Did you know Pennsylvania is home to the first zoo in the United States?
(WHTM) – There are over 10,000 zoos in the world and over 2,400 in America. But did you know that the first zoo in the United States was in Pennsylvania?
The Philadelphia Zoo is considered the first zoo in America, but it isn’t the oldest zoo in the United States.
According to Oldest.org, the oldest zoo in America is the Central Park Zoo in New York City which opened in 1864 and has over 150 species of animals.
The Philadelphia Zoo opened on July 1, 1874, is 42 acres, and has around 1,700 animals, and over 340 species.
So why does the Philadelphia Zoo consider itself the “first zoo in America?”
They can call themselves the first zoo in America because the charter for the zoo was signed on March 21, 1859, according to the Philadelphia Zoo.
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So the next question would be, why did it take 15 years to open the zoo?
The answer is quite simple, the American Civil War delayed the opening.
The Philadelphia Zoo states that they had the first successful orangutan and chimpanzee births in the United States, was the first zoo to build an on-site animal care center in the world, developed the first specially formulated foods for zoo animals, and opened the first Children’s Zoo in America.
The ten oldest zoos in America are (according to Oldest.com):
Central Park Zoo (Opened in 1864)
Lincoln Park Zoo (Opened in 1868)
Roger Williams Park Zoo (Opened in 1872)
Philadelphia Zoo (Opened in 1874)
Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden (Opened in 1875)
Buffalo Zoo (Opened in 1875)
Binghamton Zoo at Ross Park (Opened in 1875)
Maryland Zoo in Baltimore (Opened in 1876)
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (Opened in 1882)
Oregon Zoo (Opened in 1888)
Tickets for the Philadelphia Zoo are $18 for adults (ages 12+), $18 for children (ages 2-11), and free for children under two. Tickets can be found here.
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