Indianapolis Zoo

Indianapolis Zoo

Zoo entrance
Date opened	April 18, 1964
Location	Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Land area	64 acres (26 ha)
Coordinates	39°46′1″N 86°10′37″W
Number of animals	1,500
Number of species	320
Memberships	AZA, AAM
Website	www.indianapoliszoo.com

The Indianapolis Zoo in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, first opened to the public in 1964. Its current home in White River State Park was opened in 1988 with a size of 64 acres (26 ha). The zoo hosts more than a million visitors each year and plays a role in worldwide conservation and research, including accomplishing the world’s first successful artificial insemination of an African elephant. The Indianapolis Zoo is the only institution accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and the American Association of Museums as a zoo, an aquarium, and as a botanical garden. The zoo is a private non-profit organization, receiving no tax support and is supported entirely by membership fees, admissions, donations, sales, grants, and an annual fundraiser.

The Indianapolis Zoo's stated mission is "The Indianapolis Zoo empowers people and communities, both locally and globally, to advance animal conservation."

History

The Indianapolis Zoo opened on April 18, 1964 at its original location on East 30th St. The official opening was two decades after the Indianapolis Zoological Society Inc. was formed and planning for the Zoo started. The Zoo originally featured an Asian elephant, penguins, kangaroos, foxes, raccoons, camels, bison, deer, lambs, tortoises, llamas, prairie dogs, pygmy goats, and buffalo exhibits. In 1965, the Zoo became one of few in the country to employ a full-time education staff. By the 20th anniversary of the Zoo, its animal collection had doubled in size. At this point it was determined that the Zoo needed a new location where it could continue to expand.

In 1982, international zoo, aquarium and wildlife authorities gathered to determine goals for establishing the new Zoo. It was determined that a Zoo should not only be a place to see animals, but an institution of conservation and education. That same year, White River Gardens was declared as the new site of the Zoo. The groundbreaking at the new downtown location was held in September 1985. The old Zoo closed in 1987 and opened in its new location on June 11, 1988.

After the construction of the Waters building and the Dolphin Pavilion, the Zoo earned AZA accreditation as an aquarium as well as a zoo. In 1996, the Indianapolis Zoo became the first institution to be triple accredited as a zoo, aquarium and botanical garden. White River Gardens was considered a separate attraction from 1999 to 2006, but now is included as part of the Zoo.

Biomes

The Indianapolis Zoo is organized around the concept of biomes. Biomes are areas of the planet with similar climate, plants, and animals. Animals at the Indianapolis Zoo are clustered in groups with similar habitats, which define the biomes. At the Indianapolis Zoo, one can visit the five biomes listed below.

Zoo Babies 2011

• African elephant *Birth Date: July 20, 2011 *Sex: Female *Name: Kalina *Parent: Kubwa *Location: Plains
• Addra gazelle *Birth Date: June 25, 2011 *Sex: Female *Name: Anuli *Parents: Akilah and Jack *Location: Plains
• Crowned lemur *Birth Date: May 25, 2011 *Sex: Posibly Male *Name: Unknown *Parents: Sokkwi and Tucker *Location: Not on public exhibit
• Reticulated giraffe *Birth Date: April 4, 2011 *Sex: Male *Name: Jasiri *Parent: Takasa *Location: Plains
• Ring-tailed lemur *Birthdate: March 2011 *Sexes: Possibly Males *Names: Unknown *Parents: Sona and Roy *Location: Commons
• Ring-tailed lemur *Birthdate: March 2011 *Sex: Possibly Male *Name: Unknown *Parents: Bree and Roy *Location: Commons
• Guinea baboon *Birth Date: February 16, 2011 *Sex: Male *Name: Rubani *Parent: Rachel *Location: Plains

Each of the biomes participates in conservation and breeding programs.

