Indianapolis Zoo


The Indianapolis Zoo is a non-profit zoo, public aquarium, and botanical garden in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Incorporated in 1944, the Indianapolis Zoological Society established the first zoo at George Washington Park in 1964. The current zoo opened in 1988 at White River State Park near downtown Indianapolis. It is among the largest privately funded zoos in the U.S.
The institution is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and American Alliance of Museums and is a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. It was the first in the U.S. to receive triple accreditation as a zoo, aquarium, and botanical garden. The zoo is a leader in animal conservation and research, recognized for its biennial Indianapolis Prize and as home to the Global Center for Species Survival through its partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
In 2020, the zoo housed more than 1,400 animals of 235 species while the adjoining White River Gardens contained more than 50,000 plants of nearly 3,000 species, respectively. The Indianapolis Zoo is a significant economic driver in the city and among its most visited attractions. In 2021, the zoo employed 700 people and welcomed 1.2 million guests, contributing nearly $60 million annually to the city's economy.

Site and access

The Indianapolis Zoo is situated within White River State Park, about west of Monument Circle on the eastern edge of the Near Westside neighborhood area. The White River hugs the zoo's northern and eastern boundaries, physically separating the facility from downtown Indianapolis.
Visitors arriving by car access the parking lot from West Washington Street, which forms the zoo's southern boundary. Parking is free for zoo members and $10 for non-members. The zoo is accessible to pedestrians, bicyclists, or other non-motorists via the White River Trail which runs between its namesake river and the zoo's property. Public transportation serves the facility via IndyGo's Route 8.
The former Washington Street Bridge spanning the White River was completed in 1916 as part of the National Road. In 1984, construction began on the realignment of Washington Street to the south to make way for the zoo's development. The bridge was preserved and renovated in the 1990s to carry non-motorized traffic between downtown and the zoo's east entrance at White River Gardens.

History

Beginnings

Limited in number and species, Indianapolis's earliest captive animals were located in small exhibits at various city parks. Brookside Park was home to a collection of birds, including cockatoos, parrots, and macaws. Garfield Park contained a bear and several monkeys. Riverside Park exhibited a pair of sea lions. By 1906, the Indianapolis Parks Department consolidated the various exhibits into a single site at Riverside. The zoological garden's demise came amid wartime conservation efforts as the U.S. entered World War I. The park board began selling the animals in 1916 and the zoo was officially closed in 1917.
In 1944, Lowell Nussbaum, columnist for the Indianapolis Times, and later the Indianapolis Star, began to advocate for a zoo through his column "Inside Indianapolis", which inspired the incorporation of the Indianapolis Zoological Society in October 1944. Soon after, members outlined plans for the zoo. Group members were adamant that "the zoo will rely on admissions, in-park sales, contributions, and memberships to support the zoo". However, it would not be until 20 years later, in 1964, that the zoo would open to the public.

Washington Park

The Indianapolis Zoo opened as Washington Park Children's Zoo on April 18, 1964, at Washington Park on East 30th Street. In its first year, the new attraction drew more than 270,000 visitors. The zoo originally featured an Asian elephant, penguins, kangaroos, foxes, raccoons, camels, bison, deer, lambs, tortoises, llamas, prairie dogs, pygmy goats, and buffalo exhibits. In 1965, the zoo became one of few in the country to employ a full-time education staff. By the 20th anniversary of the zoo, its animal collection had doubled in size and it was determined that the zoo needed a new location where it could continue to expand.

Move to White River State Park

In 1982, international zoo, aquarium, and wildlife authorities gathered to set goals for establishing the new zoo. It was determined that a zoo should not only be a place to see animals, but also an institution of conservation and education. That same year, White River State Park was announced as the new site of the zoo. The groundbreaking at the new downtown location was held in September 1985. The old zoo closed in 1987. The current zoo at White River State Park opened on June 11, 1988, with a size of.
Jeffrey Bonner began his tenure as the zoo's president and chief executive officer in January 1993.
After the construction of the Waters building and the Dolphin Pavilion, the zoo earned AZA accreditation as an aquarium as well as a zoo. In 1996, the Indianapolis Zoo became the first institution to be triple-accredited as a zoo, aquarium, and botanical garden. White River Gardens was considered a separate facility from 1999 to 2006, but now is included as part of the zoo.
The world's first successful artificial insemination of an African elephant occurred at the zoo in 2000.

