![Zoo Train-Tulsa Zoo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Zoo_Train-Tulsa_Zoo.jpg)
The Tulsa Zoo is an non-profit
zoo
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 biology, conservation purposes.
The term ''zoological g ...
located in
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...
, United States. The Tulsa Zoo is owned by the City of Tulsa, but since 2010, has been privately managed by Tulsa Zoo Management, Inc. The zoo is located in Mohawk Park, one of the largest
municipal parks
An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities and other incorporated places that offer recreation and green space to resi ...
in the United States.
The zoo is involved in conservation efforts such as a push to reduce the use of
palm oil
Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of the oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 33% of global oils produced from ...
,
[ Palm Oil Crisis, Tulsazoo.org (accessed April 14, 2013)] FrogWatch USA A FrogWatch is any of several citizen science programs in which laypeople monitor amphibians. In a FrogWatch, people make recordings of frogs and other animals that live near them and send the recordings to databases for scientists and other people ...
, and efforts to encourage ocean conservation.
[ Save Our Oceans, Tulsazoo.org (accessed April 14, 2013)]
The Tulsa Zoo is accredited by 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 ...
.
Distinctions
In 2005, the Tulsa Zoo was named as "America's Favorite Zoo" by
Microsoft Game Studios
Xbox Game Studios (previously known as Microsoft Studios, Microsoft Game Studios, and Microsoft Games) is an American video game publisher and part of the Microsoft Gaming division based in Redmond, Washington. It was established in March 2000, ...
and was granted $25,000 in a contest designed to promote the ''
Zoo Tycoon 2
''Zoo Tycoon 2'' is a business simulation video game developed by Blue Fang Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios and MacSoft. Originally released for Windows, ''Zoo Tycoon 2'' is also available for Windows Mobile, PDA, and Mac OS X, al ...
'' computer game. The contest counted votes from zoo visitors across the country for many of America's top zoos, including the
San Diego Zoo
The San Diego Zoo is a zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, California, housing 4000 animals of more than 650 species and subspecies on of Balboa Park leased from the City of San Diego. Its parent organization, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, is a p ...
and the
Bronx Zoo
The Bronx Zoo (also historically the Bronx Zoological Park and the Bronx Zoological Gardens) is a zoo within Bronx Park in the Bronx, New York. It is one of the largest zoos in the United States by area and is the largest metropolitan zoo in ...
.
Animals and exhibits
Lost Kingdom Exhibit Complex
Lost Kingdom allows guests to roam through lush gardens and settings inspired by ancient Asian cultures, such as the city at Angkor-Wat. Lost Kingdom is the new home for ambassadors of some of Asia's rarest and most elusive species, including
Malayan tiger
The Malayan tiger is a tiger from a specific population of the ''Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies that is native to Peninsular Malaysia. This population inhabits the southern and central parts of the Malay Peninsula and has been classified ...
s,
snow leopard
The snow leopard (''Panthera uncia''), also known as the ounce, is a Felidae, felid in the genus ''Panthera'' native to the mountain ranges of Central Asia, Central and South Asia. It is listed as Vulnerable species, Vulnerable on the IUCN Red ...
s,
Chinese alligator
The Chinese alligator (; ), also known as the Yangtze alligator (), China alligator, or historically the muddy dragon, is a crocodilian endemic to China. It and the American alligator (''A. mississippiensis'') are the only living species in the ...
s,
siamang
The siamang (, ; ''Symphalangus syndactylus'') is an arboreal, black-furred gibbon native to the forests of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. The largest of the gibbons, the siamang can be twice the size of other gibbons, reaching in height, a ...
s,
binturong
The binturong (''Arctictis binturong'') (, ), also known as the bearcat, is a viverrid native to South and Southeast Asia. It is uncommon in much of its range, and has been assessed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because of a declining popu ...
s, and
Komodo dragon
The Komodo dragon (''Varanus komodoensis''), also known as the Komodo monitor, is a member of the monitor lizard family Varanidae that is endemic to the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang. It is the largest extant ...
s.
