Central Park Zoo
Posted by: 
HaLiJuSaPa
N 40° 46.055 W 073° 58.295
18T E 586795 N 4513465
This is the famous Central Park Zoo on the corner of Fifth Ave and 64th St. in Manhattan.
Waymark Code: WM5TB
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 01/08/2006
Views: 73
New York City actually has 5 zoos, one in each of the 5 boroughs. Four of them are run by an organization called the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), the main (and by far the largest) being the Bronx Zoo, with smaller "satellite" zoos in Prospect Park in Brooklyn, Central Park (this waymark) and in Flushing Meadow Park in Queens. The Staten Island Zoo (already waymarked) is run by a different organization.
The Central Park Zoo is the oldest zoo in New York, having first opened way back in 1864 and was then called "the Menagerie". In 1934 it was renamed the "Central Park Zoo".
In the 1960s and 70s the city focused most zoo funding on the larger Bronx Zoo, and the Central Park Zoo fell into disrepair.
In 1980, WCS took over management of zoos in 4 of the 5 boros. It left the Bronx Zoo open and closed the other 3 for long-term renovation projects. The Central Park Zoo was the first of these to reopen, in 1988 (the other two re-opened 4 years later). In 1997, a separate Children's Zoo was added.
While the Polar Bears are the most noteworthy exhibit, an interesting side attraction is a pair of the oldest sea lions in captivity in the United States, both of whom just reached 30 years old.
Zoo Website address: [Web Link]
Admission Cost: 6.00 (listed in local currency)
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Visit Instructions:
Please tell us a story about your visit to the zoo and the date of your visit. Additional photos, especially animals, are appreciated, but not required.