Dallas Zoo Vintage!

[TerraFera]

I found these two cool videos on YouTube from 1968 and 1970 of the Dallas zoo. It's pretty neat to see what animals they used to house and how dismal the old enclosures used to be. I wish I could pinpoint where some of the animals were housed on the zoo map. Does anyone know, for example, where the bears used to be exhibited?

Zoo in 1968

Two year later (1970)

I've also attached an old zoo map from what appears to be the mid-to-late 80s advertising the new Wilds of Africa exhibit for 1989.

 

[TerraFera]

Tasmanian Devils

Apparently Dallas used to have Tassie devils. Attached is an old press photo showing one of the devils and detailing how Dallas came to possess them.

 

[vogelcommando]

Thank you for sharing these most intresting videos !
To be a bear or macaw in the late 1960-ties, beginninng 1970-ties must have been not a lot of fun at Dallas Zoo !
Also very intresting is the bathing gorilla and the number of gorillas they had at that time ( Dallas zoo was among the fist US-collections to breed gorillas ).

 

[jbnbsn99]

Bears were where the tiger/otter exhibits are now. From what I've been told, the polar bears were where the otters are today.

 

[jbnbsn99]

Interesting note, the flamingoes show in the video are the same that are at the zoo today.

 

[vogelcommando]

The wild donkeys in the second clip are they Onagers or another species ?

 

[cleusk]

Does anyone know, for example, where the bears used to be exhibited?

Well, the monkeys were inside the building where the Tamarins now live. They were also located outside on the left and right. The red pandas, prairie dogs, cavi, and some other small mammals were located nearby in a present-day closed-off area next to the petting zoo. The gorillas were located in a building which was located in the present day children's zoo, approximately where the pony ride and far right section of the horse barn now stand. The bears were located on the left side of the pathway that leads to the otter exhibit. To get to the exact area, you would have to go through the large wooden gate. To get to the old area used for the hoofed animals, you would have to get through the big gate on the right ride of the kangaroo/wallaby exhibit. Camels were up there along with the rhinos, cassowarry, ostrich, antelope, and children's zoo. There used to be a midway in the area which is now the excess parking area/west entrance area. Rheas used to be on one side of the big mammal building, which is now where they have the train ride. Bib mammal building used to have pigmy hippos and one hippopottamus who was called Papa.

 

[UngulateNerd92]

The wild donkeys in the second clip are they Onagers or another species ?

Yes, they were Persian onagers (Equus hemionus onager).

 

[UngulateNerd92]

I found these two cool videos on YouTube from 1968 and 1970 of the Dallas zoo. It's pretty neat to see what animals they used to house and how dismal the old enclosures used to be. I wish I could pinpoint where some of the animals were housed on the zoo map. Does anyone know, for example, where the bears used to be exhibited?

Zoo in 1968

Two year later (1970)

I've also attached an old zoo map from what appears to be the mid-to-late 80s advertising the new Wilds of Africa exhibit for 1989.

I will say, the Antelope Row, number 12 on your 1980s map was converted into a row of primate exhibits in 1990. Most of the hoofstock shown in your videos (ie Persian onagers, Axis deer, and Beisa oryx etc.) would have been on The Hill where the Okapi and Zebra are listed on your map. The Hill was closed off to the public in 2009 or 2010 if memory serves me right. I believe the plan is to turn the hill into an Asian complex that would include taxa like Orangutans and Javan banteng.