Brookfield Zoo is located in Brookfield, Illinois. The zoo covers an area of eighty hectares and is home to four hundred and fifty species of animals.
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| Brookfield Zoo |
The zoo was first opened in July 1934 and quickly gained international recognition for using natural landscapes as pits and ditches rather than cages. Ditches separate animals from each other and from visitors. Brookfield Zoo is one of the first in the United States to bring giant pandas. It is run by the Zoological Society of Chicago. The zoo was built on land donated by Edith Rockefeller McCormick, who received it as a wedding gift from her father. She wanted to donate this land for the construction of the zoo.
The municipality added an additional 400,000 square meters to its property, planning to create a truly impressive zoo in 1921.
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| Brookfield Zoo |
During the Great Depression, construction dragged on, but in July 1934 the zoo was reopened. From July to September 1934, it was visited by over one million people. In the 1950s, a veterinary clinic and a large fountain were added to Brookfield Zoo.
In the sixties of the last century, Brookfield Zoo faced a number of administrative problems, but managed to overcome them. In 1960, the first fully enclosed dolphinarium was built there. In the eighties of the last century, the Tropical Sector opened at the zoo - the first of its kind, completely enclosed, simulating a rainforest. It was also the largest fully closed zoo exhibition in the world. The zoo contains exhibitions related to the wildlife of Africa, Asia and South America.
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| Brookfield Zoo |
Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, the zoo has experienced significant improvements. Special wolf forests, a butterfly palace and attractions for children were built here.
Perhaps the most famous resident of Brookfield Zoo was Ziggy the elephant, weighing over six tons. He was locked up for nearly thirty years after he attacked a zoo worker. In 1975, an elephant fell into a pit and died seven months later.
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| Brookfield Zoo |
Another famous animal of the zoo was the favorite of the visitors - the walrus Olga. A large bronze monument was erected in her honor.
One of the zoo's most impressive inhabitants is the gorilla Binti Jua. She rescued a boy who fell into a gorilla enclosure in 1996 and took him to the zoo staff and doctors.