-
Denver Zoo Founded
Denver Zoo founded when an orphan American black bear cub named Billy Bryan was given to the mayor of the time Thomas S. McMurry as a gift. -
Period: to
Denver Zoo
-
Animals Move from Cages
Mayor Robert W. Speer decided the cages the animals lived in needed to be done away with. He hired Saco R. DeBoer to plan a new design with rocks, waterfalls, trees and more. It became the first zoo in the U.S. to use naturalistic zoo enclosures. -
Bear Mountain Opens
Bear Mountain opened and housed polar bears and grizzly bears. The south tip originally housed monkeys, but because of an escape problem sea lions moved in instead. -
Monkey Island is Built
Monkey Island was built and is surrounded by a moat to get rid of the original bars. -
Denver Zoo Gets Their First Elephant
The Denver Zoological Foundation was created. That year the zoo got their first elephant, Cookie. -
A Children's Zoo Opens
A Children’s zoo was opened but has now been replaced by Primate Panorama, a 7 acre home for apes and other larger primates. -
The Feline House Opens
The Feline House was opened. -
The Giraffe House Opens
The giraffe house opens, which allows giraffes a place to keep warm. -
The Animal Hospital Opens
The animal hospital opens in the zoo, allowing animals to get help when something is wrong. -
Bird World Opens
Bird world was opened. -
Northern Shores Opens Up
Northern Shores opened for polar bears, bears, seals and otters. Underwater viewing areas are provided in the polar bear and sea lion habitats. -
Tropical Discovery Opens
Tropical Discovery opened as an $11.5 million exhibit. This doubled the number of species and the number of animals at the zoo. There are also over 250 species of plants within the exhibit. -
Klondike and Snow Are Born
Klondike and Snow were born to a first time mother name Ulu, who rejected the cubs. They were raised by the staff at the zoo and were a very popular attraction. -
Most Popular Place in Denver
The Denver Zoo becomes the most popular place in Denver that you have to pay for to visit. -
Jaguar Hurts a Zookeeper
A jaguar hurts a zookeeper. This event happened despite the zoo policy that humans and big cats should not have direct contact. -
Zoo Opens Elephant Passage
The zoo opened a $50 million Elephant passage. This is a 10-acre exhibit and the largest bull elephant habitat in the world, designed for up to 12 elephants.
