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Blank Park Zoo

Coordinates: 41°31′10″N 93°37′27″W / 41.519318°N 93.624206°W / 41.519318; -93.624206
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Blank Park Zoo
Map
41°31′10″N 93°37′27″W / 41.519318°N 93.624206°W / 41.519318; -93.624206
Date openedMay 8, 1966[1]
LocationDes Moines, Iowa, USA
Land area22 acres (8.9 ha)[1]
No. of animals1,400+
No. of species100+
MembershipsAZA[2]
Major exhibitsAfrican Boardwalk, Australia Trails, Discovery Center, Rocky Shores Seal/Sea Lion Pool, Great Cats, Alpine Trails, Kids Kingdom
Websitewww.blankparkzoo.com

Blank Park Zoo is a 22-acre (8.9 ha) zoological park on the south side of Des Moines, Iowa near historic Fort Des Moines. The zoo is a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and is the only accredited zoo in Iowa.[citation needed]

Early years

In 1963, Mr. A.H. Blank donated $150,000 for the construction of a children's zoo on decommissioned Fort Des Moines property. The Des Moines Children’s Zoo was officially opened on May 8, 1966. It was originally designed around nursery rhymes and included a castle with moat, a replica of Noah's Ark, petting zoo and miniature railroad.

Over the next 16 years the city failed to make improvements to the zoo and was on the verge of closing until in 1981 a group of civic minded business leaders formed the Blank Park Zoo Foundation to help save the zoo. The Foundations number one goal was to provide financial support for capital improvements, animal acquisitions and promotional and marketing activities. The Foundation succeeded by forming a partnership with the City of Des Moines that resulted in a $1.8 million dollar bond referendum, as well as an additional $1.4 million dollars from the community. Finally at the end of 1982 the zoo closed for some much needed renovations.

Post renovation

On May 17, 1986 the new and improved Blank Park Zoo reopened, and officially became an AZA accredited zoo. The renovated Zoo had a new mission of conservation, education and recreation, and featured geographic themed exhibits with spacious, naturally landscaped environments. In 1995 the Blank Park Zoo Foundation purchased 25.3 acres (10.2 ha) of additional historic Fort Des Moines property and 9 historic buildings for future growth and expansion of the Zoo. It also began a capital campaign to build a new great cats exhibit and a 30,000-square-foot (2,800 m2) indoor Discovery Center exhibit. On May 1, 1999 the Tom and Jo Ghrist Great Cats exhibit opened and on September 1, 2001, the Blank Park Zoo opened the Myron & Jackie Blank Discovery Center which has become a popular year round attraction. On July 1, 2003 the Blank Park Zoo Foundation officially accepted all responsibility of the management and operations of the zoo from the City of Des Moines. In October 2003 the first Zoo CEO, Terry Rich, was hired and has opened the door to further growth and development, and on May 8, 2006 the zoo successfully celebrated 40 years.[1]

Future plans

On December 15, 2006, Blank Park CEO Terry Rich unveiled a huge expansion plan to the county planning board that would require help from 12 local entities to complete. One huge stumbling block however is the estimated $50 million dollar price tag. The completed expansion would include:[3]

  • An expanded world class “modern” zoo to include updating the current zoo and adding additional land for new exhibits.
  • Establishing a “conservation/education” headquarters for K-12 students and early childhood organizations which would also educate the public about the historic values of Fort Des Moines.
  • Designate county park preserve, wetland preserve, and a new neighborhood playscape park.
  • A partnership with south side businesses, including Southridge Mall, to revitalize southern Polk County’s economic development.
  • A partnership with the Des Moines School District to include relocation of the Central Campus Marine Biology program and a diving pool for Iowa’s EMT and Police departments.
  • Establishment of an international festival grounds for state-wide events.
  • Historic living area to include a grand entrance and bandshell.
  • The south side bike trail and a trail hub for southern Polk County.
  • An endangered species conservation facility.

