Queens Zoo
Logo of Queens Zoo, part of the Wildlife Conservation Society
Andean bear female at the zoo.
40°44′37″N 73°50′55″W / 40.74374°N 73.848592°W / 40.74374; -73.848592
Date openedOctober 26, 1968
(as Flushing Meadow Zoo)[1]
June 25, 1992
(as Queens Zoo)[2]
LocationQueens, New York, United States
Land area18 acres (7.3 ha)[1]
No. of species75+[3]
MembershipsAZA[4]
ManagementWildlife Conservation Society
Public transit accessSubway: "7" train at 111th Street or Mets–Willets Point
Bus: Q23, Q48
LIRR: Port Washington Branch at Mets–Willets Point
Websitewww.queenszoo.com

The Queens Zoo is an 18-acre (7.3 ha) zoo located in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City. The zoo is part of an integrated system of four zoos and one aquarium managed by the Wildlife Conservation Society in partnership with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).

History

Attractions and Geographical Features of Flushing Meadows–Corona Park
🌍

Attractions and geographical features of Flushing Meadows–Corona Park:
1
Citi Field
2
Flushing Meadows Carousel
3
Flushing Meadows Natatorium
4
Flushing River and Creek
5
Meadow Lake
6
Mets–Willets Point (LIRR and subway stations)
7
National Tennis Center
8
New York Hall of Science
9
New York State Pavilion, Queens Theatre and Queens Zoo
10
Queens Botanical Garden
11
Queens Museum
12
Unisphere
13
Willow Lake
14
World's Fair station (demolished)
Inside the aviary

The facility first opened in 1968, on the former site of the 1964 New York World's Fair. Initially known as the Flushing Meadow Zoo, it was the first zoo to be designed as 'cageless' from the start. Robert Moses turned the first shovel full of earth for the new construction on August 20, 1966, and cut the ceremonial ribbon to the new 18-acre (7.3 ha) "Flushing Meadows Zoo" a bit more than two years later on October 26, 1968.[5][1]

The zoo's aviary is a geodesic dome designed by Thomas C. Howard of Synergetics, Inc. and used during the 1964 Fair.[2] The dome was originally designed as the fair's major indoor assembly hall, with no indoor supports blocking anyone's view, and repurposed for the 1965 season as a tribute to Winston Churchill after he died in 1965.[6] The 175-foot (53 m) diameter dome was one of the largest single-layer structures of its time. It was dismantled and stored after the fair, and was later reassembled in its current location with a mesh netting covering instead of the solid tent of the original dome.[7]

In 1988 the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation entered a partnership with the Wildlife Conservation Society to operate the zoo. It was temporarily closed for four years to undergo a $16 million renovation, redesign, and reconceptualization. The facility reopened to visitors on June 25, 1992 as the Queens Zoo.[8]

Animals

The zoo is home to more than 75 species that are native to the Americas.[3] It is the only one of the five zoos in New York City that exhibits Andean bears. The zoo is also home to: Pumas, California sea lions, coyotes, burrowing owls, Canadian lynxes, Southern pudús, thick-billed parrots, American alligators, Roosevelt elk, American bison, trumpeter swans, king vultures, pronghorns, sandhill cranes, bald eagles, great horned owls, Chacoan peccaries, a walk-through aviary, and a farm with a variety of domestic animals.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Asbury, Edith Evans (October 27, 1968). "Moses Helps to Open First Queens Zoo" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  2. 1 2 "About the City Zoos". nyzoosandaquarium.com. Wildlife Conservation Society. Archived from the original on August 22, 2008. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
  3. 1 2 "Animals and Exhibits". queenszoo.com. Wildlife Conservation Society. Archived from the original on May 29, 2012. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Currently Accredited Zoos and Aquariums". aza.org. AZA. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
  5. ↑ Schumach, Murray (August 21, 1966). "Moses Gets Down to Earth in Opening World's Fair Site for Zoo" (PDF). The New York Times. p. 40. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  6. ↑ "World's Fair Building / Churchill Tribute". westland.net. Jeffrey Stanton. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
  7. ↑ Gray, Christopher (January 3, 1993). "Streetscapes: The Queens Aviary; A Great Outside Interior Space". The New York Times. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  8. ↑ Lyall, Sarah (October 22, 1993). "Zoo Story: A Q.-and-A. Stroll in Queens". The New York Times. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
  9. ↑ "Zoo Map" (PDF). queenszoo.com. Wildlife Conservation Society. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 1, 2012. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
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