Lost Kingdom: Valley of the Elephant
![Gunda at the Tulsa Zoo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/Gunda_at_the_Tulsa_Zoo.jpg)
The Valley of the Elephant encompasses a area for the zoo's three elephants. The area includes a life-sized climbable elephant sculpture and an Elephant Interpretive Center which highlights the life of
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 ...
species. Visitors can observe the elephants from both indoor and outdoor viewing areas in an exhibit that includes an elephant demonstration yard.
Robert J. LaFortune Wild Life Trek
The
Robert J. LaFortune
Robert J. LaFortune (born January 24, 1927) is a Republican politician from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. LaFortune was mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma from 1970 to 1978.
Early life
LaFortune was born and raised in Tulsa. His parents, Joseph Aloysius L ...
Wild Life Trek is a four-building complex, formerly the North American Living Museum, and is the recipient of awards such as best new exhibit when it was constructed in 1978. As of spring 2013, each building focuses on animals from around the world and their adaptations to life in the water, desert, forest, and cold. Animals in this complex include
Siberian crane
The Siberian crane (''Leucogeranus leucogeranus''), also known as the Siberian white crane or the snow crane, is a bird of the family Gruidae, the cranes. They are distinctive among the cranes: adults are nearly all snowy white, except for their ...
s,
tawny frogmouth
The tawny frogmouth (''Podargus strigoides'') is a species of frogmouth native to the Australian mainland and Tasmania and found throughout. It is a big-headed, stocky bird, often mistaken for an owl, due to its nocturnal habits and similar colour ...
,
emerald dove
The common emerald dove (''Chalcophaps indica''), also called Asian emerald dove and grey-capped emerald dove, is a widespread resident breeding pigeon native to the tropical and subtropical parts of the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. ...
s,
chinchilla
Chinchillas are either of two species (''Chinchilla chinchilla'' and ''Chinchilla lanigera'') of crepuscular rodents of the parvorder Caviomorpha. They are slightly larger and more robust than ground squirrels, and are native to the Andes mount ...
,
peccary
A peccary (also javelina or skunk pig) is a medium-sized, pig-like hoofed mammal of the family Tayassuidae (New World pigs). They are found throughout Central and South America, Trinidad in the Caribbean, and in the southwestern area of North A ...
,
seahorse
A seahorse (also written ''sea-horse'' and ''sea horse'') is any of 46 species of small marine fish in the genus ''Hippocampus''. "Hippocampus" comes from the Ancient Greek (), itself from () meaning "horse" and () meaning "sea monster" or " ...
s, and
grizzly bear
The grizzly bear (''Ursus arctos horribilis''), also known as the North American brown bear or simply grizzly, is a population or subspecies of the brown bear inhabiting North America.
In addition to the mainland grizzly (''Ursus arctos horri ...
s.
The Rainforest
A naturalistic re-creation of a Central and South American rainforest environment. Spanning 13,000 square feet of indoor exhibit space, exhibits include exotic species such as
black howler monkey
The black howler (''Alouatta caraya'') or black-and-gold howler, is among the largest New World monkeys and a member of the ''Alouatta'' genus. The black howler is distributed in areas of South America such as Paraguay, southern Brazil, eastern ...
s, a
green anaconda
The green anaconda (''Eunectes murinus''), also known as the giant Emerald anaconda, common anaconda, common water boa or sucuri, is a boa species found in South America. It is the heaviest and one of the longest known extant snake species. Lik ...
,
piranha
A piranha or piraña (, , or ; or , ) is one of a number of freshwater fish in the family Serrasalmidae, or the subfamily Serrasalminae within the tetra family, Characidae in order Characiformes. These fish inhabit South American rivers, ...
s,
dwarf caiman
Cuvier's dwarf caiman (''Paleosuchus palpebrosus'') is a small crocodilian in the Alligatoridae, alligator family from northern and central South America. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, P ...
s,
jaguar
The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...
s, and
golden-headed lion tamarin
The golden-headed lion tamarin (''Leontopithecus chrysomelas''), also the golden-headed tamarin, is a lion tamarin endemic to Brazil. It is found only in the lowland and premontane tropical forest fragments in the state of Bahia, and therefore is ...
