Central Park Zoo Began With an Abandoned Bear Cub

The Central Park Zoo really began with an abandoned bear cub 176 years ago.

The first animal gifted to the park was a bear cub tied to a tree and was left in Central Park in 1859, followed by a monkey the next year.

These animals were popular with the parks visitors even though there was no formal zoo at the time.   Soon people began donating other animals such as cranes, peacocks and goldfish. Unsolicited donations came from a variety of people from prominent figures to young boys.

In 1862 sixty acres was set aside for the construction of a zoo which opened in 1864 and by 1873 with over 400 animals, it saw two and a half million visitors.

Today this amazing little zoo has some great and unique animals to see and it only takes around an hour to walk the whole park.

The Temperate Territory includes the California sea lion tank at the center of the exhibit (daily sea lion feedings at 11:30 a.m. 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 pm)  red pandas, Japanese macaws, swans, geese and snow leopards.

Red pandas known in Chinese as “gun- ho or “firefox”,  have a bright reddish brown color with a white, masked face and a long ring tail resembling that of a raccoon.

The Rainforest houses a brilliant collection of tropical birds, frogs, lizards, snakes, toads, black and white ruffed lemurs, tamarins and more.

The Tisch Childrens Zoo is perfect for small children, with animal feedings daily from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

The famous Delacorte Clock spans a section of the path between the Central Park Zoo and the Tisch Children’s Zoo.  The clock’s animated menagerie of musical animals announces the time every half hour between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. and has been a children’s favorite for over 50 years.

The oldest zoo in New York gained worldwide fame from the 2005 animated film Madagascar’s setting which was the Central Park Zoo.

Open daily 10:00 to 5:00, $19.95 for adults and $14.95 for Kids 3 to 12.

What a fun way to spend a day with furry friends and family.