HISTORY OF THE MARYLAND ZOO IN BALTIMORE

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1 The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore was created in 1876 by an Act of the Maryland General Assembly that called for a zoological collection within the limits of Druid Hill Park for the purpose of public exhibition for the instruction and recreation of the people. With the stroke of a pen, legislators set an informal menagerie of animals in the park on the path to becoming a formal zoological institution. The Maryland Zoo celebrated its 130 th anniversary in It is the third oldest zoo in the United States, preceded only by those in Philadelphia (1873) and Cincinnati (1874). Its original name was The Baltimore Zoo; the name was changed to The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore in 2004 to represent service as an educational institution to the state. The Maryland Zoo is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). An inventory of the Zoo s collection from 1880 lists 17 species, including hundreds of deer, 13 monkeys, two black bears, two wolves, one tiger, one alligator, two boa constrictors, and one three-legged duck. The Zoo s early collection also included a flock of sheep used to mow the grass. Profits from shearing the sheep went to the city treasury. The Zoo s animal collection now looks quite different from its earliest version. Today, the Zoo is home to more than 1,500 animals representing nearly 200 species. Management and Funding of the Zoo Upon creation, the Zoo was managed by the Division of Recreation and Parks of Baltimore City. In 1967, the Baltimore Zoological Society (since renamed the Maryland Zoological Society, or MZS) was formed to assist the Zoo with fundraising and other problem resolution. That same year, the Zoo began offering unlimited free admission to Maryland school groups and has continued to do so every year since. In 1984, the MZS took over formal operations of the Zoo through a complex lease arrangement between Baltimore City and the State of Maryland. This marked a shift from public to private management. However, the Zoo continues to rely on a combination of public and private funds to operate. Principal contributors of public funds are the state of Maryland, the city of Baltimore, Baltimore County, and other government entities, in that order. Financial conditions of the Zoo have traditionally been closely tied to financial conditions in the state. A long-term goal of the Zoo s management team and board of directors is to achieve a viable balance of public and private funding, and begin to build an endowment fund, that will allow the Zoo to sustain financial health and stability even through significant economic downturns. Architecture at the Zoo Many buildings and other structures on Zoo grounds today date to the 19 th century. These include the Mansion House, the Maryland House, the Waterfowl Lake Pavilion and Boat House, the pavilion near the leopard exhibit, and both the Round Cage and the Round Stand in the Main Valley, which is currently closed to the public. The Mansion House was built in 1801 by Colonel Nicholas Rogers, whose family estate occupied the land that was to become Druid Hill Park. Colonel Rogers supposedly built the cupola on the roof of the mansion so that he could watch his ships coming into harbor. In 1860, Lloyd Nicholas Rogers, the colonel s only son, sold the mansion and all surrounding land to the city of Baltimore in The land Updated 03/12/2010 Page 1

2 became Druid Hill Park. The mansion was renovated in 1863 and turned into a public pavilion. It has served a number of purposes over the years, including restaurant (1934) and aviary (1950s). Currently, the Zoo s administrative and volunteer offices are located in the Mansion House, and its porch is rented out for special events. The Maryland Building was relocated to Zoo grounds after its use in housing the state s contribution to the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. For a time it served as a natural history museum. It housed curiosities that have been gradually collecting in one of the basement rooms under the portico of the Pavilion [Mansion House]. In April 1877, Otto Lugger was appointed Naturalist in charge of the museum at a salary of $400 per year. A blue whale skeleton was mounted in the Center Hall. Exhibits portraying Maryland wildlife, along with an extensive rock and mineral collection, were placed throughout the building. The Maryland Building now houses the Zoo s Education Department. The outside of the building was renovated and painted the original colors in In the Main Valley, the oldest part of the Zoo (which is currently closed to the public), are two structures of architectural significance: the Round Cage and the Round Stand. The Round Cage was built in 1876 and is the oldest enclosure at the Zoo. The Round Stand was one of the original buildings constructed by Colonel Rogers on his estate. It was first used as a covered hitching post for horses. In 1880 it was converted to display monkeys and later became a concession stand. The Zoo s first Elephant House, also in the Main Valley and across from the former polar bear and prairie dog exhibits, was completed in The cage line and dens in the Main Valley were completed in The original polar bear and sea lion (later prairie dog) exhibits were completed in Evolution of the Zoo By the early 1900s, public interest in the Zoo had waned and the institution had entered a period of prolonged decline. The animal collection was shrinking and the Zoo itself suffered from competition from nearby private zoos. There was a burst of public interest in the early 1920s when the Zoo was acquiring its first elephant, Mary Ann. School children collected pennies and lobbied hard to get the city to purchase an elephant for the Zoo. Mary Ann purportedly played a role in getting Howard W. Jackson elected mayor of Baltimore in He won popular support by siding with city children and campaigning for an elephant at the Zoo something that city administrators initially resisted. Public apathy kicked in again, though, and by 1947 the Baltimore Zoo was rated among the smallest and poorest zoos in the country. When Arthur Watson, the Zoo s first permanent director, took over in 1948, he began to turn things around. Watson made a Reptile House out of the short-lived Baltimore Aquarium building near Zoo grounds. This building originally served as a pumping station for the Druid Hill Park Reservoir and was restored in 1938 to become Baltimore s first aquarium. Watson also launched a traveling zoo to take animals to local playgrounds, schools, and other venues. Among the traveling animal collection were rabbits, turtles, guinea pigs, woodchucks, raccoons, and even a baby coyote. The traveling zoo was the Updated 03/12/2010 Page 2