s. Many species are not caged, including rainforest birds,
two-toed sloth
''Choloepus'' is a genus of xenarthran mammals of Central and South America within the monotypic family Choloepodidae, consisting of two-toed sloths, sometimes also called two-fingered sloths. The two species of ''Choloepus'' (which means "lame ...
s, and
Jamaican fruit bat
The Jamaican, common or Mexican fruit bat (''Artibeus jamaicensis'') is a fruit-eating bat native to Mexico, through Central America to northwestern South America, as well as the Greater and many of the Lesser Antilles. It is also an uncommon res ...
s to allow for a more realistic jungle feel. Throughout this exhibit is evidence of native cultures, from the colossal Olmec Head which marks the entrance to the exhibit, to murals and structures incorporated within exhibits. The roof is composed of translucent panels to illuminate the canopy of the rainforest, and a path that guides visitors through the building.
Chimpanzee Connection
This large outdoor island habitat provides
chimpanzee
The chimpanzee (''Pan troglodytes''), also known as simply the chimp, is a species of great ape native to the forest and savannah of tropical Africa. It has four confirmed subspecies and a fifth proposed subspecies. When its close relative th ...
s with access to a climbing structure consisting of cargo nets and ropes, caves, a termite mound and vegetation. The cage-less habitat allows guests a clearer view of the chimpanzees. Completed in 1991, the "Chimpanzee Connection" building provides indoor viewing through glass. offering a glimpse into the private lives of the chimpanzees. After its completion Dr.
Jane Goodall
Dame Jane Morris Goodall (; born Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall on 3 April 1934), formerly Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall, is an English primatologist and anthropologist. Seen as the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, Goodall is best know ...
proclaimed the facility to be one of the "best she has ever seen".
Helmerich Sea Lion Cove
A naturalistic habitat for
California sea lion
The California sea lion (''Zalophus californianus'') is a coastal eared seal native to western North America. It is one of six species of sea lions. Its natural habitat ranges from southeast Alaska to central Mexico, including the Gulf of C ...
s opened in 2012. The exhibit features a saltwater pool, large underwater viewing window wall, waterfall, rock haul-out areas, themed holding building and a large covered seating area for visitors. A behavioral conditioning program intended to provide visitors with information about the resident sea lions is demonstrated.
Penguin Habitat
![Tulsa Zoo's African Penguin Exhibit](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Tulsa_Zoo%27s_African_Penguin_Exhibit.JPG)
The exhibit opened to the public in 2002. The penguin enclosure is the foundation of "Oceans and Islands", an exhibit area for the zoo that includes a naturalistic
African penguin
The African penguin (''Spheniscus demersus''), also known as Cape penguin or South African penguin, is a species of penguin confined to southern African waters. Like all extant penguins, it is flightless, with a streamlined body and wings stiff ...
exhibit and a
flamingo
Flamingos or flamingoes are a type of Wader, wading bird in the Family (biology), family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas ...
colony and also
black and white ruffed lemur
The black-and-white ruffed lemur (''Varecia variegata'') is an endangered species of ruffed lemur, one of two which are endemic to the island of Madagascar. Despite having a larger range than the red ruffed lemur, it has a much smaller populati ...
s. The design for the penguin habitat includes geo-thermal heating and cooling to regulate the water temperature for the warm water inhabitants. A "
wave pool
A wave pool is a swimming pool in which there are artificially generated, large waves, similar to those of the ocean. Wave pools are often a major feature of water parks, both indoors and outdoors, as well as some leisure centres.
History
T ...
" or water action simulator, plus a rocky coastline setting, imitates their natural habitat. Special viewing windows were built into the wall of the exhibit for visitors to observe the penguins underwater. The exhibit currently holds 20 penguins and can hold up to 30.
