 
The zoo began in earnest when Andrew Erkenbrecher and several other influential residents began the Society for the Acclimatization of Birds and acquired insect-eating birds from Europe to control an outbreak of caterpillars at Burnet Woods in 1872.(3) After releasing 1,000 birds in the park, Jonathan Schoonover and other wealthy local citizens desired a zoo on par with those in Europe. In 1873, the Society was renamed to the Zoological Society of Cincinnati. One year later, the 65-acre Blakely Woods was purchased in the then-suburban Avondale on the northern outskirts of the city and the organization received a 99-year lease for the land. The grounds were designed by Theodor Fundeisen and the buildings architect was James W. McLaughlin.(1) The zoo officially opened its doors to the public on September 18, 1875 and was the second zoo in the United States to open after Philadelphia, and featured monkeys, grizzly bears, deer, elk, tigers and over 400 birds.(3) The first guide book regarding the Zoo was authored in 1876 entirely in German, homage to the founders of the zoo who were German immigrants. The first English-language edition was published in 1893.(2) The zoo grew very slowly during the latter 1800s was not a financial success.(3) To prop up the lagging visitor count, the zoo invited one-hundred Sioux Native Americans to establish a village at the site in 1896, however, the Native Americans lived in the zoo for only three months. It was not enough to shore up the finances, and in 1898 the zoo went into receivership. In 1901. the Cincinnati Traction Company purchased the majority of the Zoological Company's stock, gaining control over the zoo and its holdings.(3) The Traction Company, which operated a streetcar from the city to the zoo, hoped that steetcar would attract guests to the park. The plan never caught on and visitorship declined. In 1917, the Cincinnati Zoological Park Association, funded by philanthropists Mary Emery and Anna Taft, took over the daily operations of the zoo.(3) It was later purchased by the city and operated through the Park Commission in 1932 when Emery and Taft passed away. In 1987, the zoo was designated a National Historic Landmark due to its significant architecture exhibited in the Elephant and Reptile buildings, and in the Passenger Pigeon Memorial. The Reptile House, circa 1875, is the oldest zoo building in America. Today, the zoo features over 20 exhibits covering birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates and hosts over 780 different species of wildlife.(3) The zoo also hosts numerous musical events at the pavilion and is host to thousands of tulips during the annual Tunes and Blooms festival. It has been ranked among the top five zoos in the United States and is known as the "world's sexiest zoo," a reference to the fact that more than 50% of the black rhinoceroses, white Bengal tigers, and lowland gorillas currently in captivity were born at the Cincinnati Zoo. | ||
Further Reading | ||
Sources1. Painter, Sue Ann. Architecture In Cincinnati. Athens: Ohio University Press, 2006. 2. Solski, Leszek, "The Zoo and Aquarium Guide Book: Its Evolution and Uncertain Future." International Zoo News Vol.53, No.5 (2006), pp. 260–273. 3. "Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden." Ohio History Central. 2009. Ohio Historical Society. 16 June 2009 Article. | ||
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