If you've been around me for any length of time, you've probably heard me blabbing about how I work at the zoo, or about how much I love the zoo, or just something about the zoo in general. I just really, really, really love the Audubon Zoo! I've probably been to it about 80 times in my entire life, and I still haven't gotten tired of it. It's an awesome place to spend a day with friends, but also has a lot of history to it.
The Audubon Zoo was originally just a part of the neighboring Audubon Park. In 1884, however, the World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition ("World's Fair") came to New Orleans, impelling the city to take ownership of this land. The fair was very popular with residents, and displayed many exotic animals and plants from all over the world that many people had never seen before. The fair brought interest in Audubon Park and a possible zoo. This interest caused the city of New Orleans to hire John Charles Olmsted to design the Park; Olmsted's family firm was credited with designing New York's Central Park. In 1916, a flight cage of exotic birds was added to the park, sparking demand for a full-scale zoo.
Leaders met these demands by adding primates, mammals, and deer. Eventually, residents of New Orleans wanted to see an elephant. Reportedly, the schoolchildren of New Orleans raised enough money for the city to buy its own elephant. A sea lion pool and aquarium were added soon after, both of which still stand (although the aquarium is no longer functioning) in the current zoo. In 1930, during the Great Depression, the Works Progress Administration took over the zoo, continuing to expand and improve the zoo. One of the things the WPA installed in the zoo was "Monkey Hill", an artificial hill built to show the children of New Orleans what a hill looked like, since they are rare here.
However, in the 1950s, money ran out and public interest in the zoo declined. The zoo became known as an "animal ghetto" with horrific, tiny, concrete block cages and no stimulation for the miserable looking animals. In 1970, the zoo was told to "clean up or close up" by the United States Humane Society. In 1973, Ron Forman, the current president of the Audubon Institute, became the president and spearheaded a movement which turned the direction of the zoo around 180 degrees. The exhibits were renovated to become large and more like the animals' natural environments, the aesthetic quality of the zoo improved vastly, and the zoo once again drew interest from the public. During this time, several new and popular exhibits were added. Ron Forman later created both the Woldenburg Park, the Species Survival Center, the Aquarium, the IMAX Theater, and the Insectarium, all the time improving the zoo with new exhibits such as the Louisiana Swamp, Jaguar Jungle, and expanding the zoo's conservation program to preserve endangered animals.
Today, the zoo is ranked as one of the top zoos in the country. Some of the attractions include the Asian Domain, which is currently undergoing construction and expansion. When finished, the animals in this section will include the highly endangered Amur Leopard, the white tiger Zulu (whose also-white brother Rex recently died from cancer), Sun Bears, a mixed-species Babirusa and Asian Small-Clawed Otter exhibit, an Orangutan exhibit, and a new, huge, state-of-the-art Asian Elephant exhibit for the two female elephants, Jean and Panya.
Some other attractions include Discovery Walk, a walkway where people can encounter and touch animals held by staff, and the Cool Zoo, a water park built for children. In the Primates section, there are Gorillas, Golden Lion Tamarins, Howler Monkeys, Orangutans (until their move to Asian Domain), and many more. In the back of the zoo, there are the original columns and statues from the original collection of animals, including the Sea Lion exhibit, which still holds several female California Sea Lions. There is also a Reptile House, and a "Dinosaur Encounter" designed for children.
In the African Savanna, one can encounter Red River Hogs, several types of antelope, White Rhinoceros (including the oldest living one in captivity), Wildebeest, Ostrich, Zebra, Aldabra Tortoise, and Giraffes (which you can feed!). Also in this section is the famed Monkey Hill, which, although currently closed for repairs, is a popular place for children to play and climb. The petting zoo will also be moved here when the renovations are completed.
Next is the award-winning Louisiana Swamp section. It is very authentic and stays true to the culture of the Louisiana swamp. There is a large lagoon filled with alligators and a black bear exhibit featuring the three bears Eddie, Betsy, and Camille (the latter two named after hurricanes). There is also a Cougar exhibit, North American River Otters, Bobcats, two types of Foxes, and two white Alligators. Immediately after the Swamp is Jaguar Jungle, which has, true to its name, two Jaguars (Yaqui and Ixchel). Also within this section are Spider Monkeys, Giant Anteaters, Sloths, Toucans, and Macaws. The last large section of the zoo is the South American Pampas, which is a long boardwalk overlooking an exhibit filled with Tapirs, Guanacos, Rheas, King Vultures, Capybara, Flamingo, and many types of birds.
The vast array of animals in natural-appearing habitats is what makes the Audubon Zoo so great to me. The animals are typically very active (of course, this depends on the weather) and engaged in their surroundings. The facilities themselves are very good as well; there are several restaurants which serve surprisingly good food, and benches and restrooms are never too far away. The staff is friendly and engaging (at least, I hope we are!).
Overall, I love the Audubon Zoo. It's like a little sanctuary for me, a home away from home. I've spent probably too many hours here, but I can't get enough, and totally recommend this awesome place to everyone.
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