African Plains
The African Plains area of the zoo features a variety of animals including
meerkat
MeerKAT, originally the Karoo Array Telescope, is a radio telescope consisting of 64 antennas in the Meerkat National Park, in the Northern Cape of South Africa. In 2003, South Africa submitted an expression of interest to host the Square Kilom ...
s,
giraffe
The giraffe is a large African hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa''. It is the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on Earth. Traditionally, giraffes were thought to be one species, ''Giraffa camelopardalis ...
s,
lion
The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...
s,
aldabra tortoise
The Aldabra giant tortoise (''Aldabrachelys gigantea'') is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is endemic to the islands of the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles. It is one of the largest tortoises in the world.Pritchard ...
s,
white rhino
The white rhinoceros, white rhino or square-lipped rhinoceros (''Ceratotherium simum'') is the largest extant species of rhinoceros. It has a wide mouth used for grazing and is the most social of all rhino species. The white rhinoceros consists ...
s, and
African wild dog
The African wild dog (''Lycaon pictus''), also called the painted dog or Cape hunting dog, is a wild canine which is a native species to sub-Saharan Africa. It is the largest wild canine in Africa, and the only extant member of the genus '' Ly ...
s. The zoos recently opened the Mary K. Chapman Rhinoceros Reserve, which replaced an older facility and hosts the zoo's two
white rhinoceros
The white rhinoceros, white rhino or square-lipped rhinoceros (''Ceratotherium simum'') is the largest extant species of rhinoceros. It has a wide mouth used for grazing (behaviour), grazing and is the most social of all rhino species. The white ...
es.
Children's Zoo
The Children's Zoo has a contact yard where children can get up close with
Nigerian dwarf goat
The Nigerian Dwarf is an American breed of dwarf goat. Like the American Pygmy Goat, it derives from the West African Dwarf group of breeds of West Africa.
History
Between about 1930 and 1960 a variety of small goats of the West African Dwa ...
s,
Southdown sheep
The Southdown is a British breed of domestic sheep, the smallest of the British breeds. It is a shortwool breed, and the basis of the whole Down group of breeds. It was originally bred by John Ellman of Glynde, near Lewes in East Sussex, in abo ...
,
Katahdin sheep
The Katahdin is a breed of domestic sheep developed by breeder Michael Piel in Maine, United States. He named this new breed after Mount Katahdin - the state’s highest peak. The breed was developed during the second half of the 20th century by c ...
, earless
American Lamancha goat
American Lamancha, or more commonly, simply Lamancha or LaMancha, is a formally recognized breed of dairy goat, first bred in California by Mrs. Eula Fay Frey about 1927. Later she moved the herd to Glide, Oregon for further development. The La ...
s, and
Anglo-Nubian goat
The Anglo-Nubian is a British breed of domestic goat. It originated in the nineteenth century from cross-breeding between native British goats and a mixed population of large lop-eared goats imported from India, the Middle East and North Afri ...
s. There are also
dexter cows,
miniature horse
A miniature horse is a breed
A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In liter ...
s, and
Guinea forest hogs. This exhibit also contains the
Australian Outback
The Outback is a remote, vast, sparsely populated area of Australia. The Outback is more remote than the bush. While often envisaged as being arid, the Outback regions extend from the northern to southern Australian coastlines and encompass a n ...
Area, which has
red kangaroo
The red kangaroo (''Osphranter rufus'') is the largest of all kangaroos, the largest terrestrial mammal native to Australia, and the largest extant marsupial. It is found across mainland Australia, except for the more fertile areas, such as sou ...
s. The Children's Zoo also includes
North American river otter
The North American river otter (''Lontra canadensis''), also known as the northern river otter and river otter, is a semiaquatic mammal that endemism, only lives on the North American continent, along its waterways and coasts. An adult North Amer ...
s.
Dave Zucconi Conservation Center
Constructed in 1957, the Conservation Center has a large variety of animals including
primates
Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians (monkeys and apes, the latter including huma ...
,
reptiles
Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the Class (biology), class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsid, sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, Squamata, squamates (lizar ...
,
birds
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...
, and
fish
Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...
. Some animals exhibited include
American flamingo
The American flamingo (''Phoenicopterus ruber'') is a large species of flamingo closely related to the greater flamingo and Chilean flamingo native to the Neotropics. It was formerly considered conspecific with the greater flamingo, but that trea ...
s,
wrinkled hornbill
The wrinkled hornbill or Sunda wrinkled hornbill (''Rhabdotorrhinus corrugatus'') is a medium-large hornbill which is found in forest in the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo.