Forests

China Display

• Red panda
• Chinese Muntjac

Tropical Rainforest

• White handed gibbon
• Asian Small-clawed Otter
• Green Peafowl

Tiger Forest

• Amur tigers

Bats

• Small Flying Fox
• Straw-coloured Fruit Bat

Featured Exhibit

• Alaskan brown bears

Aviaries

• American Bald Eagle
• Common Raven
• Turkey Vulture

Oceans

The Oceans exhibit opened in 2007 and features the country's largest dogshark (Smooth Dogfish) touch pool as its highlight. This exhibit also holds the

Seal Lion Exhibit Above and underwater viewing

• California Sea Lion

Penguin display

• Gentoo penguin
• King penguin
• Southern Rockhopper Penguin

Other Various Exhibits

• Longhorn cowfish
• Ocellaris Clownfish
• Bat star
• Slate pencil urchin
• Chocolate chip sea star
• Orange clownfish
• Cowrie
• The True Tulip snail
• Cleaner shrimp
• Olive surgeon
• Candy stripe
• Crimson anemone
• Green Sea Urchin
• Blood sea star
• Powderblue surgeonfish
• Spotted unicornfish
• Vlaming’s unicornfish
• Bannerfish
• Bird wrasse
• Grunt sculpin
• Yellow Watchman Goby
• Neon goby
• Copperband butterflyfish
• Percula clownfish
• Bluestreak cleaner wrasse
• Christmas wrasse
• Clown tang
• Raccoon butterflyfish
• Longhorn cowfish
• Asfur Angelfish
• Yellowbar angelfish
• Indian Threadfin
• Black Triggerfish
• Blue bumphead parrotfish
• Coral Hogfish
• Atlantic trumpetfish
• Slingjaw wrasse
• Emperor Snapper
• Green Brittle Star
• Cownose ray
• Moon jellyfish
• Purplemouth moray
• Green moray
• Cleaner wrasse

Seahorse Gallery

• Longsnout seahorse
• Pot-Bellied Seahorse
• Lined Seahorse.

Marine mammals

• Polar bear
• Pacific walrus
• Harbour Seal
• Gray seal
• Bottlenose dolphin

Commons

Cafe on the Commons

• Ring-tailed lemur
• Collared brown lemur
• Chilean Flamingo

Lemur Exhibit across from Dolphin Pavilion

• Red-ruffed lemurs
• Blue-eyed black lemur

Deserts

Meerkats at the Indianapolis Zoo

In the Deserts Dome, the transparent overhead geodesic dome allows the animals to bask in natural sunlight year-round while heating and air conditioning vents hidden in the rocks regulate the temperature. Guests will also see the

Mammals

• Slender-tailed Meerkat

Tortoises and Turtles

• Australian snake-necked turtle
• Desert tortoise
• Pancake Tortoise
• Radiated tortoise

Lizards

• Blue-tongued skink
• Chuckwalla
• Grand Cayman Blue Iguana
• Giant Plated Lizard
• Inland Bearded Dragon
• Jamaican iguana
• Mali spiny-tailed lizard
• Rhinoceros Iguana

'Birds

• Double-barred Finch
• Gambel's Quail
• Gouldian finch
• Orange-cheeked Waxbill
• Red-billed Fire-finch
• Zebra Finch

Drop Dead Gorgeous Snakes

• Ball python
• Blood python
• Corn snake
• Brazilian Rainbow boa
• Central American tree boa
• East African gaboon viper
• Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake
• Eastern Garter Snake
• Emerald tree boa
• Eyelash viper
• Green tree python
• Northern copperhead
• Western cottonmouth and plenty more rare reptiles in this realistic desert experience.

Plains

Designed to be similar to Africa is the expansive Plains Biome. Upon entering the biome, visitors see

A visitor feeds a giraffe at the Zoo.

