Denver Zoo

Denver Zoo
Entrance pavilion
Map
39°45′N 104°57′W / 39.750°N 104.950°W / 39.750; -104.950
Date opened1896
LocationDenver, Colorado, United States
Land area80 acres (32 ha)[1]
No. of animals2,500 (2024)[2]
Annual visitors1.8 million (2022)[5]
MembershipsAZA,[3] WAZA[4]
Major exhibitsPredator Ridge, Tropical Discovery, Toyota Elephant Passage, Primate Panorama, Bear Mountain, Harmony Hill, Down Under
Websitewww.denverzoo.org

Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance is an 80-acre (32 ha) nonprofit zoological garden and conservation organization located in City Park of Denver, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1896, it is operated by the Denver Zoological Foundation and funded in part by the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD). Its other sources of funding are ticket sales and private donations. It is the most visited paid attraction in Denver.[6][7]

Denver Zoo was started with the donation of an orphaned American black bear. With the construction of Bear Mountain, it became the first zoo in the United States to use naturalistic zoo enclosures rather than cages with bars.[8] It expanded on this concept with Primate Panorama, featuring huge mesh tents and open areas for apes and monkeys, and with Predator Ridge, which has three separate areas through which animals are rotated so that their overlapping scents provide environmental enrichment. Toyota Elephant Passage, which opened on June 1, 2012, is divided into five areas for rotating the various species.

Denver Zoo is accredited by the (American) Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and American Humane and is also a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA). The zoo achieved ISO 14001 certification in 2009, was given the first AZA Green Award in 2011,[9] and was named the "Greenest Zoo in the Country" at the World Renewable Energy Forum in 2012.[10] In 2015, it was re-certified for ISO 14001 and achieved OHSAS 18001 certification, becoming only the fourth zoo in the world to get both certifications.[11]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference zoo_facts was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Sarles, Jesse. "Denver Zoo rebrands, changes name to Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance". cbsnews.com. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference aza_list was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference waza_list was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "2022 Annual Report". denverzoo.org. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  6. ^ Kelley, Joanne (June 21, 2006). "Destination: Denver (Record number of overnight visitors came to city in 2005)". Rocky Mountain News. p. 1B. Archived from the original on June 11, 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
  7. ^ Ensslin, John (19 June 2019). "Denver tops 31m visitors for 3rd year; tourist spending ties record". Colorado Politics. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  8. ^ "History". denverzoo.org. Denver Zoological Society. Archived from the original on 31 December 2009. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
  9. ^ "Denver Zoo the greenest". denverpost.com. Denver Post. September 19, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  10. ^ "How the Denver Zoo Became the Greenest in the World". ases.org. American Solar Energy Society. May 15, 2012. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  11. ^ "Denver Zoo is First Zoo in Western Hemisphere to Earn Prestigious Health and Safety Certification". denverzoo.org. Denver Zoo. March 11, 2015. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved November 27, 2015.