Pana'ewa Rainforest Zoo
Encyclopedia
Panaewa Rainforest Zoo is located in Hilo on the Big Island
of Hawaii
. This small (12 acres (4.9 ha)) zoo is the only one in the United States located in a rainforest. It is operated by Hawaii County
and receives 100% of its funding from the county and from private donations.
The Zoo has more than 60 species of animals on display, and the grounds feature more than 40 different species of plants, flowers, and trees.
The most popular attraction of the Zoo is a male white Bengal Tiger
named Namaste' (named after the traditional namaste
greeting). Bengal tigers come from India
and have been hunted to the brink of extinction, with fewer than 2000 live in the wild. White tigers have not been seen in the wild in over five decades, and the current captive population descend from a number of inbred individuals. Namaste' was born in Las Vegas on September 30, 1998, and arrived in Hilo on April 16, 1999. The Zoo had planned to purchase Namaste' from Dirk Arthur, a magician at the Tropicana Resort & Casino
in Las Vegas, but when Arthur saw the Zoo's 1 acres (4,046.9 m²) tiger enclosure, he donated Namaste' to the Zoo.
Hawaii (island)
The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...
of 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...
. This small (12 acres (4.9 ha)) zoo is the only one in the United States located in a rainforest. It is operated by Hawaii County
Hawaii County, Hawaii
Hawaii County is a county located in the U.S. state of Hawaii in the Hawaiian Islands. It is coterminous with the Island of Hawaii, often called the "Big Island" to distinguish it from the state as a whole. As of the 2010 Census the population was 185,079. The county seat is Hilo. There are no...
and receives 100% of its funding from the county and from private donations.
The Zoo has more than 60 species of animals on display, and the grounds feature more than 40 different species of plants, flowers, and trees.
The most popular attraction of the Zoo is a male white Bengal Tiger
Bengal Tiger
The Bengal tiger is a tiger subspecies native to the Indian subcontinent that in 2010 has been classified as endangered by IUCN...
named Namaste' (named after the traditional namaste
Namaste
Namaste is a common spoken valediction or salutation originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is a customary greeting when individuals meet, and a valediction upon their parting. A non-contact form of salutation is traditionally preferred in India and Namaste is the most common form of such a...
greeting). Bengal tigers come from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and have been hunted to the brink of extinction, with fewer than 2000 live in the wild. White tigers have not been seen in the wild in over five decades, and the current captive population descend from a number of inbred individuals. Namaste' was born in Las Vegas on September 30, 1998, and arrived in Hilo on April 16, 1999. The Zoo had planned to purchase Namaste' from Dirk Arthur, a magician at the Tropicana Resort & Casino
Tropicana Resort & Casino
Tropicana Las Vegas is located on the Las Vegas Strip, in the township of Paradise, Nevada. It is owned by Tropicana Las Vegas Hotel and Resort Inc. and operated by Alex Yemenidjian's Armenco Holdings. It offers 1,658 rooms and is attached to a casino...
in Las Vegas, but when Arthur saw the Zoo's 1 acres (4,046.9 m²) tiger enclosure, he donated Namaste' to the Zoo.