Cleveland Metroparks Zoo facts for kids
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Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Entrance
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| Date opened | 1882 |
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| Location | Cleveland, Ohio, United States |
| Land area | 183 acres (74 ha) |
| Coordinates | 41°26′49″N 81°42′43″W / 41.447°N 81.712°W |
| No. of animals | 3000 |
| No. of species | 600 + |
| Annual visitors | 1,227,593 (2007) |
| Memberships | AZA |
The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is a huge zoo in Cleveland, Ohio. It covers about 183 acres! This zoo is home to over 3,000 animals from more than 600 different species. It's known for having one of the biggest collections of primates in North America.
The zoo is split into cool areas like the Australian Adventure, African Savanna, Northern Wilderness Trek, The RainForest, and the new Asian Highlands. It's a super popular place to visit in Northeast Ohio, with over a million visitors each year. The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo first opened way back in 1882.
Contents
A Look Back: Zoo History
The Cleveland Zoo started in 1882. It was first called the Cleveland Zoological Park. Back then, it was located at Wade Park, where the Cleveland Museum of Art is now. At first, it only had animals found in the local area.
In 1907, the zoo moved to its current spot in Old Brooklyn. This is when it got its first elephant! Over the years, new exhibits were built. These included Monkey Island, sea lion pools, and a special bear area. By 1940, the zoo had three elephants. The Cleveland Museum of Natural History then took over running the zoo.
Between 1955 and 1975, the zoo grew a lot. But there were some tough times, like a big flood in 1959. This flood caused the zoo to lose its reptile collection and some buildings. It took 30 years for the zoo to get a permanent reptile collection again, when The RainForest opened.
Many new buildings and exhibits have been added since then:
- The Primate & Cat Building (1975), with the Aquatics section added in 1985.
- The RainForest (1992).
- Wolf Wilderness (1997).
- Australian Adventure (2000).
- The Sarah Allison Steffee Center for Zoological Medicine (2004).
- African Elephant Crossing (2011).
- Ben Gogolick Giraffe Encounter (2015).
- Rosebrough Tiger Passage (2016).
- Asian Highlands (2018).
- Rhino Reserve (2020).
Important Zoo Buildings and Exhibits
Here's a timeline of when some key parts of the zoo were built:
- 1882: Cleveland Zoological Park opens at Wade Park.
- 1884: Wade Hall is built.
- 1907: The zoo moves to its current location.
- 1934: Monkey Island is finished.
- 1956: The Pachyderm Building is built.
- 1970: Wade Hall moves to its spot by Waterfowl Lake.
- 1975: Work begins on the Primate & Cat Building.
- 1985: The Aquatics part is added to the Primate & Cat Building.
- 1992: The RainForest is completed.
- 1997: Wolf Wilderness is completed.
- 2000: Australian Adventure is completed.
- 2004: Sarah Allison Steffee Center for Zoological Medicine opens.
- 2008: Pachyderm building closes for African Elephant Crossing.
- 2011: African Elephant Crossing opens.
- 2015: Ben Gogolick Giraffe Encounter opens.
- 2016: Rosebrough Tiger Passage opens.
- 2018: Asian Highlands opens.
- 2019: Monkey Island is taken down for the rhino reserve.
- 2020: Rhino Reserve opens.
Meet the Leaders: Zoo Directors
Many people have helped lead the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. Some have even won special awards for their work!
Past Directors
Dr. Leonard Goss (7th Director)
Dr. Goss was a veterinarian who led the Cleveland Zoo until 1979. He also worked at the Bronx Zoo and was president of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). He did important research on animal health.
Steve H. Taylor (9th Director)
Steve H. Taylor started his zoo career as an animal keeper in 1972. He later became the director of the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo for 24 years. He helped make many improvements for both the animals and the staff.
Explore the Exhibits
The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is divided into different areas. Each area shows animals from a specific part of the world. When you enter, you arrive at the Welcome Plaza. Here you'll find places to eat and a gift shop.
You can walk around the zoo, or you can ride the "ZooTram." This tram takes visitors between different parts of the park.
