Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden

Mesker Park Zoo
Mesker Park Zoo logo
Zoo entrance
Date opened 1928[1]
Location Evansville, Indiana, United states
Coordinates 37°59′50″N 87°36′06″W / 37.9971°N 87.6016°W / 37.9971; -87.6016Coordinates: 37°59′50″N 87°36′06″W / 37.9971°N 87.6016°W / 37.9971; -87.6016
Land area 50 acres (20 ha)[1]
No. of animals 700+[1]
No. of species 200
Memberships AZA[2]
Major exhibits African Rift, African Panorama, Amazonia, Australia, North America, and South America.
Website www.meskerparkzoo.com

The Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden is a zoo that opened in 1928 in Evansville, Indiana, United States.

The Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

History

The zoo was founded in 1928 by Gilmour Haynie and other business leaders. Karl Kae Knecht, a local cartoonist for the Evansville Courier & Press, helped popularize the idea of a zoo. It initially opened with two lion cubs, some antelope, and an elephant.[3]

In 2008 the zoo finished a major expansion including the $15 million tropical rainforest exhibit and a new entry complex.[4] The new exhibit was credited with drawing more than 38,000 visitors in its first month.[5] One of two existing lakes in the zoo was filled in to make the exhibit, which added more than 150 animals to the zoo.[6]

In 2017, the zoo added Engelbrecht Carousel with a bird aviary planned to be built when funding is available. A carousel used to be at the zoo The total cost for this project is $3 million.[7]

Currently in the design stage as of 2018, is a new outdoor penguin exhibit.[7][8] Additionally, the zoo plans to revamp the African Rift area when funding becomes available.[7]

Exhibits

The new Amazonia rainforest exhibit opened to the public in 2008.

Mesker Park was one of the first zoos in the United States to use a moat system to display animals in more natural exhibits.[3]

A waterfall from the Amazonia exhibit.

Amazonia

Amazonia is a rainforest exhibit that opened in 2008. The exhibit added more than 150 animals to the zoo including jaguars, Baird's tapir, capybaras, keel-billed toucans, macaws, bats, iguanas, howler monkeys, squirrel monkeys, and yellow-spotted river turtles.

North America

North America includes a large gray wolf enclosure, as well as prairie dogs, bobcats, and bald eagles.[9]

Tropic America

Tropic America includes reproductions of the South American Pantanal swamp and Lake Titicaca. Animals in this area include the rhea, llamas, and black swans.[9][10]

Discovery Center

Discovery Center is an indoor exhibit that is home to Francois' langur, red pandas, cotton-top tamarin, binturong, clouded leopard, serval, northern pied hornbill, hyacinth macaw, and frogs.[9]

Lemur Forest

Lemur Forest was opened in 1999 to house the zoo's lemurs.[11]

A giraffe from the African Rift exhibit.

African Rift

The African Rift exhibit includes reticulated giraffes, Grant's zebras, sitatunga, and white storks in a large open area.[9] In July 2018, the zoo welcomed a new 10-month old giraffe named Clementine.[12]

Kley Building

The Kley Building houses a nocturnal exhibit, animals you would find in a mangrove swamp, a reptile exhibit including rhinoceros iguana and Aldabra tortoise, tropical birds, and the zoo's Indian rhinoceros.[9] It was once home to the world's oldest living hippopotamus in captivity, Donna, who died at the age of 60 in 2012. Donna was euthanized in 2012, because of her failing health.[13]

Asia & Australia

This area reproduces habitats for Asian and Australian animals. It includes the outdoor exhibits for the zoo's Indian rhinoceros, as well as kaziranga, Bactrian camels, sarus crane, barasingha, lions, tigers, Przewalski's horses, wallabys, and emus.[9]

Children's Enchanted Forest

This exhibit is a children's petting zoo that was originally in 1975, and has been renovated and renamed "Children's Enchanted Forest." This area still includes a contact area, and is home to otters and colobus monkeys.[9] The Engelbrecht Carousel is in this section.[7]

Lake Victoria

Lake Victoria is home to water birds and turtles. Visitors can walk all the way around this lake, or rent paddle boats to go out on the lake. This is the largest lake in the zoo, and is the feature around which the zoo was built.[9]

African Panorama

African Panorama is a large open set of enclosures with overlooks for visitors. It is designed to look like the African savanna, and includes klipspringers, cheetahs, Abyssinian ground-hornbills, ostriches, and kudu.[9][10]

Conservation

The zoo has had some success in breeding the rare Francois' langur. The zoo received two females, Liang and Sai, in November 2003 from the San Diego Zoo. Each gave birth to a son in August 2006. The father came from the Cincinnati Zoo in December 2005. In February 2008 Liang gave birth to a female.[14]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Gardens". meskerparkzoo.com. Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
  2. ↑ "List of Accredited Zoos and Aquariums". aza.org. Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
  3. 1 2 "The Beginnings of Evansville's Mesker Park Zoo". The Boneyard. Retrieved 2006-12-24.
  4. ↑ "Amazonia opens with a roar". Evansville Courier & Press. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  5. ↑ "Amazonia helps zoo draw more than 38,000 visitors in exhibit's first month". Evansville Courier & Press. Retrieved 2008-10-14.
  6. ↑ "It'll be a jungle out there". Evansville Courier & Press. Retrieved 2006-12-24.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Mesker Park Zoo Holds Soft Opening for Carousel - 44News | Evansville, IN". 44News | Evansville, IN. 2017-06-24. Retrieved 2018-09-11.
  8. ↑ "Evansville 2019 City Budget Proposals - 44News | Evansville, IN". 44News | Evansville, IN. 2018-08-27. Retrieved 2018-09-11.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Gardens" (PDF). meskerparkzoo.com. Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Gardens. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
  10. 1 2 "Tour the Zoo". meskerparkzoo.com. Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Gardens. Archived from the original on 30 January 2011. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
  11. ↑ "Zoo History". meskerparkzoo.com. Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Gardens. Archived from the original on 30 January 2011. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
  12. ↑ "Meet Clementine: Mesker Park Zoo's Newest Addition - 44News | Evansville, IN". 44News | Evansville, IN. 2018-07-28. Retrieved 2018-09-11.
  13. ↑ Jessica Wray. "Zoo officials: Donna the hippo will be euthanized Wednesday". Evansville Courier & Press. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
  14. ↑ "New Zoo Arrival". Evansville Courier & Press. Retrieved 2008-10-14.

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