Pocatello zoo
Encyclopedia
The Pocatello Zoo is a zoo
in Pocatello, Idaho
, that features animals native to the Intermountain West
and has been open since 1932.
He and his grandfather, William Raymond, the Parks Department director, trapped most of the animals locally.
-Bannock
tribal culture into its program and design. The Zoo itself sits on a natural landscape covering 23 acres (9.3 ha) in Ross Park. For many of the exhibits there is a 40 feet (12.2 m) high lava
cliff as a backdrop. The cliff divides the Zoo into two levels known as Upper and Lower Ross Park.
There is learning and fun for all ages with the Zoo's 900 square feet (83.6 m²) tree house, 30 feet (9.1 m) high tipi, and petting area of barnyard animals. During the school year the Zoo has established the Zoo Outreach Program, where employees bring a "piece of the Zoo" into the classrooms of 3,000 school children each year. An additional 3,000 students visit the Zoo on field trips in April and May alone. The Pocatello Zoo also has Spring and Summer programs and camps. The Zoo holds these educational and entertaining events in the outdoor classroom called the Tall Tales Tent.
Animal History: One female, Stripes, and one male, Charley. Stripes was born at a zoo in Columbus, Ohio
in 1989. She came to the Pocatello Zoo in 1991.
Charley was born in Alaska
in 1975 and was believed to be an orphaned cub. He has lived at the zoo since 1978. His teeth are bad because years ago, visitors fed him junk food. He is gentle compared to Stripes.
Natural Habitat: Forest and mountain areas of western North America.
Diet in the Wild: Grizzly bears are omnivores and eat berries, roots, insects, rodents, fruits, seeds, leaves, bark, deer, young elk, etc.
Diet at the zoo: Main diet - dry dog food
Special treats – apples, carrots, fish, honey, beef or elk bones, lettuce, etc.
Physical Adaptations: Long claws help them dig. Grizzlies have a great sense of smell but their sight and hearing are not especially good.
Behaviors Fun Facts: Grizzlies do not hibernate but do enter a deeper sleep than usual in winter. Long claws make it very difficult for adult grizzlies to climb trees.
You can tell a grizzly
from other bears by its shoulder hump.
Animal History: Two Females - Dakota and Lacy. Both were born on a fur farm in May 1994. Dakota is more active and social than Lacy.
Natural Habitat: Forests; in Idaho
, cedar-hemlock and Douglas fir forests
Diet in the Wild: Canada lynx
are carnivores. They prefer snowshoe hare and rabbits but also eat ruffed grouse
, squirrels, rodents and ptarmigan.
Diet at the Zoo: Main Diet - "Feline Meat" (food specially packaged for zoos - includes ground- up horsemeat, vitamins and minerals) and rats
Special treats – rabbit and chicken
Physical Very large paws allow lynx to run on top of the snow.
Adaptations: Sharp, retractable claws help them move quietly and catch prey.
Behaviors: Lynx live by themselves and are active at night (nocturnal).
They live in hollow logs or in hollows beneath the roots of trees.
Fun Facts: Unlike bobcats, Canada lynx
have large tufted ears, a black-tipped tail and unspotted legs.
Unlike domestic cats, lynx will go into water if necessary.
regulations. Also, there are no permanent restrooms or food services. The most popular exhibit, the Grizzlies, is also the most criticized exhibit.
The Zoo's 15 year plan estimates a cost of $15–$20 million. The total of Phase One will cost $2.5 million. 'Charlies' Place' will be a minimum of $1.9 million. The rest will go to the walkways, entrance, restrooms, gift shop, patio and a snack bar. Proceeds from the snack bar and gift shop will cover operation and maintenance costs associated with new and enhanced exhibits. The new Lynx exhibit is well under way with donations from the community.
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....
in Pocatello, Idaho
Pocatello, Idaho
Pocatello is the county seat and largest city of Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is the principal city of the Pocatello metropolitan area, which encompasses all of Bannock...
, that features animals native to the Intermountain West
Intermountain West
The Intermountain West is a region of North America lying between the Rocky Mountains to the east and the Cascades and Sierra Nevada to the west. It is also called the Intermountain Region.- Topography :...
and has been open since 1932.
History
The Pocatello Zoo opened in 1932. The attractions were a monkey and a raccoon held in two small wire pens. The animals were donated for display by their owner, twelve-year-old John Marshall.He and his grandfather, William Raymond, the Parks Department director, trapped most of the animals locally.
The zoo today
Today the zoo has more than 100 animals representing about 40 different species. "It is one of two zoos in the United States specializing in animals native to the Intermountain West." The Pocatello Zoo is the only zoo to incorporate the ShoshoneShoshone
The Shoshone or Shoshoni are a Native American tribe in the United States with three large divisions: the Northern, the Western and the Eastern....
-Bannock
Bannock (tribe)
The Bannock tribe of the Northern Paiute are an indigenous people of the Great Basin. Their traditional lands include southeastern Oregon, southeastern Idaho, western Wyoming, and southwestern Montana...
tribal culture into its program and design. The Zoo itself sits on a natural landscape covering 23 acres (9.3 ha) in Ross Park. For many of the exhibits there is a 40 feet (12.2 m) high lava
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
cliff as a backdrop. The cliff divides the Zoo into two levels known as Upper and Lower Ross Park.
