The Toledo Zoo & Aquarium, located in Toledo, Ohio is a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA), and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The Toledo Zoo & Aquarium, rated the top zoo in the country, houses over 10,000 individual animals from 720 species and participates in around 80 species survival programs.
History 1900–1920
The Toledo Zoo began in 1900 when a woodchuck was donated by Megan Cole to the Walbridge Park. By the end of its first year, the Toledo Zoo had a collection of 39 animals, most of which were donated. The park was unprepared for these donations and was forced to use temporary housing such as ravines and boxes for exhibits. In November 1901, the Toledo Zoo nearly lost its entire collection when the winter housing for the animals caught fire. As a result, in 1907, the Toledo Zoo built its first brick building for housing animals, known as the Lion House. During the early years at the Toledo Zoo, most animals were acquired through donations and circuses, and, due to a lack of proper housing, animal escapes were common. In June 1913, the Toledo Zoological Society (TZS) was founded to spur development with William H. Roemer serving as the first president. By 1916, the Toledo Zoo had grown to a population of 471 animals. In 1922, a change to the organizational structure of the zoo occurred when Percy Jones, the TZS president, created the role of Zoo Director, also known as the Curator of the Toledo Zoo & Aquarium. Frank Skeldon was the first curator for the zoo. Jones and Skeldon pushed the zoo towards national recognition.
1920–1929: Before the Great Depression
The architectural style used in the first strategic plan for the zoo was inspired by the Spanish architecture of the city's namesake, Toledo, Spain. By 1924, they had completed the first building of their master plan, the Elephant House. To maintain funding for the zoo, Jones had brokered a deal with the City of Toledo so that it could be managed similarly to the Bronx Zoo. The Toledo Zoo became a public/private venture in 1926, allowing financial support from the city while leaving operations in the hands of the TZS. In 1928, they completed their second building, the Herbivora (Giraffe House). On Christmas Day 1927, the Carnivora Building was opened to the public, after groundbreaking was done by Kermit Roosevelt. In 1929, the Toledo Zoo completed its last building before the WPA Era, the Primate House.
1930–1940: The WPA era
During the Great Depression, the Toledo Zoo was able to take advantage of government programs to provide labor. With the remainder of their master plan nearing completion, Skeldon, Jones, and Colonel John S. Shelter brokered a deal with the federal government to use depression-era relief efforts to create jobs. In 1934, construction began on the first Works Progress Administration (WPA) building in the zoo, the Reptile House. Federal funding would only cover labor costs, so the Toledo Zoo had to salvage parts from unused structures. Skeldon created multiple agreements that allowed the Toledo Zoo the right to salvage as long as they cleared the land. In the end, the Toledo Zoo was able to salvage all the stonework, lumber, and radiators needed to begin construction of the Reptilia (Reptile House). The Reptile House was officially opened in September 1934, to house over 485 reptiles and amphibians. The same day, groundbreaking took place for the next two relief effort buildings, the Museum of Science and the attached Amphitheater. In July 1936, the outdoor Amphitheater was completed, followed closely behind by the indoor theater in October 1936, and the Museum of Science in May 1938. The Aves (Aviary) started construction in 1935 and was officially opened to the public in May 1937. Like other WPA buildings, it was also built from salvaged material but was the first building in the nation to use glass blocks for walls. The final WPA project to open was the Aquarium. It was the first public aquarium in the state of Ohio, the largest freshwater aquarium in the world, and the 30,000th completed WPA project in the state. All of these structures remain in use at the Toledo Zoo & Aquarium today, and it may be the largest collection of these Depression Era relief buildings still in place today. Additional WPA projects at the zoo included new entrances, the Anthony Wayne Subway, and a wall dividing the Amphitheater from the zoo.
1940–1980: Post-war era
At the end of the WPA era, with the passing of Percy Jones and Frank Skeldon in the 1940s, the Toledo Zoo was ushered into a new post-war era. In 1946, the Toledo Zoo began to invest in amusement with a ridable miniature railway. In honor of the 50th anniversary in 1949–1950, the Toledo Zoo launched its current publication, Safari Magazine. In 1953, the Toledo Zoo housed 3,537 animals. By the end of the 1950s, the Toledo Zoo had created new pens, a gibbon run, and new exhibits along the northern edge of the zoo. A highlight was the indoor trout run, thought to be the only one in America, opened in 1959. In 1963, they continued to expand with the development of interconnecting water pools for waterfowl and a pond for flamingos. The 1960s also sent the Toledo Zoo on safari to South America to help celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Toledo Blade. It was during that safari that the staff of the Toledo Zoo were able to capture 75 new species for display.
