Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden

Overview[]

If you want to see a shorter version of this without the History of the zoo and the exhibits, Timeline, Rhino Conservation, Zoo babies, names of the animals, and every species in every exhibit at the zoo then look here

The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden is the second-oldest zoo in the United States and is located in Cincinnati, Ohio. It opened in 1875, just 14 months after the Philadelphia Zoo on July 1, 1874. The Reptile House is the oldest zoo building in the United States, dating from 1875.

The Cincinnati Zoo is located in the Cincinnati neighborhood of Avondale. It was founded on 65.4 acres in the middle of the city, and since then it has acquired some of the surrounding blocks and several reserves in Cincinnati's outer suburbs. The zoo conducts breeding programs, and was the first to successfully breed California Sea Lions, Trumpeter swans, and an American bison. The zoo also has other breeding programs including Cheetahs, Sumatran rhinoceros, Malayan tigers, Western lowland gorillas, Clouded leopards, Aye-ayes, Malaysian elephants, Pottos, and now Masai giraffes are so much more. The Cincinnati Zoo was the home of Martha, the last living passenger pigeon, which died there in 1914. It was also home to the last living Carolina parakeet in 1918.

EXHIBITS[]

Wildlife Canyon and Sumatran Rhinos[]

Opening as two large yards for Elk and Deer, it was renovated in 1942 as the Deer Line featuring American bison, Sika deer and many more hooved creatures. Then it was renovated again in 1989 as Wildlife Canyon. This area features nine total paddocks including a chance to get a better look at the birds in Eagle Eyrie. Two takins have been born at the zoo since 2006, and two Rover hog litters were born at the zoo in 2008 at the same time(8 hog-lets). The Cincinnati Zoo was the first zoo to exhibit Przewalski's horses in 1905.

Featured animals include:

Sari and Humphrey the Bactrian Camels
Raison and Bellatessa the Przewalski's Horeses
Red River Hog
Sichuan Takin
Capybara
Walter the Warthog
Emu

This exhibit allows guests to feed and touch the Camels and the Cincinnati Zoo is the only zoo in the US that let you feed Bactrian camels for free. The capybara exhibit used to be a Sumatran rhino exhibit but when one of the Sumatran rhinos was stuffed to the museum center in Cincinnati, so they released the other one Harapan back into the wild where he belongs.

Eagle Eyrie[]

This flight cage opened in 1970, it is 72 feet high, 140 feet long, and 50 feet wide, and opened as one of the largest flight cages of it's time, and it contained Bald eagles. The exhibit features an observation deck that is actually inside the flight cage, so nothing can come between the visitor and the raptors.

Featured raptors include:

Andean Condor
Steller's Sea Eagle

Reptile House[]

The oldest American zoo building, the Reptile House was built in 1875 in Turkish style and is a National Historic Landmark. It was one of the Zoo's original buildings that first housed monkeys and other primates including Suzie, the world's first trained gorilla. It is now home to the over 30 reptile species from around the world. This buildings takes guests around in a circle to view animals in top exhibits and bottom exhibits. It is also home to many animals that no other zoo in the country and even the world have. A black rat snake and a Yucatán Neotropical Rattlesnake was born in early 2010. Along with two pancake tortoises that hatched in 2010 and 6 baby Galapagos tortoises that the acquired in 2009. The animals are named in order of how they are exhibited.

Featured herps Include:

Center Exhibit:

Chinese alligator
Red-eared slider
Common snapping turtle

Snakes:

King cobra
Asian Vine Snake
Albino Nelson's Milksnake
Gaboon viper
Rhinoceros Viper
The only Yucatán Neotropical Rattlesnakes on display in North America (Zoo Baby)
Albino California King Snake
Caatinga Lancehead
Brazilian Rainbow Boa
Green Tree Python
Terciopelo
Mexican West Coast Rattlesnake
Black Rat Snake (Zoo Baby)
Angolan Python
Aruba Island Rattlesnake
Eyelash Viper
Jameson's Mamba

Lizards:

Solomon Islands Skink
African fat-tailed gecko
Razo Island Skink
Madagascar Giant Day Gecko
Mexican Beaded Lizard
Reticulated Gila Monster
Blue Tree Monitor
Ornate Monitor

Tortoises:

Pancake tortoise (Zoo Babies)
Galapagos tortoise

Amphibians:

Cave salamander
Gray tree frog
Spring salamander

Major Mitchell's Cockatoo Island: These colorful cockatoos will say "Hello" to visitors on this small island connected to the Reptile House. The birds roate every other day.

