Brookfield Zoo Chicago facts for kids
Brookfield Zoo Chicago, North Gate
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| Date opened | July 1, 1934 |
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| Location | Brookfield, Illinois, United States |
| Land area | 216 acres (87 ha) |
| Coordinates | 41°49′58″N 87°50′00″W / 41.832671°N 87.833462°W |
| No. of animals | 2300 |
| No. of species | 450 |
| Annual visitors | 2.2 million |
| Memberships | AZA |
Brookfield Zoo Chicago, also known as the Chicago Zoological Park, is a large zoo located in Brookfield, Illinois, near Chicago. It is home to about 450 different kinds of animals and covers 216 acres. The zoo first opened on July 1, 1934. It quickly became famous around the world for using moats and ditches instead of cages. These helped separate animals from visitors and from other animals.
Brookfield Zoo was also the first zoo in America to show giant pandas. One of these pandas, named Su Lin, is now on display at Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History. In 1960, the zoo built the first indoor dolphin exhibit in the country. Later, in the 1980s, the zoo opened Tropic World. This was the first fully indoor rainforest simulation. At the time, it was the largest indoor zoo exhibit in the world.
The Forest Preserve District of Cook County owns Brookfield Zoo Chicago. The Chicago Zoological Society manages it. This society also supports many research and animal protection projects worldwide.
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History of Brookfield Zoo
The land for Brookfield Zoo was given by Edith Rockefeller McCormick in 1919. She received it as a wedding gift from her father. The Cook County Forest Preserve District added more land to this gift. In 1921, the Chicago Zoological Society was created.
Building the zoo started seriously in 1926. This was after a special zoo tax was approved. Construction slowed down during the Great Depression. But it picked up speed again by late 1931. The zoo officially opened on July 1, 1934. By the end of September that year, over one million people had visited. Just two years later, the zoo welcomed its four millionth visitor.
The 1950s brought new additions to the zoo. These included a hospital for animals and a children's zoo. The famous central fountain was also added. The zoo faced some challenges in the 1960s. However, new funding and better management helped it become one of the best zoos in the nation again. Tropic World, the huge indoor exhibit, opened in phases between 1982 and 1984. It featured areas for Africa, Asia, and South America.
In its early years, the zoo had a small train. This train carried guests around the park. It went from the North Gate to the old dolphin habitat. Bison lived on a small prairie. You could only see them from the train. This train was removed in the mid-1980s. However, the paths it used are still there for service vehicles. The old North Gate station is now a snack stand.
In the early 2000s, the zoo made many big improvements. They built the Hamill Family Play Zoo. They also added the Regenstein Wolf Woods and a butterfly tent. New sheltered areas for groups were built. The zoo also got the largest hand-carved wooden carousel in the United States.
Great Bear Wilderness opened in 2010. This is a large, new exhibit for grizzly and polar bears. It cost $27.3 million to build. Several older buildings were also updated. They now show animals based on their natural homes, called ecosystems. Examples include the Living Coast, the Swamp, and the Clouded Leopard Rain Forest. Other areas are Desert's Edge, the African Savanna and Forest, and Australia House.
The zoo's reptile house was the first building to open in 1934. It closed in 2005. It was then changed into the Mary Ann McLean Conservation Leadership Center. This center does not have live animals. Instead, it teaches about the zoo's important work in protecting wildlife.
The Pachyderm House was closed for a year in 2011. It was updated and no longer has African elephants or river hippopotamuses. A pygmy hippo named 'Banana' arrived at the zoo in May 2022.
The Children's Zoo opened in August 1953. It was replaced in 2013. A new area called Wild Encounters opened on July 1, 2015. This area has a red panda, reindeer, Llamas, Bennet's wallabies, Nigerian dwarf goats, and a free-flight parakeet aviary.
The zoo also has a beautiful fountain. It is named after Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States. Sometimes, the water from the fountain can shoot up to 60 feet high!
The zoo has only closed a few times in its history. These closures were due to severe weather or flooding. It also closed from March 19 to July 1, 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In September 2023, the zoo received a huge donation of $40 million. This was the largest private gift in its history.
Cool Animals (Past and Present)
- Ziggy was a very large male Asian elephant. He weighed 6.5 tons!
- Binti Jua is a famous female western lowland gorilla.
- Cookie was a Major Mitchell's cockatoo. He lived at the zoo from its opening in 1934 until he passed away in 2016.
People Who Helped the Zoo
Chicago cartoonist John T. McCutcheon was the president of the Chicago Zoological Society from 1921 to 1948. He helped build the zoo and guided it through its early years. He also helped during the war years when fewer people visited.
George B. Rabb was the director of Brookfield Zoo Chicago from 1976 to 2003. He started at the zoo as a researcher.
Protecting Animals Around the World
Brookfield Zoo Chicago has a special project in Punta San Juan, Peru. This project helps protect animals there. Disney World even gave a $25,000 grant for this work. This helped the Chicago Zoological Society (CZS) get permission to work in this protected area.
The CZS has hired local people to help with conservation research. They collect samples from animals like South American sea lions, Inca terns, and the endangered Humboldt penguins. This information helps them learn about the ocean and observe different species. It also helps them keep track of animal populations. The project's findings help us understand more about the ocean. This knowledge helps save endangered species. The team also works with groups of children. They help clean up garbage that washes onto the beaches from the Pacific Ocean.
How the Zoo Works
Brookfield Zoo Chicago gets money from different places. This includes money from tickets and things visitors buy. They also get money from taxes and membership fees. People and companies also give donations.
In 2010, Governor Pat Quinn gave Brookfield Zoo Chicago $15.6 million. This money helped repair and update many parts of the zoo. It also helped improve the north entrance.
The Chicago Zoological Society hosts events to raise money. These events have collected large donations. Many volunteers also help the zoo. In total, 808 volunteers give over 74,000 hours of their time each year. This is like donating $1.86 million worth of work!
The zoo helps the local economy by about $150 million each year. It also supports 2,000 jobs and welcomes around 2.2 million visitors annually.
Images for kids
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Entrance to Brookfield Zoo Chicago, c. 1930s
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Zookeeper with baby animals, c. 1940s
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Dolphinarium, 2000
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Ground hornbill (Bucorvidae) with trainer
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Hamill Family Play Zoo entrance
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Rhino exhibit
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Humboldt penguins at the Living Coast exhibit
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Giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata)
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Gorilla at the zoo
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Orangutans
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Peacock near pond
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Polar bear exhibit
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Zebra feeding on hay
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Dolphin show
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American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)
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