Denver+Zoo

For children 3 years old and 30 years old, a trip to the zoo is a sure way to please. When folks from the high plains and midwest are near Denver, a great choice for entertainment is to stop at the Denver Zoo. It's prices are reasonable and its history is notable.

What is notable about the zoo's history?
The Denver Zoo was a forerunner in creating natural environments for the animals to live in. It was one of the first zoos to get rid of bars when it created Bear Mountain in 1918 ("Denver Zoo." //Wikipedia//). It hadn't taken the zoo long to create such things either, as the zoo's existence began with a single black bear (tethered to a tree!) in 1896, just 22 years before Bear Mountain was created (//Denver Zoo//).

The zoo also attempted to play a role in saving the American bison. In 1899 the zoo bought six bison and multiplied the small group into a "herd" of 15. Revealing how endangered the bison was at the time, the zoo's herd was one of the largest in existence at the time (//Denver Zoo).//

What kind of animals is the zoo famous for?
The Denver Zoo might be most famous for hand raising a pair of polar bear cubs, named Klondike and Snow (//Denver Zoo//). The pair were born in the zoo in 1994, but the mother rejected them. The zoo keepers were able to keep the cubs alive and eventually the cubs were moved to Sea World Orlando ("Denver Zoo." //Wikipedia).//

The zoo has its strange novelty acts as well. For example Mshindi, the zoo brags, is "the world's only rhinoceros that paints with a brush" (//Denver Zoo//).

Not every story coming from the zoo is a happy one. In 2007 a jaguar mauled a zookeeper who had entered its cage. The jaguar was shot and killed and the he woman died from the injuries she received. The follow-up investigation found that the incident was the woman's fault for entering the cage with the jaguar--an action that broke zoo policy ("Denver Zoo." //Wikipedia).//

What should a visitor to the zoo know?
Contributors to //Trip Advisor// recommend heading to the zoo early to avoid the crowds and visitors with children find that it is difficult to make it through the entire zoo in one visit. Some reviewers also found that the Denver Zoo was easily the best zoo in the geographic area and when comparing it, compared it to other reputable national zoos, like those in San Diego or Miami. It's overall ranking on Trip Advisor was 4.5 out of 5 ("Denver Zoo." //Trip Advisor).//