American Zoo Day

July 01: American Zoo Day

American Zoo Day

American Zoo Day commemorates the grand opening of Philadelphia Zoo, America’s first zoo, on July 1, 1874.

The charter establishing the Zoological Society of Philadelphia was signed in 1859, but due to the Civil War, it was another 15 years before the zoo opened.

That first year there were 813 animals and over 228,000 visitors. Today, there are over 1,300 animals—many of them rare and endangered—and there are more than 1.2 million visitors annually.

The Philadelphia Zoo supports and engages in conservation.

Official Site: philadelphiazoo.org

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⇴ image from Library Company of Philadelphia, flickr, no known copyright restrictions

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