Potawatomi Zoo

Potawatomi Zoo
Entrance
Date opened 1902[1]
Location South Bend, Indiana, United States
Coordinates 41°40′09.59″N 86°13′04.52″W / 41.6693306°N 86.2179222°W / 41.6693306; -86.2179222
Land area 23 acres (9.3 ha)[1]
No. of animals 400[1]
Memberships AZA[2]
Website www.potawatomizoo.org

The Potawatomi Zoo is a 23-acre (9.3 ha) zoo located in South Bend, Indiana, United States. The zoo was formerly run and maintained by the South Bend Parks and Recreation Department, but since January 1, 2014, has been run and maintained by the Potawatomi Zoological Society,[3] while still remaining city owned. Founded in 1902,[4] it is the oldest zoo in Indiana. It features over 400 animals and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.[5] The zoo has over 200,000 visitors each year.

History

The Potawatomi Zoo started as a duck pond in 1902. At that time, it was called the South Bend Zoo. It moved to Wall Street in South Bend and incorporated a herd of deer. The zoo expanded in 1917 with the addition of American bison that were placed on a quarter acre of land in Potawatomi Park. The zoo expanded to 10 acres in 1927. A farm-style barn was built in 1949 to house domestic animals. This barn still stands as part of a petting zoo.[6]

Exhibits

Animals

The Potawatomi Zoo is home to over 400 animals and specialize in large cats, primates and Australian animals.[7] In 2011, the zoo added a North American river otter exhibit that utilizes a green roof, the first of its kind to be used on a municipal building in South Bend.[8] The birth of rare Amur leopard cubs in the summer of 2016 was a big hit. In 2017, it became the first accredited zoo in the state of Indiana to house a pair of okapi, a rare forest-dwelling relative of the common giraffe.

References

  1. 1 2 3 South Bend Parks and Recreation Department
  2. ↑ "Currently Accredited Zoos and Aquariums". aza.org. AZA. Retrieved April 20, 2012.
  3. ↑ http://www.wsbt.com/news/local/zoological-society-to-take-over-management-of-potawatomi-zoo/23520296
  4. ↑ https://potawatomizoo.org/visit-potawatomi-zoo/zoo-history
  5. ↑ "Potawatomi Zoo – Our Mission And History". Archived from the original on 2 March 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  6. ↑ "Potawatomi Zoo – Our Mission And History". Archived from the original on 2 March 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  7. ↑ "Visit South Bend". Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  8. ↑ South Bend On. "Zoo's river otters get first municipal green roof". Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  9. ↑ Gray, Amanda (April 1, 2015). "Potawatomi Zoo's White Bengal euthanized". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
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