1980–2000: Renaissance
At the beginning of the 1980s the Toledo Zoo faced a potential closure. With an agreement created by Jones, the zoo was financially tied to a city in a financial crisis. Massive layoffs ensued and a staff of 70 was reduced to 24. With the passage of a zoo levy in November 1980, they were still left in the face of probable closure. The levy was for capital improvements only, so the money could not be used on animal care, staff members, or other items needed to run the zoo. As a result, the Museum of Science and the conservatory were closed. To add to the problems, Skeldon was set to retire at the end of the year, and they had not yet found a replacement director. In January 1981, William "Bill" Dennler accepted the position and became the director of the Toledo Zoo. In the early 80s, the WPA buildings were carefully restored, and in 1983 a children's zoo was opened. The Aquarium had two major incidents occur during the 1980s. Because of the success of the Hippoquarium exhibit and a hippo birth caught on tape, the Toledo Zoo was allowed to exhibit two giant pandas on loan from the People's Republic of China. The panda pair arrived in May 1988 and were exhibited through October 1988. The loan was challenged by the World Wildlife Fund, as well as the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, through a lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service. Additional lawsuits followed, but the loan of the pandas remained intact and the lawsuits were settled. This outcry of debate dissolved the relationship with the People's Republic of China, and it was not until 1998 that they allowed another loan of pandas to the US, via the San Diego Zoo.
2000–current
After celebrating the centennial anniversary of the Toledo Zoo, the zoo faced controversy after the death of a female sloth bear by dehydration in 2000. After investigation, the zoo was fined by the FDA and was required to put into effect an animal reporting system to better track any issues on animal concerns. The Toledo Zoo opened the Africa! exhibit in 2001 and a wolf exhibit expected to be finished the following year. By 2003, the Toledo Zoo breeding programs took off, with the births of sloth bears, elephants, tigers, and other animals. The successful birth of the African elephant was historic as there had only been 12 births in the US since 1995. The projects at the zoo have continued with the redesigning of the Museum of Science from 2017 to 2019. Upon breaking ground, ProMedica donated $3.5 million to the project. In 2018, the Toledo Zoo & Aquarium reopened its underground subway crossing during the Lights Before Christmas.
Exhibits
Africa
Africa opened on May 1, 2004, and is large. The main exhibit, the African plains, is in size. It has artificial termite mounds for the free-roaming African animals, such as the Grant's zebra, greater kudu, helmeted guineafowl, Dama gazelles, Masai giraffe, white-backed vulture, ostrich, watusi cattle, warthogs, and blue wildebeest. There is also a section for cheetahs. The exhibit has an observation deck. The exhibit houses the Safari Railway, which circles Africa! The exhibit also has an African animal carousel. Africa! was built on the site of the original gravel parking lot that existed before the bridge was built. In March 2010, a male baby giraffe named Enzi was born. Enzi's father, Mowgli, is another famous giraffe at the zoo. In 2016, the Houston Zoo needed the African wild dogs for a breeding recommendation so the zoo replaced them with three young, male cheetahs from the Columbus Zoo. In 2017, two female Masai giraffes were born at the zoo named Kipenzi and Binti. In 2017, the Malawi event center was added in between the indoor Giraffe Exhibit and the children's carousel. It is a rentable space seating 900+ people. It also contains a 14,000 US gallon (52,996 L) aquarium housing native African fish, mostly cichlids.
Aquarium
The Toledo Zoo & Aquarium has one of the most diverse collections of any zoo-aquarium in the United States. The aquarium closed in October 2012 for renovations and re-opened in March 2015. The updated aquarium contains 3000+ aquatic animals in of water, including the largest tank with . The total water volume is nearly four times as much as the previous aquarium. Two new additions are a large touch tank containing various stingrays and small sharks and a smaller touch tank housing invertebrates, such as multiple species of starfish, a wide variety of hermit crabs, horseshoe crabs, and pencil sea urchins. The renovations took two and half years and preserved the exterior of the Works Progress Administration era structure.Toledo Zoo - Our Animals and Plants: "Aquarium" This area also includes goldfish, zebra sharks, an alligator snapping turtle, blacktip reef sharks, isopods, walleye, clownfish, electric eels, bichir, southern stingrays, channel catfish, epaulette sharks, cownose rays, a giant Pacific octopus, horn sharks, neon tetras, Australian lungfish, flashlight fish, arowanas, Japanese spider crabs, African lungfish, a shoal of red-bellied piranhas, gar, Atlantic stingrays, arapaima, a giant gourami, yellow-spotted rays, common carp, South American lungfish, discus, seahorses, a wolf eel, as well as jellyfish, leopard sharks, garden eels, and a green turtle named Tink.
Arctic Encounter
The Arctic Encounter includes grey wolves, gray and harbor seals, California sea lions, and polar bears. Two waterfalls and seven saltwater streams are featured in this exhibit.Toledo Zoo - Our Animals and Plants: "Arctice Encounter"
The seals have of land and of salt water. The polar bear exhibit includes of land and of water. There is a freshwater stream filled with fish during regular times. A "kids' cave" shows children and adults what it is like to be a polar bear.Toledo Zoo - Our Animals and Plants: "Wolf Exhibit" On January 12, 2015, three more juvenile wolves were added to the zoo after the passing of two of the female wolves. The new male wolves are named Loki, Lobo, and Tundra. On December 1, 2022, it was announced that two cubs were born at the facility for the first time since 2012.
Aviary