Como Park Zoo Speculative Masterplan

[Brayden Delashmutt]

After visiting the Como Park Zoo, I felt like I had a few ideas on the zoo itself and it's species collection. I loved the zoo, and the city zoo format was amazing. It may be a small zoo, but it's absolutely beautiful. The selection is probably the best I've seen in any small zoo, namely because it had a few of my favorites (wolves, polar bears) and a few unique species such as servals and green anacondas. So, without further ado, here's my VERY speculative and VERY unrealistic masterplan for this small zoo, that I figured you all would enjoy.


-Add quite a few individual changes to the zoo, including around the entrance and such. Nothing much, but a few changes to fix up some older areas of the zoo.


-Replace the reindeer with moose. Expand the moose area into the current Arctic Fox exhibit.


-Expand the current bison area into the empty paddock nearby, and expand the herd.


-Add bactrian camels near the current hoofstock paddocks.


-Add red pandas next to the Primate House.


-Combine the two polar exhibits into one, larger exhibit for one or two of the current bears. It’s not bad by any means, but polar bears being polar bears, there needs to be a bit more space


-Combine the Snow Leopard and Cougar exhibits, and replace them with a leopard or jaguar.


-Renovate the entire indoor big cat house. Move Canada Lynx into the current serval area and expand the exhibit. Add in sand cats for good measure.


-The Primate House needs quite a few upgrades. I’d end up with an exhibit roster of this


-Western Lowland Gorilla

-Ring Tailed Lemur

-Sumatran Orangutan

-Black Spider Monkey


-Keep the Savannah exhibit on the right which holds zebra, ostrich, and giraffes, but move white rhinoceros into the one on the left.


-Move spotted seals into Como Harbor. They’re a unique species not really held in America, and would be a cool addition. If there wasn’t enough room, they could replace the current pinnipeds.


-Add on to the current tropical encounters, it’s got a lot of untapped potential. Add a crocodilian of some sort, and maybe another xenarthra species like nine banded armadillos. Maybe a nocturnal area could be added on, and feature the aforementioned armadillos, sloths, porcupines, crocodilians, naked mole rats, some of the current reptiles and amphibians, bats, and owls.


-Speaking of untapped potential, the Como Town area makes up a massive portion of the zoo, and would be a great area to add on a few species. Idk if megafauna like elephants/pygmy hippos would be possible (share thoughts in the replies), but I’d still like to see a few species such as gray kangaroos, anteaters, prairie dogs, etc included here.


-Tear down the aquatics building, and add exhibits for African Penguins and Asian Small Clawed Otters where it once stood


-Besides the free flighted/waterfowl birds, the zoo is lacking in avifauna. I’d love to see eagles, macaws, or condors represented in the zoo.


-While I'd like to add a large reptile/invert collection, I might just leave that up to Snake Discovery nearby. Some sort of crocodilian would be nice tho, even tho I'm not sure where you'd house it. Thoughts?


-Add an area for people to come in contact with animals. Not a petting zoo, but some sort of stage where ambassador animals are brought out for the public.


-Revamp the wolf area. It'd be nice to have a larger pack as well.


-Free ranging peacocks would complete the city zoo vibe. Not sure if they'd do so well in the winter though…


In the end, the zoo's species roster would end up looking like this:


Tropical Discovery


*species not listed (I don't really feel like listing all fish)


Nocturnal House


Nine Banded Armadillo

Hoffmann's Two Toed Sloth

Tawny Owl

Common Wombat

Egyptian Fruit Bat

Naked Mole Rat

Prehensile Tailed Porcupine

*several reptiles and amphibians from around the zoo, including the species from tropical discovery


Chilean Flamingo (plus several other waterfowl species)


Galapagos Tortoise


Polar Bear Odyssey


Polar Bear


Northern Hoofstock


American Bison

Moose

Dall's Sheep


Bactrian Camel (in an adjacent paddock)