The wrinkled hornbill is around 70 cm long, and has a ve ...
s,
giant snakehead
''Channa micropeltes'', giant snakehead, giant mudfish or toman harimau, is among the largest species in the family Channidae, capable of growing to in length and a weight of . It is native to the fresh waters of Southeast Asia (South Indian popu ...
,
radiated tortoise
The radiated tortoise (''Astrochelys radiata'') is a tortoise species in the family Testudinidae. Although this species is native to and most abundant in southern Madagascar, it can also be found in the rest of this island, and has been intro ...
s,
Diana monkey
The Diana monkey (''Cercopithecus diana'') is an Old World monkey found in the high canopy forests in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and western Côte d’Ivoire. Named for its white brow which is said to resemble the bow of the Roman goddess Diana, thi ...
s,
white-faced saki monkey
The white-faced saki (''Pithecia pithecia''), called the Guianan saki and the golden-faced saki, is a species of the New World saki monkey. They can be found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela. This species lives in the und ...
s,
Fiji banded iguana
''Brachylophus bulabula'', commonly known as the Central Fijian Banded Iguana is a species of iguanid lizard endemic to some of the larger central and northwestern islands of Fiji ( Ovalau, Kadavu and Viti Levu), where it occurs in Fijian wet ...
s, and a Grand Cayman Island
blue iguana
The blue iguana (''Cyclura lewisi''), also known as the Grand Cayman ground iguana, Grand Cayman blue iguana or Cayman Island rock iguana, is an endangered species of lizard which is endemic to the island of Grand Cayman. It was previously cons ...
.
Tulsa Penguins On Parade
The
African black-footed penguin exhibit was funded through a citywide art campaign, popularized by the gifting of 6-foot (1.8 m) sculptures, depicting a penguin with certain visual characteristics based on its location or owner, to businesses or organizations who donated to the exhibit. There are currently 29
[Penguins – Tulsa](_blank)
LocalWiki.net. of these sculptures throughout the city; they are popularly known as "Tulsa Penguins".
[Tulsa Penguins locations/images and Facebook group](_blank)
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
.
Future developments
As part of the zoo's new 20-year Master Plan, released in 2012, the zoo announced that work would begin on the second master plan project. The second project is The Lost Kingdom Exhibit highlighting rare animals from Asia. Animals exhibiting include Malayan tigers,
snow leopard
The snow leopard (''Panthera uncia''), also known as the ounce, is a Felidae, felid in the genus ''Panthera'' native to the mountain ranges of Central Asia, Central and South Asia. It is listed as Vulnerable species, Vulnerable on the IUCN Red ...
and
Komodo dragon
The Komodo dragon (''Varanus komodoensis''), also known as the Komodo monitor, is a member of the monitor lizard family Varanidae that is endemic to the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang. It is the largest extant ...
. The Helmerich Foundation made the lead gift to fund the zoo's new tiger exhibit. In honor of the gift, the Tulsa Zoo named the new facility Lost Kingdom: The Helmerich Tiger exhibit, part of the Lost Kingdom complex. In addition to The Helmerich Foundation's gift, the Hardesty Family Foundation also donated to the Lost Kingdom complex. The Hardesty Family Foundation made a contribution for the new
snow leopard
The snow leopard (''Panthera uncia''), also known as the ounce, is a Felidae, felid in the genus ''Panthera'' native to the mountain ranges of Central Asia, Central and South Asia. It is listed as Vulnerable species, Vulnerable on the IUCN Red ...
facility, Lost Kingdom: The Hardesty Snow Leopard habitat. This new exhibit provides the zoo's snow leopards a state-of-the-art enclosure, while allowing guests to see the animals up close.
Conservation program
![Ganesha Statue Tulsa Zoo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Ganesha_Statue_Tulsa_Zoo.JPG)
The Tulsa Zoo Conservation Program is one of the leading conservation organizations in Oklahoma.
It has supported over 200 projects globally and locally, including a conservation education program to reduce the use of palm oil,
FrogWatch USA, and ocean conservation education.