Henry the Major Mitchell's Coakatoo
Sammy the Salmon-crested Cockatoo

Monkey Island[]

Built in 1930 and renovated in 1985, this manmade rock island is surrounded by a moat and exotic landscaping and provides a home for 11 lively monkeys on one of the first bar less monkey exhibits in North America.

Featured monkeys include:

Japanese macaques

Night Hunters[]

Opened in 1952 as the Carnivora Building and renovated in 1985 as the Cat House and then renovated again in 2010-2011. This is the newest attraction at the zoo, and it is home to many nocturnal and predatory animals from former exhibits around the zoo. There are 12 animals from the Cat House, 8 from the Nocturnal House, 2 from Jungle Trails, 1 from the Reptile House and 3 animals from different zoos. A tayra was born at the zoo on May 24, 2011, the Cincinnati Zoo is the only place in the U.S. breeding tayras. A Pallas' cat at the Zoo gave birth to the world's first Pallas' cat kittens born from Artificial Insemination on June 8, 2011. Around late 2011, the zoo will begin breeding clouded leopards using Artifical Insemination. Also Bearcat born from Audrey at the zoo in June 2011.

Featured predatory and nocturnal animals include:

Tawny Frogmouth
Pallas' Cat (Zoo Babies)
Fossa
The only Aardwolves on display in the nation
Clouded leopard
Pygmy Slow Loris
Common Vampire Bat
Potto
Aardvark
Greater Bushbaby
Giant Fruit Bat
Ocelot
Sand Cat
Black-footed Cat
Caracal
Bearcat (Zoo Baby)
Fennec Fox
Screaming hairy armadillo
Ringtail

Outdoor exhibts:

Bobcat

Cat House (closed)[]

The Carnivora Building was built in 1952 featuring lions, tiger and other big cats. It was renovated into the Cat House and opened in 1985, featuring 16 indoor exhibits and 6 outdoor enclosures containing small and medium-sized cats like the Pampas cat and cougars. This was formerly the largest collection of small cats in the country. The Cincinnati Zoo leads the world in exhibits cats and in Small Cat Conservation. When it closed in November 2010, it became Nigh Hunters, featuring most of the animals from the Cat House and the Nocturnal House.

Animals included:

Caracal
Geoffrey's cat
Margay
Fossa
Tayra
Bat-eared fox
Slender-tailed Meerkat
Fishing Cat
Bobcat
Sand cat
Black-footed cat
Ocelot
Serval
Clouded leopard
Pallas' cat
Snow leopard

Outdoor Exhibits:

Eastern Siberian lynx
Eurasian lynx
Canada lynx
Clouded leopard
Southern Brazilian Ocelot
Bobcat

Gorilla World

Opened in 1978 as a naturalistic, rain forest habitat for the Cincinnati Zoo's popular gorillas. The Cincinnati Zoo leads the country in gorilla births with 48. Bakari was the last gorilla born at the zoo in 2006. The zoo holds the record for having 6 gorilla births in one year in 1995. Because of these accomplishments, the Cincinnati Zoo has earned the name from Newsweek, the "Sexiest Zoo in America". Rosie, a gorilla formerly at the zoo (Henry Doorly Zoo), gave birth to the world's first test-tube gorilla named Timu in October 1995. Samantha, a gorilla at the zoo today, was the second gorilla born at the zoo just 8 months after Sam in 1970 and is one of the oldest gorillas in captivity. The oldest one in captivity is a female named Colo, who is at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

In 2016, a boy got into the gorilla exhibit and fell in the water and this gorilla Hamabre jumped in and was near the boy and the keepers thought he was going to hurt them so they shot the gorilla to save the boy and closed the gorilla exhibit until they fixed the fences. In 2017, the zoo expanded their gorilla exhibit and made an indoor gorilla exhibit where visitors can see the gorillas up close, but be careful they can slam you against the glass, and this exhibit is awesome so you can see the gorillas more often in the winter, even during the Christmas Festival of Lights.