African Hoofstock


Plains Zebra, Reticulated Giraffe, Common Ostrich

White Rhinoceros


Primates


Western Lowland Gorilla

Black Spider Monkey

Sumatran Orangutan

Ring Tailed Lemur


Red Panda


Black Tailed Prairie Dog


Big Cats


Jaguar

Canada Lynx

Sand Cat

Siberian Tiger

African Lion


Wolf Woods


Gray Wolf


Bird Aviaries (next to wolves)


Bald Eagle (preferably rescues)

Andean Condor

Scarlet Macaw

Hyacinth Macaw


Como Harbor


Spotted Seal (keep the other species if that works best, I'm just partial to the species and would like to see them in American zoos)


African Penguin


Asian Small Clawed Otter


previous como town…


Red Kangaroo


Giant Anteater


Asian Elephant (???)


Pygmy Hippopotamus (???)

 

[Brayden Delashmutt]

I'd love if someone that knows more about the zoo could comment on this topic. It'd be great to see

 

[birdsandbats]

Moose are not an easy species to just swap into a random hoofstock yard. They needs lots of space and a pool.

 

[Dhole dude]

I'm glad to see you take interest in Como! Even though I find Como a fairly bland & ordinary facility (At least compared to the nearby Minnesota Zoo), it is one of my home zoos and I still have a soft spot for it. So, as a regular visitor, I thought I would give my thoughts on your ideas.

-Replace the reindeer with moose. Expand the moose area into the current Arctic Fox exhibit.

As birdsandbats said, Moose would be ill-fit for this enclosure, not to mention they are already held at the nearby Minnesota Zoo.

-Add bactrian camels near the current hoofstock paddocks.

Where exactly would this be? I don't think there is any space in this area that would be suitable to house another species of ungulate, let alone Camels!

-Add red pandas next to the Primate House.

Again, where exactly would this be? The outdoor Primate cage? Across from the Flamingo yard?

-Combine the two polar exhibits into one, larger exhibit for one or two of the current bears. It’s not bad by any means, but polar bears being polar bears, there needs to be a bit more space

I don't really see how this could be achieved, considering the holding building goes right down the middle in between the exhibits.

-Renovate the entire indoor big cat house. Move Canada Lynx into the current serval area and expand the exhibit. Add in sand cats for good measure.

I don't see why Servals should be replaced by Canadian Lynx. Lynxes can withstand Minnesota's winters, thus not needing to be confined indoors, and that they already have an excellent enclosure at the Minnesota Zoo.

-The Primate House needs quite a few upgrades. I’d end up with an exhibit roster of this


-Western Lowland Gorilla

-Ring Tailed Lemur

-Sumatran Orangutan

-Black Spider Monkey

Although I agree the Primates Building needs an overhaul, I don't see why it needs to sacrifice half of it's species to do so? Also, Why chose Ring-Tailed Lemur (A species also held by Minnesota) instead of the currently held Blue-Eyed Black Lemur?

-Keep the Savannah exhibit on the right which holds zebra, ostrich, and giraffes, but move white rhinoceros into the one on the left.

If anything, The Savannas are a little on the small side, so and expansion for the existing species would be preferable to bringing in new ones. I guess Rhinos could maybe work, but there would have to be some heavy alterations to the indoor holding to accommodate them.

-Add on to the current tropical encounters, it’s got a lot of untapped potential. Add a crocodilian of some sort, and maybe another xenarthra species like nine banded armadillos. Maybe a nocturnal area could be added on, and feature the aforementioned armadillos, sloths, porcupines, crocodilians, naked mole rats, some of the current reptiles and amphibians, bats, and owls.

I'd have to agree about tropical encounters, there is a lot more that could be done with the space. Although I don't think there is enough space for both a nocturnal section and a crocodilian exhibit. The zoo already has a pair of Six-Banded Armadillos, so it would probably be an easy fix to make a small side exhibit for them.

-Speaking of untapped potential, the Como Town area makes up a massive portion of the zoo, and would be a great area to add on a few species. Idk if megafauna like elephants/pygmy hippos would be possible (share thoughts in the replies), but I’d still like to see a few species such as gray kangaroos, anteaters, prairie dogs, etc included here.