Controversy
The Tulsa Zoo attracted national media attention in 2005 when a group complained about the mention of
evolutionary theory
Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...
and the inclusion of religious icons, theories, and beliefs in zoo displays, including a statue of the
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
elephant-headed god
Ganesha
Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu d ...
as part of the elephant exhibition. The Tulsa Park Board responded by voting to add a display on
Creationism
Creationism is the religious belief that nature, and aspects such as the universe, Earth, life, and humans, originated with supernatural acts of divine creation. Gunn 2004, p. 9, "The ''Concise Oxford Dictionary'' says that creationism is 't ...
. The board subsequently reconsidered and reversed its decision, citing widespread public criticism.
[Tom Droeg]
"Biblical display at zoo nixed"
''Tulsa World
The ''Tulsa World'' is the daily newspaper for the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and primary newspaper for the northeastern and eastern portions of Oklahoma. Tulsa World Media Company is part of Lee Enterprises. The new owners announced in January 202 ...
'', July 8, 2005.
History timeline
1927- Tulsa Zoological Society was incorporated
1931 - Monkey Island, with a population of 40 monkeys purchased at $7 each, was dedicated by Mayor George Watkins
1939 - The current koi pond was completed by the W.P.A. as an alligator exhibit.
1950 - "Duke", the first chimpanzee at the Tulsa Zoo arrived.
1954 - The zoo's first elephant "Gunda", a four-year-old female Asian elephant was donated by Tulsa Jaycees.
1957 - The Primate Aviary Building (currently called the Conservation Center), a $458,000 project was completed. Work also began on the $27,000 elephant building and yard.
1962 - A pair of reticulated giraffes, purchased by the children of Tulsa through the Tulsa World, arrived from the Oklahoma City Zoo. These were the first giraffes in the Tulsa Zoo.
1964 - The construction of the Cat and Bear Grottos along with the sea lion pool, and flamingo pool was completed. Welcoming the zoo's first polar bear.
1965 - The baby giraffe "Shakey" was born, and bottle-raised by the staff. The Tulsa Zoo became one of the few zoos in the nation to hand-raise several giraffes.
1966 - Hugh S. Davis, long-time zoo director of Tulsa, resigned.
1969 - David G. Zucconi assumed the duty of zoo director. Also, weekly appearances of zoo staff became a regular activity on the ''Uncle Zeb Show''.
1970 - Computerized animal inventory system was established, making the Tulsa Zoo the second zoo in the nation to initiate such a program.
1971 - Tulsa Zoo Development, Inc. (TZDI) was chartered.
1972 - "Wildlife on Wheels" became the zoo's educational activity. And a zoo admission fee was instituted.
1974 - A pair of white rhinoceros arrive at the zoo.
1975 - Air conditioning was installed in the Primate Aviary Building. And two female polar bear cubs were born. The first of their species at the zoo.
1976 - The previously called Mohawk Park Zoo was now officially named Tulsa Zoological Park. The Administrative/Technical Services Building and exhibit workshop was completed. And the Tulsa Zoo was one of the first eleven zoos to be accredited by the AAZPA (presently named 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 ...
).
1977 - With the Children's Zooseum officially opening and the African Savanna under construction. The Tulsa Zoo also welcomed their first full-time staff Veterinarian position, and Sneezy a four-and-a-half-year-old Male Asian elephant.
1978 - The Robert J. Lafortune North American living Museum officially opened. The complex was neither a zoo nor a museum nor a botanical garden; rather, it was a unique natural history facility that includes all the things common to those institutions, with the goal of telling an integrated story about our continent's land and life.
1982 - The
American Association of Museums
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
awards their accreditation to the Tulsa Zoo. It becomes the 500th institution recognized. And a new snow leopard exhibit is built.
1984 - Oklahoma's first man-made cave was completed in the Eastern Forest Museum Building. The Tulsa Zoo's exhibit department constructed the entire cave and received the AAZPA's prestigious Significant Achievement Award.
1986 - The Tulsa Zoo celebrated the birth of a healthy male Asian elephant "Maverick". Maverick was the first elephant born in Oklahoma and also the only Asian elephant born in the U.S. that year. The zoo also moved their two giraffes from the previous exhibit to a new one funded by TZDI.