Featured primates include:

Western lowland gorilla
Eastern colobus monkey
Grey's crowned guenon

Meet the Gorillas

Females

Mara
Shanta
M'linzi
Chewie
Samantha
Asha
Elle
Mondika
Gladys
Anju

Males

Jomo (leader)
Mshindi (leader
Harambe(deceased)

World of the Insect[]

Lemur Lookout[]

This open-aired exhibit was built in 1962 as Baboon Island and renovated Ibex Island. It allows guests to look down at some of the zoo's lemurs on a 30ft tall, mad-made rock with many lush and shady areas, surrounded by a small stream.

Featured lemurs include:

Ring-tail lemurs

Dragons![]

This building features 5 of some of the longest, smallest, and the most colorful monitor lizards ranging from Southeast Asia and Australia. Chia-Chia, a male Giant panda from the London Zoo, stayed in this building for 6 weeks in 1988 before it was later renovated in 1990. The zoo then attained the largest Komodo dragon to ever live in captivity in the Western Hemisphere named Naga. Naga was a male died in 2007 of an abdominal infection at the age of 24, he sired 32 offspring. Naga was 9ft and weighed 200lbs at his prime and 9ft 160lbs when he died. He was a gift from George H. W. Bush who got it from the Indonesian Government. The Cincinnati Zoo was the second U.S. zoo to exhibit Komod dragons and the second zoo to breed them outside of Indonesia. The enclosure then held a Giant anteater, a Red-legged Seriema, Golden-lion tamarins and various tropical birds, until it was renovated in 2009 and opened in June 2010. Three green tree monitors hatched at the zoo on June 2 and 3 of 2011, but the offspring are currently not on display. Hudo, the current Komodo dragon at the zoo, has two beautiful indoor and outdoor exhibits. Three green tree monitors were born in June 2011, but they are not on exhibit.

Featured monitors include:

Ackie's dwarf monitor
Green tree monitor (Zoo Babies)
Quince monitor
Jasper a Crocodile Monitor
Hudo a Komodo Dragon

Nocturnal House (closed)[]

The Zoo’s Nocturnal House was converted in 1964, from the depression-era animal hospital to 12 individual exhibits. At that time, the Nocturnal House was one of only three in the United Sates and was one of the earliest exhibits where the normal light cycles were switched allowing Zoo visitors to look into the life of Nocturnal animals when they were most active. This featured some of the rarest nocturnal animals on Earth, there were only a few animals in the building that were well known by guests. The Nocturnal House has brought much success to the preservation and breeding of nocturnal animals. Some of the nocturnal stars are the vampire bats, which were hand collected by Cincinnati Zoo keepers on an excursion to Mexico, for the original exhibit. One of the rarest attractions, the potto, originates from Africa and the Zoo houses six of these exotic primates with only 14 living in the United States. It closed on November 13, 2011, to transfer some of the animals to Night Hunters and has secret disappointing plans of what its going to be turned into.