As much as I would love for the zoo to bulldoze Como Town, it is a huge source of revenue for the zoo and therefore will probably be a mainstay for the foreseeable future. And that is a big no on the Elephants. Not only is there not nearly enough space, but Elephants likely would not take to kindly to Minnesota's harsh winters.

-Tear down the aquatics building, and add exhibits for African Penguins and Asian Small Clawed Otters where it once stood

This doesn't make much sense when you consider Minnesota has two Otter species as well as African Penguins. If anything, they should probably just bulldoze the awful penguin enclosure for another aquatic display.

-Besides the free flighted/waterfowl birds, the zoo is lacking in avifauna. I’d love to see eagles, macaws, or condors represented in the zoo.

This is something I definitely agree with you on. The is far to few Avifauna outside Tropical Encounters, and there is still some unused space near the entrance that could be used for that purpose.

-Revamp the wolf area. It'd be nice to have a larger pack as well.

As nice as Wolf Woods is, considering the exhibit was recently split in two, it probably makes most sense to demolish the first exhibit and replace it with more animal space at this point.

-Combine the Snow Leopard and Cougar exhibits, and replace them with a leopard or jaguar.

I don't see why Snow Leopard's need to be phased out? Como has had breeding success with the species and they are well suited for their enclosure.

 

[Brayden Delashmutt]

Interesting input, tbh I actually preferred Como to Minnesota, idk why. Maybe it was just my experience there getting to see a few species up close, but I absolutely had a great time.

As birdsandbats said, Moose would be ill-fit for this enclosure, not to mention they are already held at the nearby Minnesota Zoo.

Honestly, I wonder if American Elk or Pere David’s Deer could work here too. Thoughts?

Again, where exactly would this be? The outdoor Primate cage? Across from the Flamingo yard?

Yeah, around that area. I was surprised Minnesota didn’t keep them, so one of the two zoos needs to

I don't see why Servals should be replaced by Canadian Lynx. Lynxes can withstand Minnesota's winters, thus not needing to be confined indoors, and that they already have an excellent enclosure at the Minnesota Zoo.

The serval enclosure isn’t the best IMO, and after a bit more thought I thought that maybe they could just be replaced with some sort of smaller felid/viverrid. I’m not a huge fan of the exhibit

Although I agree the Primates Building needs an overhaul, I don't see why it needs to sacrifice half of it's species to do so? Also, Why chose Ring-Tailed Lemur (A species also held by Minnesota) instead of the currently held Blue-Eyed Black Lemur?

Once again, fair point. I’m just not sure how much room would be left in the building. I forgot to include the black lemur, was going to add them alongside ring tailed.

If anything, The Savannas are a little on the small side, so and expansion for the existing species would be preferable to bringing in new ones. I guess Rhinos could maybe work, but there would have to be some heavy alterations to the indoor holding to accommodate them.

Indeed there would be, I just think it’s a bit sad that the state has no rhinos…

I'd have to agree about tropical encounters, there is a lot more that could be done with the space. Although I don't think there is enough space for both a nocturnal section and a crocodilian exhibit. The zoo already has a pair of Six-Banded Armadillos, so it would probably be an easy fix to make a small side exhibit for them.

True, aren’t they being kept in the big cat house? I thought I saw a sign for them, though I thought it was temporary

As much as I would love for the zoo to bulldoze Como Town, it is a huge source of revenue for the zoo and therefore will probably be a mainstay for the foreseeable future. And that is a big no on the Elephants. Not only is there not nearly enough space, but Elephants likely would not take to kindly to Minnesota's harsh winters.

Yeah, that’s fair. Though out of curiosity, does anyone know how many acres that space is? What species do you think could hypothetically be housed there?

This doesn't make much sense when you consider Minnesota has two Otter species as well as African Penguins. If anything, they should probably just bulldoze the awful penguin enclosure for another aquatic display.

Since Minnesota already holds African penguins, I think the building could just be bulldozed and redone to be a decent sized exhibit for Antarctic penguins. Thoughts?

