Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium


Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium is a zoo in Omaha, Nebraska, located at 3701 South 10th Street. It can be accessed by I-80. It is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Its mission is conservation, research, recreation, and education., Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo. Retrieved 5/8/08. In August 2014, TripAdvisor proclaimed Henry Doorly Zoo the "world's best zoo", leading San Diego Zoo and Loro Parque, based on an algorithmic assimilation of millions of reviews for 275 major zoos worldwide.
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium is nationally renowned for its leadership in animal conservation and research. Evolving from the public Riverview Park Zoo established in 1894, today the zoo includes several notable exhibits. It features the largest cat complex in North America; "Kingdoms of the Night" is the world's largest nocturnal exhibit and indoor swamp; the [|Lied Jungle] is one of the world's largest indoor rainforests, and the "Desert Dome" is one of the world's largest indoor deserts, as well as the largest glazed geodesic dome in the world. The zoo is Nebraska's top paid attendance attraction and has welcomed more than 25 million visitors over the past 40 years.

History

The zoo originally began in 1894 as Riverview Park Zoo. Four years later, it had over 120 animals. In 1952, the Omaha Zoological Society was created with aims to improve the zoo. In 1963, Margaret Hitchcock Doorly donated $750,000. In doing so, she stipulated that the zoo be renamed in memory of her late husband, Henry Doorly, chairman of the World Publishing Company. Union Pacific helped the zoo lay down of track in 1968 with the inaugural run of the Omaha Zoo Railroad made on July 22, 1968.
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium has two rides that circumnavigate the zoo, a carousel and the Skyfari, an aerial tram which opened in 2009 and which takes visitors from the [|Butterfly and Insect Pavilion] to the new lion viewing exhibit.
The zoo is adjacent to the former site of Rosenblatt Stadium. In 2011, the zoo began developing the land at former Rosenblatt Stadium to become the new parking area and visitor center, leaving a small memorial at the location of home plate. Rosenblatt was replaced by the new TD Ameritrade Park downtown.

Zoo history timeline

This is a selected list of when buildings and exhibits were created:

Lied Jungle

The Lied Jungle opened on April 4, 1992, at a cost of $15 million.
It is one of the largest indoor rainforest exhibits in the world; it occupies an tall building that spans and is located just inside the main entrance. This exhibit allows visitors to look out from behind a -tall waterfall.
Inside are 123,000 ft2 of floor space, of which 61,000 ft2 are planted exhibit space; 35,000 ft2 are a display management area; and 11,000 ft2 are an education area.
Visitors can walk along a trail on the floor of the jungle, as well as on a walkway around and above the animals.
Along both trails, about 90 species can be found, including:
Many different types of plant life also thrive throughout the jungle.
The exhibit is broken up into sections by continent, including Asia, Africa, and South America.

Notable points

Visitors to the jungle can view the indoor jungle through of floor-to-ceiling windows at the Durham's TreeTops Restaurant, which is next to the jungle. A portion of the electrical power needed for the jungle is provided by natural gas fuel cells. The jungle has won several awards, including "Single best zoo exhibit in the country" in 1994 by the Family Life Magazine; "Significant Achievement Award for Exhibit Design" in 1993 by the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums; "Top ten designs in the world" in 1992 by Time, and "Top eight US engineering accomplishments" in 1992 by the National Society of Professional Engineers

Scott Kingdom of the Seas Aquarium

The Walter and Suzanne Scott Kingdoms of the Seas Aquarium, a public aquarium, opened on April 1, 1995, at a cost of $16 million. The building has and contains a total of of water. It was remodeled and opened again on April 5, 2012.
It features displays of aquatic habitats from polar regions, temperate oceans, the flooded Amazon rainforest, and coral reefs. The shark tank features a shark tunnel at the bottom of the -deep tank.
This tank features sharks, stingrays, sea turtles, and coral reef fish.
Other tanks include a jellyfish, and open-ocean schooling fish.
A new addition is a portable touch tank which allows visitors to feel a shark's scales and the rubbery skin of a stingray. The only freshwater display is of the Amazon rainforest that includes fish, invertebrates, turtles, and mammals.
The aquarium features aquatic animals from around the world, including:
The Garden of the Senses opened in spring 1998 at a cost of $1.8 million.
The garden is filled with plants, fountains, birds, a giant sundial, and more.
Over 250 different species of herbs, perennials, and trees, as well as roses and other flowers, butterfly-friendly plants, and trellises. The birds include macaws, South American parrots, and Australian cockatoos.

