Talk Bronx New York

A red eyed tree frog that makes it’s home in the Bronx. The Bronx Zoo is celebrating its 110th birthday this year.

A red ruffled lemur mesmerizes with giant golden eyes

When the Bronx Zoo first opened its gates to the public in 1899, William McKinley was in the White House, the first city subway line was being dug, and the paperclip had just been patented. So much has changed since, but the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo remains an integral part of New York City’s character.

A Palawan peacock is one of the zoo’s feathered inhabitants.

In honor of the largest metropolitan zoo in the United States turning 110 years old, here’s a list of 110 things every New Yorker should know about the Bronx Zoo.

1. The Bronx Zoo opened to visitors on November 8th, 1899.
2. On opening day, the zoo featured 843 animals in 22 exhibits.
3. The zoo borders the south side of the New York Botanical Garden.
4. Most of the land on which the zoo was built was previously owned by Fordham University.
5. Fordham sold it to the city for only $1,000 with the stipulation that the lands be used for a zoo and garden.
6. More than 236 million guests have visited the zoo since its opening.
7. With 265 acres, the Bronx Zoo is the largest metropolitan zoo in the United States.
8. The zoo employs over 750 full-time staff per year.
9. Theodore Roosevelt and William Hornaday, the Bronx Zoo’s first director, helped form the American Bison Society (ABS) at the zoo in 1905.
10. The buildings in Astor Court were designed by the firm of Heins & Lafarge, who also designed the original plans for the cathedral of St. John the Divine in Manhattan’s Morningside Heights. Read more..

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Swans, deer, antelope and bats are among the animals being moved out as zoos struggle with shrinking budgets

Faced With Budget Shorfalls, Zoos and Aquariums Tighten Belts

You know times are tough when swans, deer and antelope join the ranks of the unemployed.

As the recession forces states and municipalities to trim budgets and tighten their belts, zoos, aquariums and other “living museums” have had to make difficult choices. In some cases, the most difficult of all: closing down exhibits and moving the animals out.

Earlier this week, one of the most renowned zoos in the country, New York’s Bronx Zoo, announced that as the 114-year-old institution grapples with a $15 million budget shortfall, hundreds of animals would be shipped to zoos and aquariums around the country, the New York Post reported. Read more..

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 Many business are feeling the economic pinch, and the country’s largest city zoo is no exception; in fact, they’ll actually be forced to evict some of their residents due to budget cuts.

Officials at the Bronx Zoo say they have to send deer, foxes, and some other creatures away to zoos across the country.

Officials say also they plan to close four exhibits, including the World of Darkness, which features bats, porcupines, and night monkeys.

The news may come as a shock to the more than two million people who visited the zoo last year. Read more..

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The recession is evicting hundreds of animals from the Bronx Zoo.

Cash-strapped zoo officials told a New York City Council committee Thursday that they need to send away deer, bats, foxes, antelopes and other creatures to zoos around the country.

Officials say they’re also closing four exhibits to close a $15 million budget shortfall.

The 114-year-old institution is the country’s largest city zoo. More than 2 million people visited last year.

The exhibits that are closing include World of Darkness, which includes bats, porcupines and primates including night monkeys.

Three other exhibits that are home to antelope, deer and a South American relative of the llama are also going away Read more..

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Growing up near New York City, school field trips to the Bronx Zoo were a regular thing; I don’t think a year went by in elementary school when we didn’t go to the zoo.  Additionally, with grandparents who were members, there were a lot of non-school trips there as well.

The Bronx Zoo is a place I remember fondly, and consequently, on a recent trip back to the area, I went with my wife (who also grew up going there on a regular basis) and my two-year-old daughter, who had never been.  The day started out well enough, with my daughter going through the Children’s Zoo, examining all the various birds and ducks and wallabies.  Though she was a little young to read about all the animals, she had no trouble trying to perform the same six-foot standing jump a bullfrog can achieve (she was unsuccessful).  And, while they may have been a mite scary, feeding the goats and sheep proved just as fun to her as I remember it being.

Then, with newly arrived grandparents in tow, we marched off to the Bronx Zoo’s brand-new (as of this past June) Madagascar! exhibit.  Housed in the zoo’s famous Lion House which was constructed in 1903, the exhibit focuses on the animals, wildlife, and dangers facing the third largest island on the planet.  This last bit the exhibit manages to convey in a sensible way, explaining the issues and using some visuals, but without ever making the future seem unremittingly bleak.

Organized by the Wildlife Conservation Society which manages the Bronx Zoo, Madagascar! features, among other things, many varieties of lemur, some of which are easier to spot than others; some truly outstandingly colorful tomato frogs; 100,000 Madagascar hissing cockroaches; and a crocodile pool.  In this fantastic pool there are two massive crocodiles and a variety of fish.  Though the pool is large – it holds 17,000 gallons of water – the crocodiles seemed as though they were close enough to touch and, when they started moving, many of the kids in a passing school group were noticeably startled.  Looking at the crocs looking at us, one never felt unsafe (the glass is two inches thick), but still got the impression that they would snack on us if they could. Read more..

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