Located in Cincinnati, Ohio, the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens is the second oldest zoo in the United States, opened in 1875. (The Philadelphia Zoo opened only fourteen months earlier, on July 1, 1874.) It is one of the world's best zoos for visitors and animals alike. It was founded on 65 acres (260,000 m²) in the middle of the city, and since then it has acquired some of the surrounding blocks and several reserves in Cincinnati's outer suburbs. It is world renowned for its breeding programs, especially for cheetahs. A bonobo born at the zoo in December 2003 raises the U.S. zoo population of our rapidly-disappearing closest cousin to 60, of which seven are at Cincinnati. A less happy claim to fame is that the Cincinnati Zoo was the home of the last living passenger pigeon, which died there in 1914.

Major exhibits include Manatee Springs, (an indoor exhibit featuring Florida marine life,); Kroger Lords of the Arctic (polar bears); World of the Insect; Jungle Trails; Wings of the World, and the Sumatran Rhinoceros. There are currently 700 species being maintained at the Cincinnati Zoo.

The Zoo is noted for its educational work, its education director Barry Wakeman creating programs that were models for other zoos.

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra sometimes held open-air concerts at the zoo, often to the accompaniment of the lions' roars. While the Symphony no longer performs there regularly, there is a pavilion where concerts are still held three or four times a year.

External link

• Cincinnati Zoo