Desert Dome

The Desert Dome opened in April 2002 at a cost of $31.5 million. It is one of the world's largest indoor deserts at around 42,000 ft2.
Beneath the Desert Dome is the Kingdoms of the Night, and both levels make up a combined total of. The Desert Dome has geologic features from deserts around the world: Namib Desert of southern Africa, Red Center of Australia, and the Sonoran Desert of the southwest United States.
Animals include:
In addition to being one of the world's largest indoor deserts, the Desert Dome's geodesic dome is also the world's largest 'glazed' geodesic dome. The dome is above the main level and in diameter. The 1,760 acrylic windows with four shades were placed to allow maximum shade in the summer and maximum light in the winter to reduce energy costs.

Kingdoms of the Night

The Eugene T. Mahoney Kingdoms of the Night opened beneath the Desert Dome in April 2003 at a cost of $31.5 million. Kingdoms of the Night is the world's largest nocturnal animal exhibit at 42,000 ft2. Both the Kingdoms of the Night and the Desert combine to a total of. The Kingdoms of the Night features a wet cave, a canyon, an African diorama, a eucalyptus forest, a dry batcave, and a swamp. The swamp is also the world's largest indoor swamp.
A Kingdoms of the night logo is a sign that has the owl eyes.
Some of the animals found at the Kingdom of the Night include:
The Hubbard Gorilla Valley is a gorilla exhibit named after Dr. Theodore Hubbard ; it opened on April 8, 2004, at a cost of $14 million. Prior to being expanded and rebuilt, the Hubbard Gorilla Valley was the Owen Gorilla House.
Some of the animals are:
The Hubbard Orangutan Forest opened in two phases during 2005 — the first phase was opened in May and the second phase opened in late summer — at a cost of $8.5 million. The first phase is the outdoor habitat that includes two -tall, Banyan trees interconnected with vines enclosed by a stainless steel netting.
A waterfall is named after Claire Hubbard, the Orangutan Forest's primary donor. The second phase, the indoor habitat has 3,126 ft2. The majority of animals are primates which include the following:
  • Bornean orangutan
  • Siamang

    Exploration Station at the Wild Kingdom Pavilion

Situated inside the zoo's main entrance, the Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom Pavilion was completed in the spring of 1987. The membership drive theme was “Go Zoo U”. More than 32,000 household membership were sold and over 600,000 visitors enjoyed this new complex its first year. The building currently houses reptiles, insects, amphibians, and small mammals, while also providing business offices, a 312-seat multimedia auditorium, and classrooms.
The Wild Kingdom Pavilion has been transformed into the Exploration Station exhibit, serving as a safari-themed “Trail Head” where visitors begin their “wild” adventure at Omaha's zoo. Mutual of Omaha's Exploration Station includes a detailed interactive map of the zoo and video previews of major attraction such as the Scott Aquarium, Lied Jungle, Desert Dome, and Hubbard Gorilla Valley and Orangutan Forest. The station also features the History of the Zoo, Explorer Zone Classroom, Discover Biodiversity area, a theater, and numerous live-animal displays and the animal demonstration stage.
The center of the Exploration Station features a -high netted tree, with free-flying birds. Below the tree includes water displays with turtles, archer fish, and more.
The building's original public area, or living classroom, contains what is known as the Small Animal Collection. This area houses part of the zoo's reptile collection, as well as a large number of invertebrates. The animal collection represents the tremendous diversity in the animal kingdom, and includes tarantulas, turtles, snakes, hedgehogs, and other small animals.

Butterfly and Insect Pavilion

The Butterfly and Insect Pavilion is a, total-immersion exhibit located between the Scott Aquarium and the Giraffe Complex. Viewed from the sky, the exhibit resembles a winged insect.
The Butterfly and Insect Pavilion is an enjoyable adventure for young children all the way to adults.