1988 - Dr. Jane Goodall visited the Tulsa Zoo and declared the zoo's chimpanzee exhibit one of the "top three exhibits in the U.S." and welcomed the Tulsa Zoo into her prestigious chimpanzoo program, an honor claimed by only 15 zoos in the country. Dinosaurs Alive! also took place this year being the first dinosaur exhibit hosted by the zoo.
1990 - Mary Collins was hired as Tulsa Zoo Friends (formerly TZDI) new executive director. Also With almost 700 party-goers Waltz On The Wild Side kicked off its first year of fundraising
Zoo director Dave Zucconi becomes president of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association.
1991 - Tulsa Zoo Development Inc. officially changed its name to Tulsa Zoo Friends, Inc. And the indoor Chimpanzee Connection opened to the public.
1992 - Construction began on the new main entry, gift shop, elephant compound, commissary, exhibits building, animal reserve, and finally the new restaurant.
1993 - The Aldabra tortoise facility was completed. The Spotted Zebra Gift Shop, Safari Grille, and New entry officially opened. And Dinosaurs Alive! returned and welcomed 128,000 visitors in the three-month period.
Maverick the Asian elephant soon became a Tulsa favorite when he was orphaned shortly after birth. At the young age of seven he unfortunately contracted a fast-moving bacterial infection and died.
1994 - The Shark Aquarium was completed and the first bronze statue "The Frog" was installed.
1995 - The BOK Pavilion and the Boatmen's/BANK IV Amphitheater were completed. Also, the award-winning Elephant Encounter Museum which was funded by TZF and designed entirely by the exhibits staff was completed.
1996 - The Ethel F. Crate granite globe fountain was installed. The polar bear exhibit received a major renovation and the Helmerich Playground was opened.
1997 - The Helmerich Discovery Center was completed. The cheetah, meerkat and dik-diks exhibits were finished. And the long-awaited Tropical American Rainforest also opened.
1998 - The Children's Zoo contact yard opened, and the bull elephant viewing was installed. The Tulsa Zoo also held the AZA National Conference in September.
1999 - Siamang/langur habitat and overlook completed. Also, the black & white ruffed lemur exhibit was renovated.
2000 - Siamang Interactive Area for children was completed. And the "Wings of Wonder" butterfly exhibit opened.
2002 - The African Penguin exhibit officially opened. It was dedicated in honor of Mary Collins; this won the ABC Excellence in Construction Award.
2003 - Conservation Center (formerly Animal Kingdom) was officially renamed.
2004 - A new Veterinary Hospital was complete. And The Maasai exhibit in the African section of the zoo was also finished.
2005 - A temporary koala exhibit was added to the Conservation Center. And the Tulsa Zoo was awarded "America's Favorite Zoo" in the national competition by Microsoft.
2006 - The Oklahoma Trails exhibit was added in honor of Oklahoma's 100th birthday. And the North American Living Museum exhibited bison in honor of the Centennial.
2007 - A new Elephant Demonstration Yard was opened and dedicated to Larry Nunley for his 32 years of service to the zoo.
2008 - "Feather Fest" was added as a temporary free flight bird exhibit.
2009 - The HA Chapman Event Lodge opened.
2012 - Sea Lion Cove a new naturalistic sea lion exhibit was complete.
2013 - After years of renovations the former Robert J. Lafortune North American Living Museum reopened as the Robert J. Lafortune WildLIFE Trek. It no longer focused on only animals from North America but now animals from across the world with adaptations to living in the cold, desert, forest, and water.
2014 - The former Elephant Encounter Museum received a renovation and renaming to the Lost Kingdom: Valley of the Elephant Interpretive Center. Also, Zoorassic Park, a temporary dinosaur exhibit, displayed 15 animatronic dinosaurs. As the very first exhibit of the new 20-year master plan, the Mary K. Chapman Rhino Reserve opened.
2015 - A temporary dinosaur exhibit returned for its second year as Zoorassic Park 2. The zoo's largest fundraiser Waltz on the Wild Side celebrated 25 years of fundraising. And the zoo was featured nationwide as the top Instagram location in Oklahoma.
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1927 establishments in Oklahoma
Zoos in Oklahoma
Buildings and structures in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Economy of Tulsa, Oklahoma
Natural history museums in Oklahoma
Museums in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tourist attractions in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Zoos established in 1927