Dickerson Park Zoo is a

zoological park A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zool ...

located in

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an estimat ...

that has more than 500 animals that represent 160 different species. It is an accredited member of the

Association of Zoos and Aquariums The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), originally the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums, is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1924 and dedicated to the advancement of zoos and public aquariums in ...

(AZA) since 1986.

History

Dickerson Park was established by the Springfield Park Board in 1922 and developed with the aid of

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

(WPA) labor and funds in the 1930s. From then until the 1970s, very little development or support occurred, and by 1975, the zoo became rundown. It was on the verge of being closed, but a commitment was made by the City of Springfield, and a support group was created known as ''Friends of the Zoo'', to restore the zoo. The Friends organization developed a membership base, launched education programs and gathered support from donors for new projects and improvements. The City of Springfield committed budget dollars and instituted an admission fee to help offset expenses. The zoo's mission had the objectives of advancing recreation, education, conservation and research. A master plan, adopted in 1985, visualized a new zoo, with geographic themes and phased development. The zoo became involved in Species Survival Plans, most notably

Asian elephant The Asian elephant (''Elephas maximus''), also known as the Asiatic elephant, is the only living species of the genus ''Elephas'' and is distributed throughout the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, from India in the west, Nepal in the no ...

maned wolves The maned wolf (''Chrysocyon brachyurus'') is a large canine of South America. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, and Paraguay, and is almost extinct in Uruguay. Its markings resemble those of foxes, but it is neither a fox nor a w ...

and

cheetah The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large cat native to Africa and central Iran. It is the fastest land animal, estimated to be capable of running at with the fastest reliably recorded speeds being , and as such has evolved specialized ...

s. In-house and outreach education programs were offered to the community. The growth of tourism in the region contributed to increases in attendance and offered visitors to the community another attraction when visiting the Ozarks. An update and revision of the master plan for the park was completed in 1996.

Accidents and incidents

On October 4, 2013, the zoo

euthanized Animal euthanasia ( euthanasia from el, εὐθανασία; "good death") is the act of killing an animal or allowing it to die by withholding extreme medical measures. Reasons for euthanasia include incurable (and especially painful) conditi ...

one of its four elephants, the

matriarch Matriarchy is a social system in which women hold the primary power positions in roles of authority. In a broader sense it can also extend to moral authority, social privilege and control of property. While those definitions apply in general En ...

, a 41-year-old female known as Connie (AKA Pinky), who had been suffering from kidney disease and had lost nearly 1,000 pounds. Later, on October 11, another one of the zoo's elephants named Patience, (who had been reported as "hesitant and submissive" since the death of its Matriarch,) made a sudden movement and killed the zoo's head of elephants zookeeper John Bradford, age 62, who had been with the zoo since 1990. It is thought that Patience, (not understanding the reason for the euthanasia,) may have blamed the head zookeeper for Connie's death. The city said no disciplinary action would be taken against Patience, adding: "The animal will not be euthanized."

References

External links

* {{authority control Buildings and structures in Springfield, Missouri Tourist attractions in Springfield, Missouri Zoos in Missouri 1922 establishments in Missouri