Animals

The Blank Park Zoo contains a variety of wildlife in several various exhibits:

Discovery Center

Wied's Marmoset in the Discovery Center

The Discovery Center is an entirely enclosed area you encounter first when you enter the zoo and contains many different types of animal and plant life. The Discovery Center itself is broken down into separate sections to create a unique viewing experience:

The Cave

Alpine Trails

This section of the Discovery Center houses the zoo's Red Panda pair. Cane, the male, was born at the Knoxville Zoo in Tennessee June 20th, 2002. The female, Kitar, was born at the Wellington Zoo Trust in New Zealand December 8th, 1999. Both were sent to the Blank Park Zoo in 2009.

Golden Headed Tamarin Enclosure

The zoo houses a pair of Golden Headed Tamarin's, native to Brazil. The Golden-headed lion tamarin pair shares an exhibit with the Linnaeus's two-toed sloth. The exhibit is located next to the Amazon Pool in the Discovery Center.

Free Range Aviary

Amazon Pool

Contact Area

Great Cats

Marine Animals

The new Seal/Sea Lion pool opened March 17th, 2012. The exhibit features a high rise viewing area, as well as an underwater viewing area where you can view the zoo's three California Sea Lion and two Harbor Seals named Ross & Meru. Ross and Meru were orphaned and sent to the zoo in December 2011 from the Vancouver Marine Animal Hospital.

African Boardwalk

Primates

The zoo houses three primate species. Two of which are included in the zoo's Species Survival Plans. These Primates include:

  • Ring-tailed Lemur (Lemur catta)
  • White-handed Gibbon or "Lar Gibbon" (Hylobates lar)
  • Japanese Macaque - The zoo houses a large troop of Macaques. The zoo also housed the oldest Japanese Macaque in North America, named "Baldy" who died at the zoo recently. The Japanese Macaque exhibit is undergoing renovations and is a major exhibit at the zoo.

Miscellaneous Animals

David Kruidenier Australia Adventure

Completed in July 2011, this Australian-themed section of the zoo is the newest section at the zoo. Australia adventure brings you into the great Australian outback, which includes a Australian themed barn, and many Australian animals including:

American Bald Eagles

In June 2007, the Blank Park Zoo added the William C Knapp Family American Bald Eagle Exhibit. The birds are a pair from the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. The birds are so called "rehab" birds that were injured in the wild and rescued, but they couldn't make it on their own in the wild. According to the rules of keeping Bald Eagles, all feathers shed by the birds must be collected and sent to a place that distributes them to Native Americans[citation needed].

Kids' Kingdom

In late June 2007, the Zoo, The Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute and hundreds of volunteers around Des Moines built the new Kids' Kingdom playground. It includes 5,600 sq ft (520 m2) of slides, mazes, monkey bars, sand pits, fossil digs and more. The Kids' Kingdom area also includes many for "contact animals" which includes, sheep, goats, llamas, miniature donkeys, koi fish, and a Zebu. Another fun new attraction is the mining sluice.

Conservation programs

Starting in 1997, The Blank Park Zoo Conservation Committee has raised funds for a wide variety of worldwide conservation projects. The primary projects of the Committee must be international, must focus on protecting animals or their natural ecosystems, and must also have some tie to the Blank Park Zoo. Money is collected through various means such as children's face painting, special event raffles, and coin donation buckets.

In 2012, the Conservation Committee participates in 5 projects:

  • The International Snow Leopard Trust - to protect the natural habitat of snow leopards
  • Hornbill Nest Protection - to prevent illegal poaching of hornbills
  • The Great Ape Trust - aimed to rescue orangutans and bonobos in areas of deforestation and poaching
  • Panamanian Golden Frogs - aimed to sponsor a program to release captive frogs into the wild
  • Species Survival Plan - aimed to save endangered species from becoming extinct.

Notes

  1. ^ a b c "Zoo History". blankparkzoo.com. Blank Park Zoo. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
  2. ^ "Currently Accredited Zoos and Aquariums". aza.org. AZA. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
  3. ^ "Expansion News". blankparkzoo.com. Blank Park Zoo. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
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