As nice as Wolf Woods is, considering the exhibit was recently split in two, it probably makes most sense to demolish the first exhibit and replace it with more animal space at this point.

Yeah. Actually, could there be room to add in another medium sized carnivore, say, painted dogs, maned wolves, or hyenas?

I don't see why Snow Leopard's need to be phased out? Como has had breeding success with the species and they are well suited for their enclosure.

That’s fair also, however I feel like jaguars are just vastly underrepresented in zoos in the area (though for good reason I’m sure) and thought that they would be a decent fit. If not, I think that the cougar and snow leopard habitats could be combined to either rotate the species or just hold one-IMO, they aren’t big enough.

Once again, thanks for the input

 

[Brayden Delashmutt]

Moose are not an easy species to just swap into a random hoofstock yard. They needs lots of space and a pool.

True. Could they be replaced with Pere David’s Deer or Elk? I love reindeer, but I feel like they’re a much more basic choice compared to other cervids that could hypothetically be held there.

 

[birdsandbats]

True. Could they be replaced with Pere David’s Deer or Elk? I love reindeer, but I feel like they’re a much more basic choice compared to other cervids that could hypothetically be held there.

Both of these require more space than Reindeer. Elk much more so then Pere David's Deer.

 

[Brayden Delashmutt]

Both of these require more space than Reindeer. Elk much more so then Pere David's Deer.

True. What other species would you advise?

 

[Aardwolf]

That’s fair also, however I feel like jaguars are just vastly underrepresented in zoos in the area (though for good reason I’m sure) and thought that they would be a decent fit. If not, I think that the cougar and snow leopard habitats could be combined to either rotate the species or just hold one-IMO, they aren’t big enough.

Once again, thanks for the input

Just a thought, but if you are concerned about the space available for cougar and snow leopard, combining them and rotating the species on exhibit probably isn't the solution you're hoping for. Yes, the exhibit space would be larger, but whichever cat would not be on exhibit would be having to spend more time in holding, which is generally a smaller, less-complex, less-stimulating environment.

In cases where you have an existing exhibit and worry that it's not enough space, best options are to either a) combine adjacent exhibits and reduce the number of species, b) replace larger species with smaller ones, or c) both.

 

[Brayden Delashmutt]

Just a thought, but if you are concerned about the space available for cougar and snow leopard, combining them and rotating the species on exhibit probably isn't the solution you're hoping for. Yes, the exhibit space would be larger, but whichever cat would not be on exhibit would be having to spend more time in holding, which is generally a smaller, less-complex, less-stimulating environment.

In cases where you have an existing exhibit and worry that it's not enough space, best options are to either a) combine adjacent exhibits and reduce the number of species, b) replace larger species with smaller ones, or c) both.

Yeah, I think it COULD work to keep them both there. There is a little room left over near there too, it seems.

 

[Brayden Delashmutt]

@Dhole dude sorry, the quotation isn’t working lol

Again, where exactly would this be? The outdoor Primate cage? Across from the Flamingo yard?

Around that area, hopefully.

Although I agree the Primates Building needs an overhaul, I don't see why it needs to sacrifice half of it's species to do so? Also, Why chose Ring-Tailed Lemur (A species also held by Minnesota) instead of the currently held Blue-Eyed Black Lemur?

Yeah, I forgot to add them. I’ll add them to the list.

If anything, The Savannas are a little on the small side, so and expansion for the existing species would be preferable to bringing in new ones. I guess Rhinos could maybe work, but there would have to be some heavy alterations to the indoor holding to accommodate them.

Also, out of curiosity, how many acres is Como Town?

This doesn't make much sense when you consider Minnesota has two Otter species as well as African Penguins. If anything, they should probably just bulldoze the awful penguin enclosure for another aquatic display.

Fair, maybe add a building with Antarctic penguins?

This is something I definitely agree with you on. The is far to few Avifauna outside Tropical Encounters, and there is still some unused space near the entrance that could be used for that purpose.


