Peoria Zoo facts for kids
Peoria Zoo logo
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| Date opened | 1955 |
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| Location | Peoria, Illinois |
| Land area | 14 acres (5.7 ha) |
| Coordinates | 40°42′56″N 89°34′27″W / 40.715477°N 89.574194°W |
| No. of animals | 232 |
| No. of species | >100 |
| Memberships | AZA |
The Peoria Zoo is an exciting place to visit in Peoria, Illinois, in the United States. It used to be called the Glen Oak Zoo. The Peoria Park District owns and runs the zoo.
You can visit the zoo almost every day of the year. It is closed only on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day. The Peoria Zoo has been recognized by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) since 1976. This means it meets high standards for animal care.
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Zoo History and Growth
The Peoria Zoo has grown a lot over the years. In 2009, a big new area called the Africa exhibit opened. This exhibit almost doubled the size of the zoo! At the same time, the zoo officially changed its name to "Peoria Zoo."
The zoo staff works hard to care for all the animals. In 2013, the zoo experienced a sad moment when Kyra, an adult Amur tiger and mother of four cubs, passed away. The dedicated zoo team continued to care for her young cubs.
Explore the Exhibits
The Peoria Zoo is home to many amazing animals from around the world. One of its most popular areas is the Africa exhibit.
Africa Exhibit
The Africa exhibit opened in 2009. It took over ten years to plan and two and a half years to build! In this exhibit, visitors can walk on a boardwalk. From here, you can see across the entire area where the animals live.
The main area is split into two parts. In the northern section, you can see tall giraffes and speedy gazelles. The southern section is home to striped zebras and large rhinos.
Other animals in the Africa exhibit include:
- Lions, who have their own special area.
- Colorful mandrills, also in their own space.
- Red river hogs and colobus monkeys who share a habitat.
- African crested porcupines and giant Aldabra giant tortoises living together.
Small Animal Building
Inside the Africa exhibit, there is also a building for smaller animals. Here, you can discover creatures like:
- Tiny zebra mice.
- Giant Zambian mole-rats.
- Flat pancake tortoises.
- Busy dung beetles.
- Noisy Madagascar hissing cockroaches.
- Long African rock pythons.
- Unique Madagascar tree boas.
- Bright Taveta golden weavers.
Other Zoo Facilities
The Peoria Zoo also has places for visitors to relax and learn.
Zambezi River Lodge
The Zambezi River Lodge is a cool spot that looks out over the Africa exhibit. You can buy snacks and drinks here. It's also a place where the zoo hosts events and meetings.
Future Plans for the Zoo
The Peoria Zoo is always planning new and exciting things! There are plans for a new entry building. This building will be about 7,000 square feet. It will have places to buy tickets, food, and souvenirs. It will also have new classrooms for learning programs. The zoo also plans to make the parking lot bigger.
The zoo has also shared plans for an amazing new Australia Walk-About Exhibit. This area will have a special aviary, which is a large bird enclosure. It will be 600 square feet and feature birds native to Australia. Visitors might even get to feed some of them! Planned animals for this exhibit include:
- Cute wallabies.
- Elegant black swans.
- Tall emus.