Animals Included:

Barn owl
Blind Cave fish
Common vampire bat
Southern three-banded armadillo
Large-spotted genet
Bearcat
Feather-tailed Glider
Fennec fox
Potto
Linnaeus's two-toed sloth
Six-banded armadillo
Sugar glider
Black-headed Douroucouli
Southern Douroucouli
Central American Cacomistle
Aardvark
Indian Flying Fox
Garnett's Galago

Otto M. Budig Family Foundation Manatee Springs[]

Manatee Springs, a $4,500,000 attraction, opened on May 21, 1999 and was awarded the Munson Aquatic Conservation Exhibitry Award and a Significant Achievement Exhibit Award from the American Zoo and Aquarium Association in 2000. The sights, sounds and smells of Florida greet visitors as they enter Manatee Springs. Close-up viewing on both dry land, as well as dramatic underwater viewing of over 45 magnificent species provide an exciting experience for every Zoo visitor. Manatee Springs facilities include a greenhouse (304 m²) and an exhibit building (1035 m²). The entire facility (1339 m²) includes 171 m² (1,900 ft²) of staff and support areas and 369m² (4,100 ft²) of filtration equipment space on two levels. The manatee tank is 120,000 gallons with 3 viewing areas including a bubble window. It has recently been announced that Illusion, one of the zoo's manatees will soon be freed into the wild down in Florida on November 9. She will be the 8th manatee to be freed from the Cincinnati Zoo.

Featured Florida animals include:

Greenhouse:

American Alligator
Spotted gar
Florida cooter
Alligator Snapping Turtle
American Crocodile

Featured indoor exhibits:

Caribbean Hermit Crab
Alligator Snapping Turtle
Black Crappie
Channel Catfish
Golden shiner
Largemouth Bass
Redbreast sunfish
Redear sunfish
Knight Anole
Golden Silk-orb weaver

Manatee tank:

Florida Manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris)
Alligator gar
Chain pickerel
Channel Catfish
Grass Carp
Florida Gar
Florida softshell turtle
Longnose gar
Spotted gar
Golden shiner

Siegfried and Roy's White Lions of Timbavati[]

Rhino Reserve[]

Rhino Reserve consists of several large grottos providing room for exotic African and Asian animals to roam, particularly rhinoceroses. The flamingos used to be located here, but they was moved to be part of the new Africa exhibit. The zebras will also be moved soon, but for now they will held here until the mixed species enclosure at Africa is complete. The featured animals include;

- Black Rhinoceros

- Egyptian Goose

- Bongo

- Okapi

- Black Duiker

“‘- Grant’s Zebra “‘

Greater flamingoes

Cat Canyon[]

Cat Canyon opened June 30th 2012 and this exhibit is awesome, the first exhibit you will see after Night Hunters is the Cougar exhibit, and you can see the cougars up close by glass, when you walk down the path the next thing you see is the White Tiger exhibit, the main exhibit everyone will love is the Malayan Tiger exhibit cause you can see them by glass up close and watch them swim in their swimming pool, and the last exhibit you will see the snow leopard exhibit and their exhibit looks like a Himalayas exhibit.

Cougar
Malayan Tiger
Snow Leopard
Eurasian Eagle Owl

Kroger Lords of the Arctic[]

Spectacled Bear
Arctic Fox
Great White Pelican

Jungle Trails[]

bonbo

potto

galago

orangutan

Bear Line[]

Black Bears

spectecal Bears

Wings of the World: A Celebration of Flight[]

Sea Lions[]

Wolf Woods[]

Mexican wolves

River otters

Red Fox

Barred owl

Wolf Woods is located near the Spaulding Children's Zoo. It contains a pathway through a wooded habitat that leads to several unique North American enclosures. The featured animals include;

American Grey Fox

American River Otter

Mexican Gray Wolf

Africa[]

The Africa exhibit is the biggest exhibit in the zoo that was ever built 8 acres in phases, you will see Giraffes, Cheetahs, Lions, Hoofstock, Ostrich, Wild Dogs, Meerkats, Hippos, it used to be the zoo’s main parking lot but they decided to make a project from Kroger and PepsiCo for the new Africa exhibit

Phase 1- Giraffe Ridge, opened in June 2008, where visitors can come and feed them from 9 am- 2 pm for $3.00 for Lettuce, and you can see them inside during the colder months

Masai Giraffe

Phase 2- Cheetah Encounter, opened in 2010 where visitors can watch a cheetah show and see them do tricks, and the zoo added a new Flamingo exhibit