As nice as Wolf Woods is, considering the exhibit was recently split in two, it probably makes most sense to demolish the first exhibit and replace it with more animal space at this point.

Would there be enough room in this area for another medium sized carnivore (hyenas, maned wolves, etc)

Anyways, thanks for the input!

 

[Gondwana]

Here's some historical context on some of these ideas...

-Replace the reindeer with moose. Expand the moose area into the current Arctic Fox exhibit.

The zoo kept moose in these yards in the 1970s. More recently, in the 1990s/2000s, they had Tufted Deer in the current Arctic Fox exhibit, which worked ok.

-Expand the current bison area into the empty paddock nearby, and expand the herd.

This paddock is already used by the bison as a secondary enclosure, and is presumably kept for management purposes to allow for shifting and separation when needed.

-Add bactrian camels near the current hoofstock paddocks.

There isn't any flat space where another hoofstock paddock could be built in this part of the zoo. However, (Dromedary) camels are former residents of the old hoofstock barn and more recently the zoo kept a camel for a while in the African hoofstock exhibit as a seasonal time share with the giraffes, exhibiting the camel outdoors in the winter and indoors in the summer. Something like that could presumably be done again depending on whether there's sufficient off-exhibit holding for the number of individuals in the African hoofstock building.

-Combine the two polar exhibits into one, larger exhibit for one or two of the current bears. It’s not bad by any means, but polar bears being polar bears, there needs to be a bit more space

These can already be managed as a single space by keeping the shift doors open, and for most of the existence of the exhibit it has functioned as a single combined enclosure. If they were separated when you visited recently it was probably because the zoo recently obtained new bears and they weren't ready to live together yet.

-Combine the Snow Leopard and Cougar exhibits, and replace them with a leopard or jaguar.

Jaguar was planned for the building when it was originally built in the late 1970s. The building does have two indoor exhibits that can hold warm-climate cats in the winter (e.g, lion and jaguar). Ultimately the zoo decided to exhibit Snow Leopards instead of Jaguar, I’d guess because they are better suited to the climate.

-The Primate House needs quite a few upgrades. I’d end up with an exhibit roster of this



-Western Lowland Gorilla


-Ring Tailed Lemur


-Sumatran Orangutan


-Black Spider Monkey

The zoo has proposed to upgrade the orangutan exhibit in recent applications for state funding. Ring-tailed lemurs were kept here for a long time (until the 2000s) before being replaced by the black lemurs.

-Keep the Savannah exhibit on the right which holds zebra, ostrich, and giraffes, but move white rhinoceros into the one on the left.

Rhino were included in a 1975 master plan but removed from an amended 1978 master plan when it was deemed that the zoo didn't have enough space for adequate housing.

-Move spotted seals into Como Harbor. They’re a unique species not really held in America, and would be a cool addition. If there wasn’t enough room, they could replace the current pinnipeds.

Would probably work fine. Pinnipeds can be mixed successfully and the zoo currently holds 3 species without issue.

-Add on to the current tropical encounters, it’s got a lot of untapped potential. Add a crocodilian of some sort, and maybe another xenarthra species like nine banded armadillos. Maybe a nocturnal area could be added on, and feature the aforementioned armadillos, sloths, porcupines, crocodilians, naked mole rats, some of the current reptiles and amphibians, bats, and owls.

In the existing footprint it would probably be possible to replace the tortoises with a small armadillo species or replace anaconda with dwarf caiman. Other species would need a new building.

-Speaking of untapped potential, the Como Town area makes up a massive portion of the zoo, and would be a great area to add on a few species. Idk if megafauna like elephants/pygmy hippos would be possible (share thoughts in the replies), but I’d still like to see a few species such as gray kangaroos, anteaters, prairie dogs, etc included here.

The operators of Como Town have a long-term contract with the city so the rides are legally required to stay in place for the foreseeable future.

-Tear down the aquatics building, and add exhibits for African Penguins and Asian Small Clawed Otters where it once stood

If outdoor penguin or otter exhibits were built, it would make more sense to house winter-hardy species.

