Riverbanks Zoo
 Entrance to Riverbanks Zoo and Garden |
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| Location | Columbia, South Carolina, USA |
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| Land area | 170 acres (69 ha) |
| Coordinates | 34°00′35″N 81°04′21″W / 34.009651°N 81.072436°WCoordinates: 34°00′35″N 81°04′21″W / 34.009651°N 81.072436°W |
| Annual visitors | 1,000,000+ |
| Memberships | AZA[1] |
| Major exhibits | African Plains, Aquarium Reptile Complex, Ndoki Forest, Riverbanks Farm |
| Website | www.riverbanks.org |
The Riverbanks Zoo and Garden is a 170-acre (69 ha) zoo, aquarium, and botanical garden located at 500 Wildlife Parkway, along the Saluda River, in Columbia, South Carolina, USA.
Riverbanks Zoo and Garden is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
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[edit] History
Riverbanks Zoo has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1973, and dates back to the early 19th century with South Carolina's textile industry and the American Civil War.
Riverbanks Zoo and Garden is South Carolina's largest gated attraction, averaging 1,000,000 visitors each year. Riverbanks is a four-time winner of the Southeastern Tourism Society's Shining Example Award as the southeast's top tourist attraction and a two-time winner of the SC Parks Recreation and Tourism Governor's Cup Award as South Carolina's Leading Attraction.
[edit] Animals and Exhibits
The Zoo is home to over 3,000 animals, with collections of mammals, birds, reptiles and fish. Recent additions to the Zoo include exhibits for African elephants, gorillas and koalas. The Birdhouse at Riverbanks (opened 2002) was given a Significant Achievement Award by the AZA as one of the best new zoo exhibits in the United States and features a display of king, rockhopper and gentoo penguins.
African Plains is a 2-acre (0.81 ha) exhibit featuring giraffe, Grant's zebra, and ostrich.[2]
The Aquarium Reptile Complex is a 20,000-square-foot (1,900 m2) building with a 50,000-US-gallon (190,000 L) tank for Pacific coral reef species, as well as exhibits for Galapagos tortoises, false gharials, and other reptiles.[3]
Opened in 2002,[4] Ndoki Forest houses two of the larger African species, the African elephant and western lowland gorilla, as well as de Brazza's monkey, slender-tailed meerkat, and various birds.[5] The elephants live in a 1⁄2-acre (0.20 ha) yard with a 250,000-US-gallon (950,000 L) pool.[4]
[edit] Botanical Garden
Riverbanks also has a 70-acre (28 ha) botanical garden with more than 4,200 species of native and exotic plants. A trail system lets visitors explore several kilometers of bottomland and upland mixed hardwood forests in search of the of native wildlife that call the Zoo and Garden home.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ "List of Accredited Zoos and Aquariums". aza.org. AZA. http://www.aza.org/current-accreditation-list/. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
- ^ "African Plains". www.riverbanks.org. Riverbanks Zoo and Garden. http://www.riverbanks.org/animals/africanplains.shtml. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
- ^ "Aquarium Reptile Complex (ARC)". www.riverbanks.org. Riverbanks Zoo and Garden. http://www.riverbanks.org/animals/arc.shtml. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
- ^ a b "Ndoki forest". www.riverbanks.org. Riverbanks Zoo and Garden. http://www.riverbanks.org/mediacenter/assets/files/infosheet05d.pdf. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
- ^ "Ndoki Forest". www.riverbanks.org. Riverbanks Zoo and Garden. http://www.riverbanks.org/animals/ndokiforest.shtml. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Riverbanks Zoo and Garden |
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