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New York City's Zoos and AquariumFrom the Bronx to Coney Island, animals rule in the Big Apple
Visitors to New York shouldn't miss taking in at least one of the city's five wildlife conservation parks.
While the flagship Bronx Zoo is probably the best known, the Wildlife Conservation Society runs five parks in New York City and any one of them is a treat for a tourist with an interest in animals. The Bronx ZooOne of New York’s most beloved cultural institutions and the largest city zoo in the U.S., the Bronx Zoo has been on the forefront of conservation education for more than 100 years. Standout exhibits include the Congo Gorilla Forest, where visitors can come face-to-face with the magnificent creatures, Tiger Mountain, which recreates the Russian Far East habitat of these elusive and endangered animals, and an interactive butterfly garden open seasonally. This year a new exhibit on Madagascar promises fun for fans of lemurs, crocodiles and parrots -- not to mention hissing cockroaches. The exhibit is part of the zoo’s attempt to be greener, with eco-friendly restrooms and other features that make it expected to be the first landmark building in New York to receive the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold rating. The Central Park ZooThis former menagerie held cherished memories for generations of New Yorkers before it fell into disrepair in the 1970s. Taken over by the WSC in 1983 and reopened in 1988, it’s now a delightful urban zoo in the middle of the popular park. The zoo has far fewer of the larger animals found at its sister institution in the Bronx, but it still features red pandas, tamarind monkeys, polar bears, penguins and the famous sea lion pool, originally built in the 1930s. The Prospect Park ZooBrooklyn’s zoo has a long history as well, also starting as a park menagerie and evolving into a larger institution before also becoming outdated and obsolete. Now the Flatbush Ave. zoo has a new mission of engaging children in learning about wildlife through specialized programs and exhibits. The zoo includes a barnyard with touchable animals as well as exhibits that encourage children to observe and draw the wildlife they see. The Queens ZooThe youngest of New York’s zoos, the Queens zoo was built in 1968 on the site of the 1964 World’s Fair. Visitors to the zoo’s home in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park can also spend time viewing the Unisphere and other structures left over from the World’s Fair, or take in a baseball game at nearby Shea Stadium. The Queens Zoo has a different feel than the ones in Central Park and Prospect Park, with paths taking visitors through naturalistic settings to see bison, mountain lions, bald eagles, elk, sea lions and more. The aviary is notable too, since it is a geodesic dome designed by Buckminster Fuller for the World’s Fair. The New York AquariumThe only aquarium in New York City is located in famed Coney Island right next to the boardwalk. The aquarium features over 8,000 animals, ranging from sharks, walruses and orca to sea anemones, sea horses and jelly fish. Regular shows in the aquatheater allow visitors to watch a training demonstration with the charismatic -- some would say hammy -- sea lions. The Alien Stingers exhibit brings aquarium-goers into the dark and glowing world of jelly fish. A visit to any one of these institutions is a welcome addition to any trip to New York.
The copyright of the article New York City's Zoos and Aquarium in New York Travel is owned by Lee Gjertsen. Permission to republish New York City's Zoos and Aquarium in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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