-Besides the free flighted/waterfowl birds, the zoo is lacking in avifauna. I’d love to see eagles, macaws, or condors represented in the zoo.

Before the Main Building was converted to office space it sometimes exhibited Red-tailed Hawk in one of the old outdoor cages and Amazon parrots in the lobby. These days, the most straightforward way to exhibit parrots would be to get a smaller/less destructive species for Tropical Encounters. There is certainly enough outdoor space scattered around the zoo for a raptor aviary or two.

-While I'd like to add a large reptile/invert collection, I might just leave that up to Snake Discovery nearby. Some sort of crocodilian would be nice tho, even tho I'm not sure where you'd house it. Thoughts?

The zoo formerly had alligators, which were mixed with monkeys and pinnipeds (seriously) in the now-demolished monkey/seal island. Later on, in the 1980s alligators were exhibited in the indoor pinniped exhibit during the summer when the pinnipeds were outside. In the 1990s the zoo advertised a plan to construct an alligator exhibit near where the giant tortoises are exhibited now but it never happened. If a future exhibit was to be built I’d guess they would probably put it somewhere in the flamingo/duck/tortoise area though.

-Add an area for people to come in contact with animals. Not a petting zoo, but some sort of stage where ambassador animals are brought out for the public.

The zoo uses the entry building/visitor center to bring out ambassador animals.

-Revamp the wolf area. It'd be nice to have a larger pack as well.

This actually received some minor modifications within the last 1-2 years.

-Free ranging peacocks would complete the city zoo vibe. Not sure if they'd do so well in the winter though…

The zoo had free-ranging peacocks until around the early 2000s. Not sure why they were gotten rid of.

 

[Brayden Delashmutt]

Here's some historical context on some of these ideas...



The zoo kept moose in these yards in the 1970s. More recently, in the 1990s/2000s, they had Tufted Deer in the current Arctic Fox exhibit, which worked ok.




This paddock is already used by the bison as a secondary enclosure, and is presumably kept for management purposes to allow for shifting and separation when needed.




There isn't any flat space where another hoofstock paddock could be built in this part of the zoo. However, (Dromedary) camels are former residents of the old hoofstock barn and more recently the zoo kept a camel for a while in the African hoofstock exhibit as a seasonal time share with the giraffes, exhibiting the camel outdoors in the winter and indoors in the summer. Something like that could presumably be done again depending on whether there's sufficient off-exhibit holding for the number of individuals in the African hoofstock building.




These can already be managed as a single space by keeping the shift doors open, and for most of the existence of the exhibit it has functioned as a single combined enclosure. If they were separated when you visited recently it was probably because the zoo recently obtained new bears and they weren't ready to live together yet.




Jaguar was planned for the building when it was originally built in the late 1970s. The building does have two indoor exhibits that can hold warm-climate cats in the winter (e.g, lion and jaguar). Ultimately the zoo decided to exhibit Snow Leopards instead of Jaguar, I’d guess because they are better suited to the climate.




The zoo has proposed to upgrade the orangutan exhibit in recent applications for state funding. Ring-tailed lemurs were kept here for a long time (until the 2000s) before being replaced by the black lemurs.




Rhino were included in a 1975 master plan but removed from an amended 1978 master plan when it was deemed that the zoo didn't have enough space for adequate housing.




Would probably work fine. Pinnipeds can be mixed successfully and the zoo currently holds 3 species without issue.




In the existing footprint it would probably be possible to replace the tortoises with a small armadillo species or replace anaconda with dwarf caiman. Other species would need a new building.




The operators of Como Town have a long-term contract with the city so the rides are legally required to stay in place for the foreseeable future.




If outdoor penguin or otter exhibits were built, it would make more sense to house winter-hardy species.




Before the Main Building was converted to office space it sometimes exhibited Red-tailed Hawk in one of the old outdoor cages and Amazon parrots in the lobby. These days, the most straightforward way to exhibit parrots would be to get a smaller/less destructive species for Tropical Encounters. There is certainly enough outdoor space scattered around the zoo for a raptor aviary or two.