Cheetah
Serval
African crested porcupine
Red River Hog
Greater Flamingo

Phase 3- Lion and Cheetah exhibits, opened June 29, 2013 where visitors can see a new lion exhibit up close by glass, in 2015, the lions John and Imani had new lion cubs so it’s a lion pride, and you can see Cheetahs resting in the exhibit by the waterfall, and the zoo has a meet a creature from Africa so visitors can have a chance to touch creatures from Africa, and the zoo made a new restaurant called Base Camp Cafe with lots of things to eat, like Hamburgers, Fries, Pizza, Salads, Chicken Nuggets, Fruit, and others, it almost feels like you can eat lunch in the African savanna, and in the ice cream shop you can get blueberry or pink vanilla soft serve ice cream.

African Lion
Cheetah

Phase 4- Painted Dog Valley, Hoofstock exhibits opened in 2014, where visitors can see a big open area filled with hoofstock, African birds, and see African Wild Dogs up close by glass, in 2015, Meerkats cake to the zoo from Disney´s Animal Kingdom

Zebras
Ostrich
Lesser Kudu
Pink Backed Pelican
Lappet Faced Vulture
Ruppell´s Vulture
Impala
Thomson´s Gazelle
Cape Shelduck
Wildebeest
Slender Tailed Meerkat
African Wild Dog

Phase 5- Hippo Cove, Opened July 20, 2016 where visitors can see Hippos swim underwater by glass walls, even see fish with them, Henry came to the zoo from the Dickerson Park Zoo and Bibi came from the St. Louis zoo and in January 2017 they had a baby born early so the zookeepers can take care of her until she is well enough to be on exhibit and they called her Fiona in October 31, 2017 Henry the hippo died cause he was very sick so the zoo just has Bibi and Fiona

Nile Hippo

Penguin Walkabout[]

Spaulding's Children Zoo[]

African pengiuns

Fariy pengiuns

baby animals

goats

mini pigs

sheep

llamas and alpacas

mini cows

Gibbon Islands[]

simang gibbons

white handed gibbons

Red Panda Habitat[]

Swan Lake[]

Marge Schott-Unnewehr Elephant Reserve[]

Asian Elephants

Oriental Garden[]

P&G Discovery Forest[]

The P&G Discovery Forest is an immersive indoor rainforest housing several tropical species of parrots, monkeys, sloths, and tortoises. There are no boundaries between the animals and the pathways inside. Some of the animals include;

Red Footed Tortoise

Scarlet Macaw

Hyacinth Macaw

Golden Lion Tamarin

Two Toed Sloth

Rhino Signature Project

Through their research, CREW scientists have become world experts on the reproductive physiology of Sumatran and Indian rhinos. In an effort to increase animal numbers and improve genetic diversity, CREW uses science and technology to achieve numerous reproductive breakthroughs in these highly endangered Asian rhinos.

Indian Rhino Breeding Methods {C {C}{C CREW scientists go high-tech with assisted reproductive technology to successfully produce pregnancies via artificial insemination in the endangered Indian rhino.

{C {C}{C The endangered Indian rhino lacks genetic diversity in the captive population. To overcome this challenge, CREW scientists studied the reproductive physiology and established the first successful pregnancy in an Indian rhino through artificial insemination of frozen-thawed sperm. With this scientific breakthrough, it is now possible to produce offspring from behaviorally incompatible Indian rhino pairs and allow new genetic material to be introduced in captive populations globally.

Sumatran Rhino Project

CREW scientists initiated research using endocrinology and ultrasonography to learn about the reproductive physiology of the species. As a result, scientific breakthroughs led to the first Sumatran rhino calf bred and born in captivity in 112 years at the Cincinnati Zoo on Sept. 13, 2001.

{C {C}{C Since the birth of that first calf, two additional calves have been produced. This series of successful births clearly demonstrates how productive a captive breeding program can be when it incorporates good science, veterinary care, animal husbandry and intensive management. The Cincinnati Zoo remains the only place in the world breeding this species successfully in captivity.

