The Denver Zoo emerged as part of this movement, though its origins and early decades were largely unplanned. Some of the earliest zoological gardens in Denver were private animal collections, including Mary Elitch’s popular zoo at Elitch Gardens (the first woman-run zoo in the world) and Manhattan Beach’s small collection on the north shore of Sloan’s Lake.Īt the same time, cities were starting to develop their own municipal zoos, which were often located in large public parks and linked to nearby botanical gardens and natural history museums. This was especially true in the American West, where large herds of bison and other animals rapidly gave way to railroads and cities. In the late nineteenth century, the large-scale killing of wild animals-particularly large predators such as lions, tigers, and bears-made collections of such animals for conservation and public exhibition seem valuable and interesting. Today innovative exhibits such as Predator Ridge (2004) and Elephant Passage (2012) have placed it in the forefront of zoo design. The zoo became more professional, with a greater focus on education and conservation, especially under longtime board chair Helen Johnson (1957–78) and director Clayton Freiheit (1970–2007). That changed after World War II, when the Denver Zoological Foundation took over management and fundraising. Apart from the 1918 development of Bear Mountain, usually regarded as the first naturalistic exhibit in the United States, the zoo had a low budget and emphasized entertainment. The zoo draws more than 2 million visitors per year, making it one of Colorado’s most popular cultural attractions.ĭuring its early decades, the Denver Zoo was run by the Denver Parks Department. There are 350 employees overseeing a total of about 3,700 animals from more than 600 species. The Denver Zoo started in 1896 with a single bear in City Park and has grown to an eighty-acre campus.
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