Grassland Field

• East African Crowned Crane
• Common Wildebeest
• Grant's Zebra
• Greater kudu
• Guinea fowl
• Marabou Stork
• Ostrich
• Rüppell's Vulture
• White Stork

Giraffes presented by Meijer

• Reticulated giraffes
• Addra gazelles

Race a Cheetah

• Cheetah
• Bat-eared foxes
• Eastern Yellow-billed Hornbill

Juvenile African elephant

at the Zoo]]

Warthogs

• Warthogs
• African Crested porcupines

African Lions presented by Harris Bank

• African lion

Other African Exhibits

• Southern White Rhinoceros
• Guinea baboon
• African Wild Dogs
• African elephant

Dolphin Adventure Pavilion

Dolphins and trainer

The Indianapolis Zoo has a large dolphin pavilion, which features a combination of approaches to dolphin/human interaction and some new architecture, including:

The Underwater Dolphin Dome

Recently built is a 30-foot (9.1 m) diameter, 12-foot (3.7 m) high, underwater dome placed squarely in the middle of the dolphin performance pool – a first for U.S. zoos. Opened on Memorial Day weekend 2005, zoo visitors can now view dolphins from underneath the surface of the water.

Marsh Dolphin Theater

On top of the water, the interior of the Marsh Dolphin Theater features a million-gallon plus pool and a coastal village scene, complete with buildings and wharf, where a dolphin show occurs everyday.

Dolphin In-Water Adventure

The Indianapolis Zoo has the Midwest’s only in-water dolphin program for the public, allowing guests to interact with the dolphins in their exhibit.

Rides

• Kombo Family Coaster
• White River Junction Train Ride
• Endangered Species Carousel

Conservation and research

White River Gardens

The Indianapolis Zoo has a multifaceted approach in its conservation and research efforts. The Indianapolis Zoo is the presenter of the Indianapolis Prize, an award for animal conservation. The Indianapolis Prize includes a US$100,000 cash award and the Lilly Medal, which is presented every two years to a conservationist who has made substantial contributions toward the sustainability of an animal species or group of species. The Indianapolis Zoo participates in the Species Survival Plans (SSPs) and conservation programs of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA), the national zoo membership organization of the United States. Under the auspices of the Polly H. Hix Institute for Conservation and Research, an initiative that supports the Society’s current and future research and conservation programs, the Zoo conducts research projects both in situ and ex situ on selected species. The Indianapolis Zoo also participates in three conservation and research foundations – the International Elephant Foundation (IEF), the International Iguana Foundation (IIF), and the International Rhinoceros|Rhino Foundation (IRF). The Hix Institute also supports the Tarangire Elephant Project in Tanzania to protect migration corridors from Tarangire National Park to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The Zoo has a second partnership with the IUCN – The World Conservation Union, a conservation network. The Indianapolis Zoo, in partnership with the MacArthur Foundation, is supporting the IUCN’s project documenting the known impacts of climate change on species and habitat.

Mishaps

On August 9, 2006, a truck with a shipment of 24 penguins, an octopus, and several exotic fish from the Indianapolis Zoo to Moody Gardens in Galveston, Texas, flipped over due to driver error. Several fish died immediately as their bags popped. Three Gentoo penguins were killed after being hit on the roadway. As the truck was turned back over, two Rockhopper penguins were found, one dead and one alive. A King penguin had an injured wing and two other penguins were in shock. The surviving animals were taken to a zoo near Tyler, Texas for treatment. Texas law requires that drivers of such a vehicle hold a Commercial driver's license to legally drive it, and neither of the women driving the penguins held such a license. The surviving animals eventually arrived at their destination at Moody Gardens.

On November 11, 2007, a fire broke out in the Encounters area and killed several small animals. Before 4:30 AM, it started in the Critter Corner building, and firefighters arrived within five minutes. The flame was put out within 35 minutes. However, it killed three turtles, two birds, an armadillo, a snake, several hissing cockroaches and other animals in that time, and more were treated at the zoo's hospital. The Critter Corner temporarily closed and the cause of the fire is unknown.

On January 19, 2009, 15 Bonnethead Sharks died due to a maintenance error. When the filtration system was taken offline for cleaning, the ozone valve was turned off, to prevent the sharks from suffocating. The valve was turned back on by a staff member effectively killing them.

External links

Media related to Indianapolis Zoo at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website