Time under Michael Crowther (2002–2019)

was appointed president and chief executive officer of the zoo in June 2002. During his tenure, the zoo experienced a nearly 240 percent increase in annual revenue, a 700 percent increase in the value of its endowment, a 27 percent increase in total assets, and a 34 percent rise in attendance. Under Crowther's leadership, numerous capital projects were undertaken and the Indianapolis Prize was established.
A $10 million renovation of the Dolphin Pavilion opened in May 2005, including an underwater dolphin viewing dome and new programming. The following season, a $400,000 renovation of the Deserts Dome was completed. The zoo invested nearly $10 million in a redesigned Oceans building, which debuted in 2007.
In September 2012, the zoo broke ground on the $21.5 million Simon Skjodt International Orangutan Center, serving as both an exhibit and research hub to assist with orangutan conservation. The project was partially funded by a $2 million donation from the family foundation of Dean and Barbara White. The exhibit houses nine orangutans and features a -tall viewing atrium. The Myrta Pulliam Hutan Trail, a series of cableways and platforms, allows the orangutans to travel throughout the zoo at their leisure. The exhibit opened Memorial Day weekend 2014.
In October 2019, the zoo acquired two parcels for a combined south of Washington Street. One parcel, consisting of of the former General Motors plant site, was donated to the zoo by Indianapolis-based developer Ambrose Property Group, while the second parcel—consisting of of undeveloped land—was purchased from Ambrose for $3 million. Upon the announcement, zoo officials said the first parcel would "almost immediately" be used as an overflow parking lot. Further, a zoo spokesperson said the existing surface parking lot would "likely be converted into new exhibits and other zoo programming," though years of planning were anticipated.

Time under Robert Shumaker (2020–present)

Dr. Robert Shumaker was appointed president in 2016 and assumed the role of chief executive officer in January 2020, following Crowther's retirement.
Since 2020, the zoo has debuted three exhibitions: Elephant Tembo Camp, Alligators & Crocodiles: The Fight to Survive, and Kangaroo Crossing, with a total investment of nearly $4.8 million.
In December 2022, officials announced a $53 million fundraising campaign, the largest in the zoo's history. The campaign will finance capital projects, including the construction of a $5 million entry plaza and welcome center and a $13 million home for the Global Center for Species Survival. Construction began in September 2021 and is projected to conclude in May 2023. A $25 million International Chimpanzee Complex is planned to open in May 2024.

Biomes and exhibits

The Indianapolis Zoo is organized around the concept of biomes, or areas of the planet with similar climates, plants, and animals. Animals at the Indianapolis Zoo are clustered in groups with similar habitats, which define each biome. The "‡" symbol denotes animals that are part of the zoo's captive breeding program, as recognized by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan.

Deserts

, the Deserts biome contains the following:
Deserts Dome
  • Blue-tongued skink
  • Burmese star tortoise ‡
  • Central bearded dragon
  • Colorado River toad
  • Common chuckwalla
  • Desert tortoise
  • Eastern snake-necked turtle
  • Egyptian tortoise ‡
  • Grand Cayman blue iguana ‡
  • Jamaican iguana ‡
  • Leopard tortoise
  • Mali spiny-tailed lizard
  • Meerkat ‡
  • Northern bobwhite
  • Radiated tortoise ‡
  • Rhinoceros iguana
  • Sand cat ‡
  • Spider tortoise ‡
  • Sudan plated lizard
Size, Speed & Venom: Extreme Snakes
  • Aruba Island rattlesnake ‡
  • Banded rock rattlesnake
  • Black mamba
  • Brazilian rainbow boa
  • Burmese python
  • Cape cobra
  • Cottonmouth
  • Eastern copperhead
  • Eastern green mamba
  • Eyelash bush viper
  • Gaboon viper
  • Gila monster
  • Jamaican boa ‡
  • Madagascar giant hognose
  • Eastern massasauga ‡
  • Mexican lance-headed rattlesnake ‡
  • Red spitting cobra
  • Reticulated python
  • Santa Catalina Island rattlesnake ‡
  • Taylor's cantil
  • Timber rattlesnake

    Flights of Fancy

, Flights of Fancy contains the following:
Budgie and Lorikeet Aviaries
  • Blue-bellied roller ‡
  • Budgerigar
  • Cockatiel
  • Crested coua ‡
  • Crested wood partridge ‡
  • Eastern yellow-billed hornbill
  • Green-naped lorkeet
  • Green wood hoopoe ‡
  • Helmeted guineafowl
  • Rainbow lorikeet
  • Red lory
  • Superb starling
  • Taveta golden weaver
  • Vulturine guineafowl
Flamingo Pool
  • Caribbean flamingo ‡
  • Chilean flamingo ‡
Other animals
  • Arctic fox
  • Great horned owl
  • Hoffmann's two-toed sloth ‡
  • Linnaeus's two-toed sloth ‡
  • Red-tailed hawk
  • Rock hyrax ‡
  • Southern ground hornbill ‡