3 predecessor to today s popular ZooMobile program run by the Zoo s Education Department. ZooMobile is on the road year-round visiting schools, libraries, and other community gathering places across the state. Every year, ZooMobile staff present over 600 programs featuring live animals that are carefully crafted to educate, entertain, and involve audiences of all ages. Watson was a showman who knew how to capture public attention. In 1949, he made a star of Babs the Baboon on his weekly television program, This Is Your Zoo. Betsy the painting chimpanzee followed. Today, many animals in the Zoo s collection of traveling Animal Ambassadors are media veterans, just as Babs and Betsy were. They demonstrate to thousands the wonder of wildlife, and they gain local and national recognition for the Zoo as well. They are important players in the Zoo s marketing and education programs, and they win over audiences by being entirely themselves. By the mid-1950s, under Watson s direction, the Zoo s collection had grown to over 1,000 animals. Several buildings and exhibits were also added, and construction at the Zoo continued in the years to come. Significant additions to the campus during the Watson years include Rock Island in 1960 (which is now home to the largest captive population of African penguins in North America), the original Children s Zoo in 1963, and the Giraffe House in The Zoo opened its first naturalistic exhibit the Kodiak Bear exhibit, which has since been re-purposed as Prairie Dog Town in 1975, thus making its first move away from traditional zoo exhibitry, which at the time amounted to sterile tile or cement enclosures behind glass or iron bars. The shift to naturalistic exhibits at the Zoo has been ongoing ever since. In the mid-1970s, the Zoo s Centennial Master Plan calling for naturalistic exhibits was implemented. The first such project was the African Plains Exhibit, which involved a modification of the existing Giraffe Yard and the creation of an adjacent Lion Habitat. Since then, numerous other naturalistic exhibits have opened throughout the Zoo, including the Elephant habitat in 1986; the Sitatunga Waterfall Exhibit in 1987; the six-acre African Watering Hole in 1992; the Leopard Lair and Chimpanzee Forest in 1995; the Cheetah Savannah in 1998; the Maryland Bog exhibit in 1999; the Warthog Exhibit in 2000; Polar Bear Watch in 2003; and Prairie Dog Town in The Maryland Bog exhibit deserves special note because it exemplifies a wetlands restoration right on Zoo grounds. The bog exhibit is on the site of a natural marsh that for many years was filled in and used for other purposes, but was restored to wetlands in Polar Bear Watch is also an exhibit worthy of special mention because it incorporates naturalistic design with a story line that celebrates the species on exhibit in their natural environment. Signage throughout the exhibit draws visitors attentions to the amazing survival skills of animals adapted to life in the Arctic. This emphasis on raising guests awareness not only for animals but for the habitats from which they come is evident in many other exhibits throughout the Zoo. The Zoo s Mission Updated 03/12/2010 Page 3