There is learning and fun for all ages with the Zoo's 900 square feet (83.6 m²) tree house, 30 feet (9.1 m) high tipi, and petting area of barnyard animals. During the school year the Zoo has established the Zoo Outreach Program, where employees bring a "piece of the Zoo" into the classrooms of 3,000 school children each year. An additional 3,000 students visit the Zoo on field trips in April and May alone. The Pocatello Zoo also has Spring and Summer programs and camps. The Zoo holds these educational and entertaining events in the outdoor classroom called the Tall Tales Tent.
Grizzly bear
Ursus horribilisAnimal History: One female, Stripes, and one male, Charley. Stripes was born at a zoo in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
in 1989. She came to the Pocatello Zoo in 1991.
Charley was born in Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
in 1975 and was believed to be an orphaned cub. He has lived at the zoo since 1978. His teeth are bad because years ago, visitors fed him junk food. He is gentle compared to Stripes.
Natural Habitat: Forest and mountain areas of western North America.
Diet in the Wild: Grizzly bears are omnivores and eat berries, roots, insects, rodents, fruits, seeds, leaves, bark, deer, young elk, etc.
Diet at the zoo: Main diet - dry dog food
Special treats – apples, carrots, fish, honey, beef or elk bones, lettuce, etc.
Physical Adaptations: Long claws help them dig. Grizzlies have a great sense of smell but their sight and hearing are not especially good.
Behaviors Fun Facts: Grizzlies do not hibernate but do enter a deeper sleep than usual in winter. Long claws make it very difficult for adult grizzlies to climb trees.
You can tell a grizzly
Grizzly
Grizzly may refer to:* Grizzly bear , a North American bear* Grizzly , a Marvel Comics character* Grizzly , a novel in Gary Paulsen's World of Adventure series...
from other bears by its shoulder hump.
Canada lynx
Lynx canadensisAnimal History: Two Females - Dakota and Lacy. Both were born on a fur farm in May 1994. Dakota is more active and social than Lacy.
Natural Habitat: Forests; in Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, cedar-hemlock and Douglas fir forests
Diet in the Wild: Canada lynx
Canada Lynx
The Canada lynx or Canadian lynx is a North American mammal of the cat family, Felidae. It is a close relative of the Eurasian Lynx . Some authorities regard both as conspecific. However, in some characteristics the Canada lynx is more like the bobcat than the Eurasian Lynx...
are carnivores. They prefer snowshoe hare and rabbits but also eat ruffed grouse
Ruffed Grouse
The Ruffed Grouse is a medium-sized grouse occurring in forests from the Appalachian Mountains across Canada to Alaska. It is non-migratory.The Ruffed Grouse is frequently referred to as a "partridge"...
, squirrels, rodents and ptarmigan.
Diet at the Zoo: Main Diet - "Feline Meat" (food specially packaged for zoos - includes ground- up horsemeat, vitamins and minerals) and rats
Special treats – rabbit and chicken
Physical Very large paws allow lynx to run on top of the snow.
Adaptations: Sharp, retractable claws help them move quietly and catch prey.
Behaviors: Lynx live by themselves and are active at night (nocturnal).
They live in hollow logs or in hollows beneath the roots of trees.
Fun Facts: Unlike bobcats, Canada lynx
Canada Lynx
The Canada lynx or Canadian lynx is a North American mammal of the cat family, Felidae. It is a close relative of the Eurasian Lynx . Some authorities regard both as conspecific. However, in some characteristics the Canada lynx is more like the bobcat than the Eurasian Lynx...
have large tufted ears, a black-tipped tail and unspotted legs.
Unlike domestic cats, lynx will go into water if necessary.
Future
Visitor walkways are steep, some not meeting ADAAmericans with Disabilities Act of 1990
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is a law that was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1990. It was signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H. W. Bush, and later amended with changes effective January 1, 2009....
regulations. Also, there are no permanent restrooms or food services. The most popular exhibit, the Grizzlies, is also the most criticized exhibit.
The Zoo's 15 year plan estimates a cost of $15–$20 million. The total of Phase One will cost $2.5 million. 'Charlies' Place' will be a minimum of $1.9 million. The rest will go to the walkways, entrance, restrooms, gift shop, patio and a snack bar. Proceeds from the snack bar and gift shop will cover operation and maintenance costs associated with new and enhanced exhibits. The new Lynx exhibit is well under way with donations from the community.
| A. | Grizzly Exhibit | $ 1,234,000 |
| B. | Pedestrian Walkways, Landscaping and Graphics | $ 92,525 |
| C. | Perimeter Fence | $ 44,825 |
| D. | Utilities | $ 91,650 |
| E. | Design and Contingency | $ 390,000 |
| F. | ADA Accessibility Compliance | $ 100,000 |
| G. | Entrance, Restrooms, Snack Bar, Gift Shop | $ 220,000 |
| H. | Accreditation - American Zoo and Aquarium Association | $ 75,000 |
| I. | Education Animal Holding | $ 25,000 |
| J. | Campaign Expenses (estimated at 10%) | $ 227,000 |
| Total - Priority 1 | $ 2,500,000 |