Rhino Sperm Bank

CREW’s Cryobiobank contains one of the world’s most valuable rhino sperm banks. Frozen semen samples from the most genetically valuable Indian rhinos in North America and the only cryopreserved Sumatran rhino semen in the world are just a few examples of the important samples stored in CREW’s CryoBioBank.

Furthermore, CREW scientists have been able to rescue live sperm from rhinos that have died. These samples will prolong the genetic lifespan of the individual animals since offspring can be produced by artificial insemination decades after the animals have died.

{C {C}{C History Timeline and Accomplishments

In 1872, Andrew Erkenbrecher and several other residents created the Society for the Acclimatization of Birds in Cincinnati to acquire insect-eating birds to control a severe outbreak of caterpillars. A collection of approximately 1,000 birds imported from Europe in 1872 was housed in Burnet Woods before being released. The 'Acclimatization Society of Cincinnati' was established in 1873 as similar organizations with imperial aims proliferated in Moscow, Berlin, London and Melbourne in the late nineteenth century.

The Zoological Society of Cincinnati established a zoo, consisting of just over sixty-six acres in Blakely Woods. The land was purchased by Andrew Erkenbrecher and leased to the Zoological Society for 99 years. This site was acquired in 1874 and the zoo officially opened its doors to the public on September 18, 1875, making the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden the second oldest intentionally constructed zoo in the United States. The Zoo opened with 769 animals on display. Admission was 25 cents for adults and 15 cents for children.

{C {C}{C Founded by Jonathan Schoonover of Cincinnati and designed by the landscape engineer Theodor Fundeisen, The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden was originally named the Cincinnati Zoological Gardens. Architect James W. McLaughlin, who constructed the zoo's first buildings, designed the earliest completed zoological exhibits in the United States. The Zoo's original animal collection consisted of eight monkeys, two Grizzly bears, three White-tailed deer, six raccoons, two elk, a buffalo, a Hyenas, a Tiger, an American alligator, a circus elephant, and over four hundred birds, including a talking crow. The zoo also is home to some common peafowls.

{C {C}{C In 1878 the first sea lion was born in captivity at the zoo, and the first pair of giraffes were acquired by the zoo (Daisy and Abe).

In its first 20 years the zoo experienced many financial difficulties, and despite selling 22 acres (8.9 ha) to pay off debt in 1886, it went into receivership in 1898. The Cincinnati Zoological Company was able to bring the zoo out of receivership and keep it going. The Cincinnati Traction Company purchased it in 1901 and operated the zoo for 16 years. In 1917, the Cincinnati Zoological Park Association, funded by donations from philanthropists Mary Emery and Anna Sinton Taft, took over management of the zoo. rIn 1932 the city purchased the zoo and now runs it through the Board of Park Commissioners.

In 1931 the zoo procured what was at the time the first and the only trained Gorilla in the world. Suzie was originally captured in the Belgian Congo, and brought to the United States on Graf Zeppelin in August 1929. When she arrived at the zoo, Suzie had just finished a tour of North America. Although experts had said she had no more than six months to live when she arrived in America, she lived for 21 years and died at the Cincinnati zoo on October 29, 1947. Her body was donated to the University of Cincinnati, where her skeleton was used for many years, and destroyed in a fire in 1974.

In 1951 the original Monkey House was converted into the Reptile House.

In addition to its live animal exhibits, the zoo houses refreshments stands, a dance hall, roads, walkways, and picnic grounds. Between 1920 and 1972, the Cincinnati Summer Opera performed in an open-air pavilion and were broadcast by NBC radio.

In 1987, the zoo was designated as a National Historic Landmark due to its significant architecture featured in the Elephant House, the Reptile House, and the Passenger Pigeon Memorial. The Zoo's Reptile House is the oldest existing Zoo building in the country, dating from 1875.

The zoo had the largest Komodo dragon in captivity until it died in 2007

In 2010, a cheetah named Tommy T. beat the world record for being the fastest cheetah in captivity.