Oldest Zoos in the USA

[TinoPup]

This topic seems to be a bigger debate than I thought. I knew there's a fierce debate between Philadelphia and Central Park over who is oldest, with both advertising themselves as such. While I was at Maryland Zoo (formerly called the Baltimore Zoo), I read that they're the third oldest zoo... after Philly and Cincinnati. Now I've come across an article that includes a line about the Lincoln Park Zoo being third oldest, after Philly and Central Park, with no mention of either Cincinnati or Baltimore.

What do you all think? The main element of the debate seems to be what makes something a zoo. Is it when the zoo is established? Officially opened to the public as a zoo? When somewhere starts to acquire animals for the purpose of having a zoo?

 

[ZooBinh]

I firmly believe that Philadelphia is the first and oldest zoo in America, and Cincinnati is the second-oldest. Wow, I didn't know it was that big of a deal between Central Park and Philadelphia!

 

[snowleopard]

The 2001 book Zoo and Aquarium History: Ancient Animal Collections to Zoological Gardens (edited by Vernon N. Kisling, Jr. and one of the best zoo books around) looks at the history of zoos across the globe. The Appendix lists approximately 250 American zoos and aquariums and their opening dates. I'll type out a list of some of the oldest facilities:

1859/1874 Philadelphia Zoo
1861 Central Park Zoo
1868 Lincoln Park Zoo
1872 Roger Williams Park Zoo
1873 National Aquarium (Washington, D.C.) - now permanently closed
1875 Buffalo Zoo
1875 Cincinnati Zoo
1875 Ross Park Zoo
1876 Baltimore Zoo (now the Maryland Zoo)
1882 Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
1887 Metro Washington Park Zoo (now the Oregon Zoo)
1888 Dallas Zoo
1889 National Zoo in Washington, D.C.
1889 San Francisco Zoo
1889 Zoo Atlanta
1890 Dickerson Park Zoo
1890 Saint Louis Zoo

There could even be debates about some of those dates, as the book states that "no zoological garden was established until 1874", meaning the Philadelphia Zoo. "During the 1860s, small urban menageries were established in New York (at Central Park) and Chicago, Illinois (at Lincoln Park), but these could not compare with the kind of facility Philadelphia's civic leaders were planning."

How does one choose America's oldest zoo? Apparently Lincoln Park Zoo "opened in 1868 with two pairs of mute swans" and I don't think that anyone could call that a zoo. But "by 1873 there were 27 mammals and 48 birds in the collection" and that is a full year BEFORE the Philadelphia Zoo opened in 1874. Interesting!

 

[Ned]

I'm sure someone will kindly correct me if I'm wrong but after Philadelphia Zoo was officially established, didn't the land just sit unused and undeveloped for a few years? As I understand it, a visitor to Central Park in 1862 could have viewed living exotic animals, however, a visitor to Philadelphia in the same year would only have had wasteland to look at. From that point of view I consider Central Park Zoo as the older zoo.

 

[snowleopard]

I'm sure someone will kindly correct me if I'm wrong but after Philadelphia Zoo was officially established, didn't the land just sit unused and undeveloped for a few years? As I understand it, a visitor to Central Park in 1862 could have viewed living exotic animals, however, a visitor to Philadelphia in the same year would only have had wasteland to look at. From that point of view I consider Central Park Zoo as the older zoo.

I totally agree, even though Philadelphia Zoo heavily promotes the fact that it was "America's first zoo". There was certainly a major zoo there in 1874, but by then one could argue that Central Park, Lincoln Park and Roger Williams Park were all ahead of Philly.

 

[Daktari JG]

There was no St Louis Zoo in 1890. The start was the 1904 World' s Fair
bird cage. But even then the zoo didn't start till 1910

 

[snowleopard]

There was no St Louis Zoo in 1890. The start was the 1904 World' s Fair
bird cage. But even then the zoo didn't start till 1910

You are correct and I'm not sure why the zoo has an 1890 date listed.

 

[Chlidonias]

There was no St Louis Zoo in 1890. The start was the 1904 World' s Fair
bird cage. But even then the zoo didn't start till 1910

You are correct and I'm not sure why the zoo has an 1890 date listed.

St. Louis Historic Preservation

Basically, animals had been kept at Forest Park since the 1870s. An expansion occurred in 1890 (on the site where St Louis Zoo is now) with the addition of bison, and then in 1891 they obtained a large number of animals from the closure of a zoo at nearby Fairground Park (which had also been operating since the 1870s). The zoo didn't start in 1904 - it had already been in existence for several years by the time the World Fair was held.

 

[Dyl0526]

I recently found out Buttonwood park zoo is older than franklin park zoo. I would of expected FPZ to be older since it's in the city.