The zoo formerly had alligators, which were mixed with monkeys and pinnipeds (seriously) in the now-demolished monkey/seal island. Later on, in the 1980s alligators were exhibited in the indoor pinniped exhibit during the summer when the pinnipeds were outside. In the 1990s the zoo advertised a plan to construct an alligator exhibit near where the giant tortoises are exhibited now but it never happened. If a future exhibit was to be built I’d guess they would probably put it somewhere in the flamingo/duck/tortoise area though.




The zoo uses the entry building/visitor center to bring out ambassador animals.




This actually received some minor modifications within the last 1-2 years.




The zoo had free-ranging peacocks until around the early 2000s. Not sure why they were gotten rid of.

Thank you so much. This will be very useful. Do you have a roster of species you recall being kept at the zoo?

 

[Gondwana]

Thank you so much. This will be very useful. Do you have a roster of species you recall being kept at the zoo?

Well, the zoo is 125 years old so it's held many species no longer present. Limiting things to larger species held 1980 or later (e.g., ignoring smaller herps, birds, fish, etc. which tend to change rapidly), the list is as follows:

Large Cats - Aardvark (as a temporary summer exhibit).
Wolf Woods - none (but before 1980 this was a deer/elk yard).
African Hoofstock - Grevy's Zebra, Sable Antelope, Greater Kudu, Lesser Kudu, Dromedary Camel, Black Crowned Crane, Demoiselle Crane, Wattled Crane, Yellow-billed Stork (terrarium changes not listed).
Old Hoofstock Barn - Tammar Wallaby, Miniature Horse, Tufted Deer, Mountain Goat (many other species before 1980 including Moose, Llama, Elephant, Red Kangaroo).
Bears - Grizzly Bear, Kodiak Bear (other bear species were also held before 1980). Note that this was in a set of 3 bear grottoes that were demolished alongside the old Polar Bear exhibit to build the existing exhibit.
Aquatic Animals/Seal Island - American Alligator, American White Pelican, Double-crested Cormorant, Common Murre (various fish not listed but formerly included native, African Rift Lake, and Indo-Pacific mangrove aquaria). Seal Island was demolished in the 2010s to build Como Harbor. Before 1980 Seal Island was called Monkey Island and usually had Rhesus Macaque.
Bird Yard - American Flamingo, many species of duck (up to perhaps 15-20 species simultaneously), Southern Screamer, Blue Peafowl (free-ranging).
Primates - Ring-tailed Lemur, Brown Lemur, Cotton-top Tamarin, Geoffroy's Tamarin, Common Woolly Monkey, Diana Monkey, DeBrazza's Monkey, Francois' Langur.
Main Building (no longer used for animals) - Red-tailed Hawk, Amazon Parrot, and education animals post-1980. Before 1980 this was a typical city zoo menagerie-style building and was where the big cats and primates were kept alongside a random assortment of other species. Examples of species once held here that the zoo hasn't kept in a long time include Jaguar, Sun Bear, Chimpanzee, Lar Gibbon, and Hamadryas Baboon.
Visitor Center/Tropical Encounters - anchor species (Anaconda, Turtles, Pacu, Stingray, Sloth) are the same as when the building opened, but there's been turnover in the smaller things.

 

[Brayden Delashmutt]

Moose, Llama, Elephant, Red Kangaroo

Excuse me, ELEPHANTS were kept there?

 

[Gondwana]

Excuse me, ELEPHANTS were kept there?

Yes, they kept two juvenile Asian Elephants in the early/mid 70s which were each sent out after a few years.

 

[Brayden Delashmutt]

Yes, they kept two juvenile Asian Elephants in the early/mid 70s which were each sent out after a few years.

...wow. interesting, but also kinda sad

 

[Aardwolf]

It was very common for even the smallest of zoos to have a juvenile elephant or two back in the day. What is now the flamingo exhibit at the Salisbury Zoo, to name one tiny zoo, briefly held a young Asian elephant (donated by a local car dealer)