Santa Ana Zoo facts for kids
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| Date opened | 1952 |
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| Location | Santa Ana, California, United States |
| Land area | 20 acres (8.1 ha) |
| Coordinates | 33°44′38.094″N 117°50′33.11″W / 33.74391500°N 117.8425306°W |
| No. of animals | 250 |
| Annual visitors | 270,000 |
| Major exhibits | Amazon's Edge, Colors of the Amazon Aviary, Crean Family Farm, Monkey Row, Tierra de las Pampas |
The Santa Ana Zoo at Prentice Park is a fun place to visit in Santa Ana, California. This zoo covers about 20 acres and focuses on amazing animals and plants from Central and South America. Every year, over 270,000 people come to explore the zoo.
The Santa Ana Zoo first opened its doors in 1952. It is owned and run by the City of Santa Ana. A kind person named Joseph Prentice gave the land for the zoo. He had one special rule: the zoo must always have at least 50 monkeys! Because of this, the zoo has a large collection of different monkey species from all over the world. The zoo helps with fun activities, learning, and protecting animals. It used to be approved by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), which is a group that sets high standards for zoos.
Contents
How the Zoo Started
Joseph Edward Prentice bought the land for the zoo. In 1949, he gave 16 acres to the city of Santa Ana. He made sure to include his rule about keeping at least 50 monkeys. Building the zoo began that same year, and it officially opened on March 8, 1952.
Soon after, a special children's zoo was built. The Flight Aviary, which is now called the Jack Lynch Aviary, was finished in 1962. In 1983, an outdoor theater was added, and the zoo earned its first approval from the AZA.
The 1990s brought many new things. In 1990, the Flight Aviary was updated and renamed the Jack Lynch Aviary. The "Amazon's Edge" exhibit opened in 1992, and the "Colors of the Amazon Aviary" opened in 1996. In the 2000s, the "Zoofari Express Train Ride" started in 2000. The "Crean Family Farm" opened in 2004, and "Tierra de las Pampas" opened in 2010. In 2017, the zoo's monkey homes were considered a bit old, so the AZA decided not to approve the zoo at that time.
Exciting Animal Exhibits
The Santa Ana Zoo has several cool exhibits where you can see animals in habitats that look like their natural homes.
Tierra De Las Pampas
In April 2010, the zoo opened a new exhibit called Tierra de las Pampas. This name means "Land of the Grasses." It covers about 2 acres. Here, you can see amazing giant anteaters in one area. In a larger area, you'll find greater rheas and guanacos. There's a path for visitors to walk between these two parts.
Rainforest Exhibit
The Rainforest Exhibit is a smaller area that looks like the Amazon rainforest. It is home to white-faced saki monkeys and green iguanas.
Amazon's Edge
This exhibit opened in 1993 and looks like a part of the Brazilian rainforest. It has a water area and a riverbank with trees, set against a cliff. Visitors can stand on a wooden deck to watch the animals. You might see howler monkeys, black-necked swans, and crested screamers here.
Colors of the Amazon Aviary
The Colors of the Amazon Aviary is a large, 9,000-square-foot walk-through birdhouse that opened in 1996. You can walk right through it! It has many different South American birds flying around in a beautiful area with lots of plants and small streams.
Crean Family Farm
The Crean Family Farm opened in July 2004. This area focuses on special and rare kinds of farm animals. The main building is a two-story red barn. It houses pigs and also has a space for learning activities.
Ocelot Habitat and Education Center
The Ocelot Habitat is home to a pair of Brazilian Ocelots. These wild cats live in two connected areas. There are also special picnic tables where you can learn about the unique ways ocelots are built to survive.
Animals You Can See
The Santa Ana Zoo is home to many different types of animals.
| Prosimians | New World monkeys | Old World monkeys | Apes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black-and-white ruffed lemur | Pygmy marmoset | Silver langur | White-handed gibbon |
| Ring-tailed lemur | Golden lion tamarin | Black-and-white colobus | |
| Cotton-top tamarin | |||
| Emperor tamarin | |||
| Golden-headed lion tamarin | |||
| Red-handed tamarin | |||
| Dusky titi monkey | |||
| White-faced saki | |||
| Black howler monkey | |||
| Black-handed spider monkey | |||
| Crested capuchin | |||
| Brown capuchin | |||
| Owl monkey |
| Neotropical | African | Asian |
|---|---|---|
| Giant anteater | Crested porcupine | Binturong |
| Guanaco | ||
| Ocelot |
| Neotropical | Neotropical | North American | Asian | Australian | African |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black-necked swan | Grey-cowled wood rail | Great horned owl | Trumpeter hornbill | ||
| Crested screamer | Sunbittern | Barn owl | |||
| Blue-and-yellow macaw | Scarlet ibis | Swainson's hawk | |||
| Double yellow-headed amazon | Striated heron | Bald eagle | |||
| Rhea | Troupial | ||||
| Blue-crowned motmot | White-bellied caique | ||||
| White-faced whistling duck |
| Neotropical |
|---|
| Green iguana |
| Boa constrictor |
| Golden poison dart frog |
| Slider turtle |
| Goliath birdeater tarantula |
| Tropical centipede |
| Giant cave cockroach |
Fun Rides and More
Besides the animal exhibits, the Santa Ana Zoo has other fun things to do!
Zoofari Express Train Ride
One of the most popular attractions is the Zoofari Express children's train. There are two train engines, named 1030 and 1036. Both are special trains that run on a 14-gauge track.
The first engine, 1030, was built in 1954. It used to run at a place called Santa's Village in Sky Forest, California, for 44 years. When Santa's Village closed in 1998, a group called "Friends of Santa Ana Zoo" bought the train and some of its original track. Volunteers helped fix up the train, and it started running at the Santa Ana Zoo in the spring of 1999. The track was made longer, stretching to 1850 feet. Engine 1030 used to run on gas, but in 2006, it was changed to run on electricity.
Engine 1036 is a newer electric train that was added in 2005, along with new passenger cars.
Conservation Carousel
The zoo also has a Conservation Carousel. This carousel has 33 different animal figures you can ride, like a giraffe, giant panda, African elephant, cheetah, hummingbird, gorilla, bald eagle, jaguar, zebra, Bengal tiger, otter, panther, seal, and even a custom-made anteater. The carousel also has a special chariot that can be used by people in wheelchairs.
Visitor Information
The Santa Ana Zoo is located at 1801 East Chestnut Avenue in Santa Ana, California.
The zoo is open every day of the year, except for Christmas Day, New Year's Day, and Thanksgiving Day. You can visit from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm daily, and guests can stay in the zoo until 5:00 pm all year round.
See also
In Spanish: Zoológico de Santa Ana para niños