The RainForest
The RainForest opened in 1992 and is one of the zoo's most popular spots. It's a huge, two-story building. It has over 2 acres of space, making it one of the biggest indoor tropical environments in the world! The RainForest is home to more than 10,000 plants and over 600 animals. These animals come from the tropical areas of Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
When you enter, you'll see a 25-foot waterfall and a big tropical garden. The building has an outer ring with plants, small mammals, a cafeteria, and a gift shop. The inner area has the main animal exhibits. You can see animals on both floors!
A special part of the RainForest is the "Tropical Rain Storm." It's like a real rainforest island where it rains periodically. You can see Indian crested porcupines here.
The main animal in the RainForest is the Bornean orangutan. The zoo has four of them! Other animals include straw-colored fruit bats, giant anteaters, capybaras, scarlet ibis, two-toed sloths, Ocelots, Clouded leopards, poison dart frogs, macaws, mouse deer, reticulated pythons, Asian small-clawed otters, fishing cats, and gharials.
African Savanna
The African Savanna is near the zoo's entrance. Here you can see African lions, flamingos, giraffes, zebras, bontebok, black rhinos, and colobus monkeys. The African Elephant Crossing area has elephants and meerkats. Baby rhinos, Lulu and Nia, were born here in 2018!
The Sarah Allison Steffee Center for Zoological Medicine This center opened in 2004. It's a special animal hospital with medical, lab, and surgery rooms. It even has a CT scanner, which was the first for a zoo hospital! You can learn about animal care at the Reinberger Learning Lab. You might even see a surgery happening!
African Savanna and Ben Gogolick Giraffe Encounter This area has large yards for many mammals and birds. You can see Masai giraffes, Grant's zebras, ostriches, and different kinds of storks. In 2015, the Ben Gogolick Giraffe Encounter opened. Now, you can buy leaves to feed the giraffes!
African Elephant Crossing Opened in 2011, this elephant exhibit cost $25 million! It made the elephants' living space four times bigger. This allows the zoo to have a herd of eight to ten African elephants. The exhibit has two large areas with deep ponds for swimming. The areas are also heated for winter. Sometimes, the elephants walk across the path between their areas, giving you a close-up view! This exhibit also introduced meerkats, naked mole rats, and an African rock python.
Australian Adventure
The Australian Adventure is an 8-acre area. It looks like the Australian outback! Here, wallaroos, kangaroos, Emus, and wallabies roam freely in Wallaby Walkabout. You can learn about sheep shearing at Kookaburra Station. You can also get close to Southdown sheep, goats, and Alpacas in the Contact Yard. This area also has a 55-foot Yagga Tree with animal exhibits and a fun snake slide for kids. This area might be closed in colder weather.
Gum Leaf Hideout In Koala Junction, Gum Leaf Hideout is home to koalas, Matschie's tree-kangaroos, and short-beaked echidnas. You can learn about how cutting down trees affects Australian animals.
Wallaby Walkabout and Boomerang Railway This area looks like the Australian outback. You can walk on paths shared with kangaroos, wallabies, and wallaroos from April to October. There's also a train ride through the exhibit.
Yagga Tree The Yagga Tree is a 55-foot tall artificial Baobab tree. It's a highlight of the Australian Adventure. Inside, you'll find exhibits for a prehensile-tailed skink, a cane toad, and a sugar glider.
Wilderness Trek
The Wilderness Trek is home to animals that like cold weather. You can see Siberian tigers, grizzly bears, Tufted deer, Reindeer, and red-crowned cranes. These animals stay active outdoors all year. The California sea lion and harbor seal exhibits have big pools for them to play in. The zoo has one of the largest collections of bear species in North America! This includes grizzly bears, Andean bears, Malayan sun bears, North American black bears, and sloth bears. A baby sloth bear, Shala, was born here in 2019!
Wolf Wilderness Wolf Wilderness shows you the environment of a northern forest. The Wolf Lodge is a learning center where you can watch Mexican gray wolves, beavers, and other wetland animals. You can see the wolves through large windows. Cameras let you see them even when they are far away.
