History, Mystery, and Tragedy: The Sordid Tales of the Bronx Zoo
The Bronx Zoo is the largest metropolitan zoo in the United States and is among the largest in the world. When it opened in 1899, the zoo only had 22 exhibits and 843 animals. Originally called the Bronx Zoological Gardens, the zoo boasts 265 acres of parkland within Bronx Park, through which the Bronx River flows.
Originally set out in a courtyard of four Beaux-Arts style buildings designed by Heins & LaFarge surrounding a pool for sea lions, the Bronx Zoo has adopted its naturalistic surroundings as it expanded. Today, there are more than 4,000 animals exhibited daily, and many more in their care through their conservation efforts. More than 4,000 conservationists work for the Zoo in 60 different countries.
Early Additions
Several of the early additions to the Zoo included the The Rockefeller Fountain, just inside the Fordham Road Gate, was first installed near Lake Como, Italy. Originally built by Biagio Catella in 1872, it stood in the Piazza Cavour along the lakeside. The fountain was purchased by William Rockefeller thirty years later for $637 (about $17,600 today). Shipped to North America and installed at the zoo in 1903, the fountain quickly became a favorite meeting place and cooling-off spot during the summers.
Between the Fountain and Route 1 (Fordham Road) are the 28 ton bronze Rainey Memorial Gates, designed by Paul Manship, who broke with the Beaux-Arts origins of the Bronx Zoo to create a seminal Art Deco landmark in 1934.
One Regretful Jungle Theme
One of the strangest and saddest exhibits in the Zoo was a Mtubi (pigmy) man named Ota Benga , who was brought to the US by a South Carolina- based missionary and animal collector, Samuel Phillips Verner. Beginning in 1906, Benga went on exhibit in the Primate House, one of the original buildings in the Astor Courtyard. He was skilled at managing and caring for apes and monkeys, and was housed in the Keeper’s quarters of the Monkey House. It is not clear that Benga was ever paid for his services. His responsibilities quickly shifted to being an attraction for curious visitors instead of caring for animals. His freakish portrayal eventually led to his removal from the Zoo by the Mayor. The episode led the BBC to opine in 2020: “The Bronx Zoo’s founding principals were among the most influential disseminators of specious racial inferiority theories that resonate still.”
The Snake Went to Jersey!
There were other less injurious instances of malfeasance sprinkled through the history of the Bronx Zoo, including the misdirected delivery of a 16’-4” long anaconda snake from South America. Imagine the surprise of the Hoboken bar owner who went into his basement looking for a replacement cask of beer to tap, and found the anaconda, perched to strike, as if protecting the beer! The barkeep turned out to be the brother of Commissioner Ferdinand Kaegebehn of the Bronx Zoo, who had arranged the botched delivery. It was just a case of mistaken identity. For almost three days, the snake held the bar storeroom hostage until the wardens of the zoo had been notified and came to collect the serpent.
Animal Fascination
Young boys have fascinations for wild creatures, and on two different occasions a group of young men hid out at closing time at the zoo, emerging under cover of darkness to break into a zoo building and make off with their quarry. In one instance, they stole a group on non-venomous snakes, which were returned by the “juvenile delinquents” a few days later. The other in 1945 was a 15 year old young man who fancied himself to be a rising ornithologist. He made off with three sparrow hawks, a screech owl, a pair of elf owls, and a saw-whet owl over the course of several days. Tragically, four of the seven birds died before Stanley Yalof was discovered as the culprit.
What to Know When You Visit
Today, the Zoo has a much more robust security system than it did 80 years ago. They keep careful track of the 2 million visitors who pass through the gates each year. If you intend to visit, tickets cost about $40 for adults and $30 for children, but check here first, https://bronxzoo.com/shop/catalogs/bronx-zoo-admission since they’ve started instituting “Flex pricing” to charge more during high demand periods.
For all other information about the Bronx zoo, check out: https://bronxzoo.com/
Peter Evans NY The Bronx May 17, 2025 Animals History Parks
May 17, 2025
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