanzee
s and deer
. These donations renewed Honolulu's enthusiasm to revive their zoo. The City & County of Honolulu approved a master plan that determined the boundaries of the present 42 acres (17 ha) site at the north end of Queen Kapiolani Park. The animal collection, increased by purchase, trade and donations, was housed in newly constructed facilities, some of which still provide foundations for newer exhibits. The facility designs were influenced by the exhibits of the San Diego Zoo
in California
. The Honolulu Zoo experienced another revival of enthusiasm in the 1990s as the exhibits were redesigned to feature more natural settings for the animals on display.
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 in Queen Kapiolani Park
Kapiolani Park
Kapiolani Regional Park is the largest and oldest public park in Hawaii, located in Honolulu, Hawaii on the east end of Waikīkī just beyond Kuhio Beach Park and the Waikiki residential neighborhood...
in Honolulu, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is the only zoo in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to be established by grants made by a sovereign monarch
Kingdom of Hawaii
The Kingdom of Hawaii was established during the years 1795 to 1810 with the subjugation of the smaller independent chiefdoms of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lānai, Kauai and Niihau by the chiefdom of Hawaii into one unified government...
, and is built on part of the 300 acres (121 ha) royal Queen Kapiolani Park
Kapiolani Park
Kapiolani Regional Park is the largest and oldest public park in Hawaii, located in Honolulu, Hawaii on the east end of Waikīkī just beyond Kuhio Beach Park and the Waikiki residential neighborhood...
. The Honolulu Zoo now features over 1,230 animals in specially designed habitats.
Over 601,510 people visit the zoo annually. The zoo is administered by the City & County of Honolulu through the Department of Enterprise Services. Its support agency, the Honolulu Zoo Society (HZS), provides fundraising and program services for the zoo.
Queen Kapiolani Park
In 1876, King David Kalākaua made royal lands near the slopes of Diamond HeadDiamond Head, Hawaii
Diamond Head is the name of a volcanic tuff cone on the Hawaiian island of Oahu and known to Hawaiians as Lēahi, most likely from lae 'browridge, promontory' plus ahi 'tuna' because the shape of the ridgeline resembles the shape of a tuna's dorsal fin...
available for the establishment of a grand public park for the people of his kingdom
Kingdom of Hawaii
The Kingdom of Hawaii was established during the years 1795 to 1810 with the subjugation of the smaller independent chiefdoms of Oahu, Maui, Molokai, Lānai, Kauai and Niihau by the chiefdom of Hawaii into one unified government...
. Two hundred subscribers to the king's project formed the Kapiolani Park Association for the purpose of pursuing the mission. In 1877, the marshes, ponds and lagoons in the area were beautified and it was opened as Queen Kapiolani Park in honor of Esther Kapiolani, Queen Consort of Hawaii.
Even as a public park, King Kalākaua continued using the park as a place for his personal collection of exotic birds and horses. The park brought more exotic animals as it staged the Kamehameha Day
Kamehameha Day
Kamehameha Day on June 11 is a public holiday of the state of Hawaii in the United States. It honors Kamehameha the Great, the monarch who first established the unified Kingdom of Hawaii — comprising the Hawaiian Islands of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lānai, Kahoolawe, Maui and...
celebrations and various carnivals and fairs. In 1896, the City & County of Honolulu assumed control of Queen Kapiolani Park.
Ben Hollinger's Animals
Monkey
A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
, a honey bear
Honey bear
Honey bear may refer to:Bear species with light-colored upper-chest fur:* Sun Bear of Southeast Asia* Sloth Bear of Indian subcontinentOther bear species:* American black bear* Kinkajou, native of Latin AmericaInanimate objects:...
and several lion
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...
cubs. In 1916, a steamship on its way from Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
to 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...
pulled into port at Honolulu Harbor
Honolulu Harbor
Honolulu Harbor, also called Kulolia and Ke Awa O Kou, is the principal seaport of Honolulu and the State of Hawaii in the United States. It is from Honolulu Harbor, located on Mamala Bay, that the City & County of Honolulu was developed and urbanized, in an outward fashion, over the course of the...
. On board was an African elephant named Daisy. Hollinger pleaded with the City & County of Honolulu to purchase the elephant, which they did. With the acquisition of an elephant, Honolulu officially had a zoo. Daisy entertained visitors at the park until 1933, when Daisy was killed by Honolulu Police Department
Honolulu Police Department
The Honolulu Police Department is the principal law enforcement agency of the City and County of Honolulu, Hawai'i, headquartered in the Alapa'i Police Headquarters in Honolulu CDP....
officers after trampling her trainer, George Conradt.
Art
Art at the Honolulu Zoo includes:- Hawaiian Porpoises, a 1976 metal, fiberglass and coral sculpture by Ken ShuttKen ShuttKen Shutt is an American sculptor and watercolorist who was born in Long Beach, California. He moved to Hawaii in 1963 and lived there until 1995, when he returned to California in 1995....
- Hippopotami, a 1976 chicken wire, cloth, and Belzonahttp://www.belzona.com resin sculpture by Jack Throp
- Giraffe, a 1959 metal sculpture by Charles W. WatsonCharles W. WatsonCharles W. Watson , also known as Chuck Watson is an American sculptor. His son Mark Watson is also a Hawaii-based sculptor. The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu is among the public collections holding work by Charles Watson...
- Ostrich, a 1960 metal sculpture by Charles W. WatsonCharles W. WatsonCharles W. Watson , also known as Chuck Watson is an American sculptor. His son Mark Watson is also a Hawaii-based sculptor. The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu is among the public collections holding work by Charles Watson...
- Elephant's Child, a 1988 bronze sculpture by Tom Tischler
Great Depression
During the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, the Honolulu Zoo was almost shut down for lack of finances. Even through the difficulty, it expanded its collection on November 29, 1949 with the purchase of an elephant, a Bactrian camel
Bactrian camel
The Bactrian camel is a large, even-toed ungulate native to the steppes of central Asia. It is presently restricted in the wild to remote regions of the Gobi and Taklamakan Deserts of Mongolia and Xinjiang. A small number of wild Bactrian camels still roam the Mangystau Province of southwest...
, sea lion
Sea Lion
Sea lions are pinnipeds characterized by external ear-flaps, long fore-flippers, the ability to walk on all fours, and short thick hair. Together with the fur seal, they comprise the family Otariidae, or eared seals. There are six extant and one extinct species in five genera...
s, several bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
species, 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...
s and a 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...
. The Honolulu Zoo continued to operate in disrepair.
Revival of the Zoo
In 1974, the Honolulu Zoo accepted a donation of a camelCamel
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,...
, an elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
, chimpanzee
Chimpanzee
Chimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:...
s and deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
. These donations renewed Honolulu's enthusiasm to revive their zoo. The City & County of Honolulu approved a master plan that determined the boundaries of the present 42 acres (17 ha) site at the north end of Queen Kapiolani Park. The animal collection, increased by purchase, trade and donations, was housed in newly constructed facilities, some of which still provide foundations for newer exhibits. The facility designs were influenced by the exhibits of the San Diego Zoo
San Diego Zoo
The San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, California, is one of the most progressive zoos in the world, with over 4,000 animals of more than 800 species...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The Honolulu Zoo experienced another revival of enthusiasm in the 1990s as the exhibits were redesigned to feature more natural settings for the animals on display.