The exhibit also has a 65,000-gallon pond. You can see Canadian beavers and bald eagles. The beaver habitat has special windows so you can see their nest inside!
Rosebrough Tiger Passage Opened in 2016, this exhibit has four connected areas for the zoo's Amur tigers. They can even use two overhead pathways!
Asian Highlands Asian Highlands opened in 2018. It has bigger habitats for snow leopards, Amur leopards, red pandas, and takins. Three snow leopard cubs were born here in 2018!
Primate, Cat & Aquatics
This building opened in 1975. It has one of the biggest collections of primate species in North America! You can see western lowland gorillas, New World monkeys, aye-ayes, and different kinds of lemurs. Some primates are also in the RainForest.
In 1985, the Cleveland Aquarium closed and gave its fish and invertebrates to the zoo. A part of this building was changed to create the Aquatics section. It now has 35 salt and freshwater exhibits. You can see piranhas, a giant Pacific octopus, electric eels, and hundreds of living coral.
You can also see outdoor exhibits here, like the gorilla area and fossas. The zoo's slowest resident, the Aldabra giant tortoise, lives across from its fastest, the cheetah! Some of these tortoises are over one hundred years old.
Waterfowl Lake
Waterfowl Lake is home to Chilean flamingos, Black swans, and trumpeter swans. In summer, Müller's gibbons and lemurs live on the lake's islands. They use ropes to swing between them! You can also see birds like Andean condors and Steller's sea eagles in big outdoor cages. The Public Greenhouse nearby has many tropical plants and a seasonal butterfly exhibit. Wade Hall, one of the oldest zoo buildings, is by the lake. Today, it's an ice cream parlor!
Zoo Recognition
The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is one of five major zoos in Ohio. Ohio is known as a "Zoo State" because it has so many great zoos! In 2014, USA Today named the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo as one of the top zoos in the nation.
Famous Animals
Timmy (Gorilla)
Timmy was a very famous gorilla at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. He later moved to the Bronx Zoo and had many babies there. His move was a big topic of discussion among animal lovers.
Blackie (Hippopotamus)
Blackie was a Nile Hippopotamus at the zoo. He lived to be about 60 years old, which is very old for a hippo! He was known for being gentle.
Aldabra Tortoises
The zoo has three Aldabra giant tortoises. Two of them are over 100 years old!
Fun Activities and Conservation
Education and Learning
The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo has day and overnight camps for kids aged 5 to 14 in the summer. These camps teach children about protecting nature and understanding the natural world. Overnight camps include staying in the Australian Adventure or the Wolf Lodge. You can even stay in the African Savanna for a "safari" experience! These programs combine different cultures with a focus on conservation.
The zoo also has a "Keeper for a Day" program. This is for middle school, high school, and college students who want to work with animals. You get to spend a day with animal professionals. You might help prepare meals, clean enclosures, or do training exercises with the animals!
Helping Animals and Nature
The zoo also gives money to support research and conservation projects around the world. In 2011, they helped over 90 projects in 39 countries! These projects included helping elephants in Africa, studying gorillas, and stopping poaching of turtles. Over the last ten years, the zoo has supported more than 600 conservation projects in almost 100 countries. They also work to teach people about the Palm Oil Crisis.
Special Events
Boo at the Zoo Every October, the zoo hosts "Boo at the Zoo." Visitors can see the cold-weather animals and wear costumes! It's a safe Halloween event with animal shows, live performances, and other fall activities.
DINOSAURS! In the summer, the zoo often features prehistoric animals along the path around Waterfowl Lake. Kids can dig for "fossils" and learn about paleontology. Past exhibits have shown dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus rex, Stegosaurus, Triceratops, and many more!
Stillwater Place Opened in 2015, Stillwater Place is a new event center. It has great views of Waterfowl Lake and can hold up to 300 guests. It's used for weddings, birthdays, and other events all year round.
Images for kids
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Wade Hall, built in 1884, moved from its original location in University Circle in 1970.
