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Visitors Guide to
The Saint Louis Zoo is set
in the rolling hills, lakes and glades of Forest Park. It is recognized as a
leading zoo in animal management, research, conservation, and education.
Admission is free, although there are fees for some attractions. The Saint Louis Zoo has been named #1 zoo by Zagat Survey's U.S. Family Travel Guide
in association with Parenting magazine. The Saint Louis Zoo is one of the top
attended zoos in the nation with 3,000,000 people visiting the zoo each
year. The formation of the
Saint Louis Zoo began with the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition (St. Louis
World's Fair.) The Smithsonian Institution constructed the walk-through Bird
Cage, the largest free-flight aviary in the world and still an attraction at
the Zoo. Ten days after the Exposition closed, the citizens of St. Louis
chose to buy the Bird Cage for rather than have it dismantled and returned
to Washington, D.C. In 1910 the Zoological Society of St. Louis was formed
and in 1913 the City of St. Louis set aside 77 acres in Forest Park for a
zoo. State legislation provided that "the zoo shall be forever
free," which has kept the Zoo accessible to millions of visitors ever
since. In 1916 the citizens of St. Louis voted a tax for construction of the
Saint Louis Zoo. It is said that this was the first zoo in the world supported
by a community tax. The Saint Louis Zoo is home to more
than 22,000 exotic animals, many of them rare and endangered. The over 800
species represented at the Zoo come from all the major continents and biomes
of the world. The Saint Louis Zoo was one of the first zoos in the world to
replace barred cages with open, moated enclosures. In the early 1920s, five
grottos for bears were literally molded from limestone palisades along the
Mississippi River. Historic Hill is one of the oldest parts of the Saint Louis Zoo
and includes the 1904 Bird Cage and the Spanish architectural flavor of
the 1920s Bird House, Primate House and Herpetarium. In the Red Rocks area
lions, tigers, zebra, and giraffes have outdoor enclosures with natural
rocky boulders and outcroppings. A new addition to the Saint Louis Zoo is the River's Edge, the Zoo's first immersion exhibit. This 10-acre lushly planted naturalistic environment showcases multiple species from around the world including hippos, rhinos, and elephants. Other new additions include Penguin & Puffin Coast and the Insectarium. Children will love the petting area and animals shows of the Children's Zoo, the Conservation Carousel with 64 hand-carved animal figures of endangered species, and the Zooline Railroad. Visiting the Saint
Louis Zoo
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