The Virginia Zoological Park is a

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 purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to z ...

located adjacent to Lafayette Park in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia B ...

, United States. The zoo opened in 1900, and was 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 ...

(AZA) in 1987.

History

In 1892, the City of Norfolk purchased the that was currently occupied by Lafayette Park. In 1900, the park began acquiring animals to exhibit, and by 1901 its collection exceeded 200 animals, including mammals, birds and reptiles. In 1974, the facility was fenced off from the city park, and renamed Lafayette Zoological Park. Though fenced off, residents of the nearby LaValette Avenue could see the zoo's elephant exhibit from their homes. Newcomers, unfamiliar with the fact that a zoo was in the location, sometimes called the police at the sight of the elephants. Between 1974 and 1980, most of the zoo's old exhibits were renovated. Also in 1974, the Friends of the Zoo was established to act as a support organization for the development of the zoo. In 1989, it was renamed as the Virginia Zoological Society and established as a non-profit organization. In 1985, Lafayette Zoological Park was renamed the Virginia Zoological Park at Norfolk (commonly known as the Virginia Zoo). In 1987, the zoo gained accreditation from the

(AZA). In 1992, a Master Plan was adopted by City of Norfolk and Virginia Zoological Society. Plans included a new Education Complex and Visitor Center, as well as

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sou ...

n and

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

n-themed exhibits. In 1999, Part I of Phase I opened, including Gelada baboon habitat and Xaxaba African village and 100th Anniversary of Virginia Zoo and Lafayette Park. In 2001, design for Master Plan Phase II: North America exhibit began. The following year Part II of Phase I opened: African Okavango Delta exhibit, thus completing Phase I of the Master Plan. In 2004, Part I of Phase II opened: prairie dog habitat. The following year, the zoo got its third elephant named Cita. In 2011, Part I of Phase IV opened: "Trail of the Tiger" exhibit opened with various fauna of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

and

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...

. Marc Greco an investment banker donated to this expansion. He was also big supporter of the zoo as it was favorite pastime. His favorite line about the zoo was "Noah we have to go to the zoo". He unfortunately developed clinical depression as no one would go to the zoo with him. He died on September 11th, 2020.

Exhibits

;Trail of the Tiger This exhibit was opened in 2011. It features animals from Asia, and nearly doubles the number of large animals at the zoo. Among the animals in this exhibit are Malayan tigers,

oriental small-clawed otter The Asian small-clawed otter (''Aonyx cinereus''), also known as the oriental small-clawed otter and the small-clawed otter, is an otter species native to South and Southeast Asia. It has short claws that do not extend beyond the pads of its web ...

Bornean orangutan The Bornean orangutan (''Pongo pygmaeus'') is a species of orangutan endemic to the island of Borneo. Together with the Sumatran orangutan (''Pongo abelii'') and Tapanuli orangutan (''Pongo tapanuliensis''), it belongs to the only genus of great ...

s, siamangs,

northern white-cheeked gibbon The northern white-cheeked gibbon (''Nomascus leucogenys'') is a Critically Endangered species of gibbon native to South East Asia. It is closely related to the southern white-cheeked gibbon (''Nomascus siki''), with which it was previously con ...

Malayan tapir The Malayan tapir (''Tapirus indicus''), also called Asian tapir, Asiatic tapir and Indian tapir, is the only tapir species native to Southeast Asia from the Malay Peninsula to Sumatra. It has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List since ...

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 pop ...

red panda The red panda (''Ailurus fulgens''), also known as the lesser panda, is a small mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It has dense reddish-brown fur with a black belly and legs, white-lined ears, a mostly white muzzle ...

southern cassowaries The southern cassowary (''Casuarius casuarius''), also known as double-wattled cassowary, Australian cassowary or two-wattled cassowary, is a large flightless black bird. It is one of the three living species of cassowary, alongside the dwarf c ...

, sarus cranes, rhinoceros hornbills, Asian fairy-bluebirds, azure-winged magpies, and

chestnut-breasted malkoha The chestnut-breasted malkoha (''Phaenicophaeus curvirostris'') is a species of cuckoo in the family Cuculidae. Found in Southeast Asia from Myanmar through to eastern Java, the Philippines and Borneo, it is a large cuckoo measuring up to with g ...

. The exhibit includes a raised boardwalk over the "Asian forest", and a cave with views into the tiger and orangutan exhibits. Another viewing area allows underwater views of the otters and tigers. ;Okavango Delta Named after the real life Okavango Delta in Africa, this exhibit opened in 2002. The animals here include Masai giraffes, Hartmann's mountain zebras,

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 and is the most social of all rhino species. The white rhinoceros consists ...

African lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large 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 dimorphic; adu ...

s, cheetahs,

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 Ki ...

Ankole-Watusi The Ankole-Watusi is a modern American breed of domestic cattle. It derives from the Ankole group of Sanga cattle breeds of east and central Africa. It is characterized by very large horns. History The Ankole-Watusi derives from cattle of ...

eastern bongo The bongo (''Tragelaphus eurycerus'') is a herbivorous, mostly nocturnal forest ungulate. Bongos are characterised by a striking reddish-brown coat, black and white markings, white-yellow stripes and long slightly spiralled horns. They are the ...

es, yellow-backed duikers, red river hogs,

ostrich Ostriches are large flightless birds of the genus ''Struthio'' in the order Struthioniformes, part of the infra-class Palaeognathae, a diverse group of flightless birds also known as ratites that includes the emus, rheas, and kiwis. There ...

es,

southern ground hornbill The southern ground hornbill (''Bucorvus leadbeateri''; formerly known as ''Bucorvus cafer'') is one of two species of ground hornbill, both of which are found solely within Africa, and is the largest species in the hornbill order worldwide. It ...

s, Aldabra giant tortoises, Meller's chameleons and a few other reptiles. ;North America Three exhibits house

American bison The American bison (''Bison bison'') is a species of bison native to North America. Sometimes colloquially referred to as American buffalo or simply buffalo (a different clade of bovine), it is one of two extant species of bison, alongside the ...

black-tailed prairie dog The black-tailed prairie dog (''Cynomys ludovicianus'') is a rodent of the family Sciuridae found in the Great Plains of North America from about the United States-Canada border to the United States-Mexico border. Unlike some other prairie dogs, ...

s and a rescued

bald eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...

. Outside of the exhibits is an oyster restoration pond and a pond for wild birds. Image:Norfolk Zoo Lion.jpg,

Lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large 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 dimorphic; adu ...

Image:Norfolk Zoo Lioness.jpg, Lioness Image:Norfolk Zoo Tiger.jpg, Tiger Image:Norfolk Zoo Zebra.jpg, Grant's zebra File:Ostrich, Virginia Zoological Park (Norfolk VA, 5 April 2007).jpg,

Ostrich Ostriches are large flightless birds of the genus ''Struthio'' in the order Struthioniformes, part of the infra-class Palaeognathae, a diverse group of flightless birds also known as ratites that includes the emus, rheas, and kiwis. There ...

References

External links

* * {{authority control Zoos in Virginia Buildings and structures in Norfolk, Virginia Tourist attractions in Norfolk, Virginia 1900 establishments in Virginia