4 The Maryland Zoo s stated mission is to engage people with the wonder of the living world and to inspire and educate people to join with it in the active support and conservation of wild life and wild places. This mission is ambitious and, in reality, even more complex. The Zoo aims to give guests a terrific experience every time they come here, and for different guests that can mean different things. Connecting with wildlife, learning about conservation and the environment, and feeling more in touch with nature are all aspects of a positive experience, but enjoying time with family or friends, having a chance to talk with Zoo staff or volunteers, and getting through the Zoo as comfortably and easily as possible are also important elements of a terrific experience. Beyond serving its guests, the Zoo is also dedicated to being a first-rate animal care facility, an advocate for animals in the wild, a supporter of wildlife conservation locally and globally, and a compelling cultural asset in the city of Baltimore and state of Maryland. The Zoo is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The Zoo continues to meet or exceed every standard for animal care imposed by government agencies and by the AZA. The Zoo also meets high standards set by the AZA for education and volunteer programs (and, in fact, was specifically commended by the AZA for these programs in the most recent accreditation review.) The Zoo is an active participant in breeding programs for several endangered or threatened animals, including elephants, chimpanzees, polar bears, and African penguins. The Zoo is also involved in numerous wildlife conservation efforts both locally and globally. One of the most significant of these is Project Golden Frog, of which the Zoo is a founding member. Project Golden Frog brings together a consortium of Panamanian and U.S. institutions that is trying to prevent the extinction of Panamanian golden frogs. (Soon to be on exhibit in the Chimp Forest.) Education at the Zoo Public education is a critical component of both a terrific guest experience and fulfillment of the Zoo s mission. The Zoo s Education Department provides guests with many opportunities during the course of a Zoo visit to learn informally about animals on exhibit, wildlife conservation, and other topics of interest. Informal education at the Zoo takes place in many ways, including through exhibit signage, impromptu conversations with volunteers, Keeper Chats, Wild Encounters, education stations, puppet shows, visits to Base Camp Discovery, and visits to our three Education Outposts based in Maryland Wilderness, Polar Bear Watch, and African Journey. Since 2002, the Zoo has created some particularly unique and exciting education opportunities through its partnership with Polar Bears International, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to conservation through education and research. Our partnership has included signage projects, developing curriculum for middle school teachers for the PBI website, inviting local students to participate in a distance learning program and the annual live video stream of wild polar bears on the tundra near Hudson Bay Updated 03/12/2010 Page 4

5 into our Tundra Buggy. Since 2004, the Zoo has sponsored a Maryland high school student or a Zoo animal keeper to travel to Churchill and participate in PBI s one-week Leadership Camp. TIMELINE 1967: Formation of the then Baltimore Zoological Society, now called the Maryland Zoological Society, to assist with problem resolution and funding of the Zoo 1970: perimeter fence installed 1975: the Kodiak Bear exhibit opens. Also, the Zoo s Centennial Master Plan calling for naturalistic exhibits is implemented. 1983: Brian Rutledge is appointed as Director. 1984: Construction of the Veterinary Hospital 1984: The Maryland Zoological Society takes over formal operations of the Zoo 1985: The Elephant and Hippo habitats open 1987: The Sitatunga Waterfall Exhibit opens : The new Children s Zoo and Maryland Wilderness Exhibit opens. 1992: The African Watering Hole opens. 1993: The Schaefer Plaza Entrance is completed. 1995: Roger Birkel is appointed Executive Director. 1995: The Leopard Lair and Chimpanzee Forest open. 1996: Completion of a new Master Plan for the Zoo 1998: The Cheetah Savannah opens. 1999: The Maryland Bog Exhibit opens. 2000: The Warthog Exhibit opens. 2002: Elizabeth Billie Grieb is appointed Zoo President/CEO. 2002: Okapi exhibit opens. 2003: Polar Bear Watch exhibit opens. Updated 03/12/2010 Page 5

6 2006: Red-ruffed lemur exhibit opens. 2007: Completion of Elephant Barn renovation. With acquisition of two more African elephants in winter 2007, Zoo s elephant herd grows from 2 adult females to 3 adult females plus 1 adult male. 2008: Donald Hutchinson is appointed Interim Zoo President/CEO. 2008: Samson the elephant is born at the Zoo, making Zoo history (and growing Zoo herd to five)! 2008: Completion of African Aviary renovation. 2009: Village Green renovated. 2009: Prairie Dog Town exhibit opens. 2010: Donald Hutchinson is appointed Zoo President/CEO. 2013: Work begins on the new Penguin Exhibit, due to open in fall Updated 03/12/2010 Page 6