Baton Rouge Zoo

The Baton Rouge Zoo is located 15 minutes north of downtown Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The zoo is owned and operated by the Recreation and Park Commission of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana (BREC), and is home to over 800 animals from around the world. The Baton Rouge Zoo has been accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums since 1977—the first zoo in Louisiana to be accredited. The zoo lost its accreditation on March 26, 2018 due to infrastructure issues and animal escapes.[2]

Baton Rouge Zoo
Baton Rouge Zoo
Date opened1970
LocationBaton Rouge, Louisiana
Coordinates30°33′44″N 91°9′36″W
No. of animals800
Membershipsprevious member of AZA before March 2018[1][2]
Websitewww.brzoo.org

The zoo is open daily except on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day.

The zoo's mission is to connect people with animals & to play a role is saving wild animals in wild places.

History

A local WAFB TV personality by the name of "Buckskin" Bill ended his popular children's program in the 1950s and 1960s by saying "Baton Rouge needs a zoo." He helped rally the Baton Rouge community into supporting the zoo not only in passing the millage election to fund it but also in running a penny drive that raised over 600,000 pennies for the zoo's first two elephants (one of which was named Penny). The zoo first opened to the public on Easter Sunday, 1970.[3]

Exhibits
  • Otter Pond includes a replica of a fishing cabin, from which visitors can see the otters underwater.[4] Which features otter chats at 11:30 in the morning and 3:00 in the afternoon. Where you can hear from zoo keepers and ask them questions.
  • La Aquarium de Louisiana is an air conditioned building near the back of the zoo. Featuring native fish, amphibians, reptiles and arachnids from around Louisiana. With some animals just from local regions and exotic.
  • World-class Realm of the Tiger
  • Flamingo Cove
  • Giants of the Islands
  • Safari Playground

Conservation and education

The zoo participates in more than 30 Species Survival Plans, including those for the eastern black rhinoceros, and golden lion tamarin which have been successfully reintroduced into the wild.[3]

The zoo has education programs including outreach, reading programs, day camps, classes, teacher workshops, and demonstrations. Together these programs reach more than 45,000 children each year. The zoo also works with departments of the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine when conducting research.[3]

References
  1. "Currently Accredited Zoos and Aquariums". aza.org. AZA. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
  2. agallo@theadvocate.com, ANDREA GALLO |. "Baton Rouge Zoo loses accreditation; inspectors cite animal escapes, outdated facilities". The Advocate. Retrieved 2018-03-26.
  3. "Celebrating 41 Wild Years!". brzoo.org. Baton Rouge Zoo. Archived from the original on 10 August 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
  4. "BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo in Baton Rouge, Louisiana". city-data. CityData. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
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