Henry Doorly Zoo

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Waterfall in the Lied Jungle
Waterfall in the Lied Jungle
Desert Dome
Desert Dome

The Henry Doorly Zoo, located at 3701 South 10th Street, is a zoo in Omaha, Nebraska. It is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA). Its mission is conservation, research, recreation, and education.[1]

Henry Doorly Zoo is nationally renowned for its leadership in animal conservation and research. Evolving from the public Riverview Park Zoo established in 1894, today the Zoo includes several notable exhibits. It features the largest cat complex in North America;[2] "Kingdoms of the Night" is the world's largest nocturnal exhibit and indoor swamp;[3] the Lied Jungle is the world's largest indoor rainforest, and the "Desert Dome" is the world's largest indoor desert,[4] as well as the largest geodesic dome in the world.[5][6] The Zoo is Nebraska’s number one paid attendance attraction and has welcomed more than 25 million visitors over the past 40 years.[7]

As of October 2004, the zoo had 130 acres (0.53 km²), more than 17,000 animals; 962 species; 276 species of birds and 1626 specimens; 184 species of mammals and 2025 specimens; 181 species of fish and 7600 specimens; 176 species of reptiles and 598 specimens; 103 species of invertebrates and 5000 specimens; 42 species of amphibians and 487 specimens; 44 endanged species (listed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Animals), and; 7 threatened species.[8]

Contents

[edit] History

The zoo originally began in 1894 as Riverview Park Zoo. Four years later it had over 120 animals. In 1952, the Omaha Zoological Society was created with aims to improve the zoo. In 1963, Margaret Hitchcock Doorly donated $750,000 (approximately $4.5 million in 2005 dollars). In doing so, she stipulated that the zoo be renamed in memory of her late husband, Henry Doorly, chairman of the World Publishing Company. Union Pacific helped the zoo lay down 2.5 miles (4.0 km) of track in 1968 with the inaugural run of the Omaha Zoo Railroad made on July 22, 1968.[9]

The Henry Doorly Zoo, like most zoos, is not an amusement park, although it does have two rides that circumnavigate the zoo and a carousel. The zoo is adjacent to Rosenblatt Stadium, home of the College World Series and the Triple-A Omaha Royals of the Pacific Coast League.

[edit] Building/exhibit history

The following is a selected list of when buildings and exhibits were created:

[edit] Zoo Statistics

As of January 2008, Omaha's Zoo had:

  • 130 acres (0.53 km²)
  • 17,000+ animals
  • 905 species
  • 276 species of birds and 1626 specimens
  • 184 species of mammals and 2025 specimens
  • 181 species of fish and 7600 specimens
  • 176 species of reptiles and 598 specimens
  • 103 species of invertebrates and 5000 specimens
  • 42 species of amphibians and 487 specimens
  • 50 endanged species (listed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Animals (CITE))
  • 11 threatened species (listed by the CITE)

[edit] Key Attractions

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo opened its newest exhibit in May of 2008, the Berniece Grewcock Butterfly and Insect Pavilion, featuring thousands of free-flying butterflies from around the world. Main attractions at Omaha's Zoo include the world's largest indoor rainforest, the Lied Jungle, the world's largest indoor desert, the Desert Dome, the world's largest nocturnal exhibit, Kingdoms of the Night, plus the world-class Scott Aquarium, North America's largest indoor cat complex, Hubbard Gorilla Valley and Orangutan Forest, a free-flight avairy, giraffes, elephants, rhinos and much more!

Admission to Omaha's Zoo is free to children 2 and under, $7.25 for children ages 3 to 11, $11 for adults, and $9.50 for senior citizens (62 years of age or older). A year long membership to the Zoo for the entire family is $70, during the Membership Drive and $78 after. Omaha's Zoo is open daily from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., year-round excluding Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day.

[edit] Accreditation

It is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA). The zoo's stated purpose is: conservation, research, recreation, and education.

[edit] Location

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo located next to Rosenblatt Stadium at 3701 S 10th Street. Their primary telephone number is (402) 733-8401 and website is www.omahazoo.com.

[edit] Gallery

Passage under the aquarium

Tiger at the Zoo

Inside the Desert Dome

Desert Dome at Dusk

[edit] External links

Home Page for the Henry Doorly Zoo

This article uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Henry_Doorly_Zoo. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

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