Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden explained

Zoo Name:Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden
Date Opened:1902 (Wheeler Park Zoo)
1920 (as Lincoln Park Zoo)
Location:Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States
Num Animals:2,000+[1]
Num Species:500+[2]
Annual Visitors:1.108 million (2024)[3]
Members:AZA, AAM
Exhibits:Cat Forest, Children's Zoo, Expedition Africa, Great EscApe, Herpetarium, Lion Overlook, Oklahoma Trails, Sanctuary Asia, Wetlands Walkway

The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden is a zoo and botanical garden located in Oklahoma City's Adventure District in northeast Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

The zoo covers and is home to more than 2,000 animals of more than 500 species. It is open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas. The Oklahoma City Zoo is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the American Alliance of Museums. The zoo receives over 1 million visitors a year.

Exhibits

Other attractions within the zoo include the giraffe feeding platform, the Elephant Express tram, the Endangered Species Carousel, the Sea Lion Presentation, Stingray Bay, Wild Encounters, elephant presentations, and the Jungle Gym Playground.

Surrounding the zoo are the Zoo Amphitheater, Lincoln Park, Northeast Lake and the Lincoln Park Golf Course. The zoo is located Oklahoma City's Adventure District at the crossroads of I-35 and I-44. Other attractions in the Adventure District are the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, Science Museum Oklahoma (formerly called the Omniplex), the ASA National Softball Hall of Fame, and Remington Park Racing/Casino.

List of animals

Reptiles/amphibians
Mammals
Birds
Invertebrates
Fish

Former exhibits

The zoo kept bottlenose dolphins from 1986 until 2001. To prevent further dolphin deaths, the dolphins were returned to Mississippi, and the exhibit now hosts sea lions.

Famous animals

Judy was a famous elephant of the zoo having been a part of the zoo for almost 50 years.[4]

Malee was an Asian elephant born April 15, 2011, weighing 300 pounds, the child of one of the Oklahoma City Zoo's elephants, Asha, and a male elephant named Sneezy who lives at the Tulsa Zoo. The Zoo held birthday parties for her every year.[5] [6] On September 30, 2015, zookeepers noticed discoloration of her trunk. After two failed treatments, she died at 4 AM CST on October 1, 2015. The cause of death was determined to be elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus, which the other elephants at the zoo aside from her sister Achara also had.[7]

See also

References

Notes and References

  1. https://www.britannica.com/place/Oklahoma-City-Zoological-Park
  2. https://www.okczoo.org/blog/posts/blooms-and-butterflies-signs-of-spring-at-the-okc-zoo
  3. https://www.okczoo.org/default.aspx?p=164942&naid=28966
  4. Web site: Johnson . Larry . Judy Visits The Library . Metropolitan Library System of Oklahoma County.
  5. Malee's 1st Birthday Bash at the OKC Zoo. . OKC Zoo . April 6, 2012 . October 1, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150906012618/http://www.okczoo.com/news/m.blog/56/malee-s-1st-birthday-bash-at-the-okc-zoo-2012 . September 6, 2015 . dead .
  6. OKC Zoo planning second Birthday Bash . OKC Zoo . April 8, 2013 . October 1, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150906012908/http://www.okczoo.com/news/m.blog/56/okc-zoo-planning-second-birthday-bash-for-baby-elephant-malee-2013 . September 6, 2015 . dead .
  7. Web site: Virus eyed in death of Malee, zoo's 4-year-old elephant . The Oklahoman . Matt . Patterson . October 1, 2015 . April 23, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160512194353/http://newsok.com/article/5450696 . May 12, 2016 . dead .