Butterfly Conservatory

This area will feature -high glass sidewalls to allow the maximum amount of light inside the exhibit. Natural light, large trees, rocks, and water elements are all critical components needed to simulate a natural habitat and important to stimulate natural butterfly behaviors.

Conservation Promenade

Located in the Butterfly Conservatory, the promenade winds past numerous waterfalls and over streams, through lush vegetation, and loops around the giant Amazon water lily pool. The pool features a stilt root tree supporting a floating walkway for visitors to travel through the roots and get an up-close view of the giant South American water lilies. Many species of exquisite butterflies and moths including the beautiful blue morpho, zebra longwing, and painted ladies fly among visitors. Microhabitats will be displayed along the Conservation Promenade featuring many endangered amphibians the Zoo is currently working with in response to the global amphibian crisis. Upon leaving this area, visitors will find a mirrored room to carefully check for hitch-hiking butterflies before exiting.

Chrysalis Hatching Room

A area where butterflies and moths in their chrysalis or cocoon stage will be brought in from all over the world. Once inside, they will be carefully hung in hatching chambers where visitors can watch them complete their metamorphosis into flying insects. The entry hallway leading into the insect wing will contain several displays, such as a locust colony and bee hive, along with interactive learning opportunities.

Insect Zoo

This area will have a high glass sidewall on top of a solid wall to allow more intensive exhibit work. Individual micro-habitats will be home to ants, spiders, scorpions, walking sticks, mantids, centipedes, roaches, beetles and other creatures. In the center of this experience, two bird cages will house other exotic species such as tropical hummingbirds.

Lower Level

Features two rooms, approximately total, to be used for rearing butterflies and culturing insect colonies. A room will be used to maintain plants that are being rotated through the butterfly display. A frog breeding and rearing facility occupying of space, will house the most threatened amphibians. The rooms will be viewed through windows from the Giraffe Observation Walk that circles the building and will allow Zoo visitors a real look at what goes on behind the scenes. This same path will have numerous native butterfly gardens and offer visitors the opportunity to be eye to eye and nose to nose with the giraffe herd. -->

Simmons Aviary

The Simmons Aviary was opened in 1983, and is the world's third-largest free-flight aviary. It is home to about 500 birds from around the world. In this exhibit, visitors see flamingos, ducks, swans, storks, cranes, spoonbills, ibis and egrets.
The Aviary is long and rises to at the center.
The structure is covered with of two-inch nylon mesh that is supported by a system of cables and poles. The use of nylon instead of wire is a unique concept.

Expedition Madagascar

Expedition Madagascar opened May 7, 2010, and has many animals including lemurs, straw-coloured fruit bats, and giant jumping rats. The building of Madagascar gives the visitors a chance to learn more about an area of the world considered one of the top hotspots for biodiversity because it is home to the largest number of endemic, native only to this country, plant and animal species. Throughout the building, each exhibit is linked to ongoing projects in Madagascar.
After six years of planning and three years of construction, the 28-acre, $73 million African Grasslands exhibit opened to the public May 27, 2016, over the zoo's former eastern boundary area and Pachyderm Hill exhibits. The exhibit is the zoo's largest project to date, with over twenty five new buildings, in addition to multiple wildlife panoramas and a Kopje, and features giraffes, hoofstock, white rhinos, and many other native species including six African elephants in a 29,000-square feet exhibit that is the largest herd room in North America. There are a variety of new structures for guests, such as a hunting lodge-inspired Grill, the exploration-based Wildlife Management Headquarters, tents for overnight visits, and a Giraffe Encounter where guests may feed giraffes. In May 2019, the Birmingham Zoo's male African bush elephant Callee joined the herd of five female elephants to breed with them.
Highlighted species include:
  • African bush elephant
  • Giraffe
  • Southern white rhinoceros
  • Plains Zebra
  • Ostrich
  • Meerkat
  • Klipspringer
  • Rock hyrax
  • White-throated monitor lizard
  • Crested guineafowl
  • African pygmy goat
  • Lion
  • Cheetah
  • Sable antelope
  • Bongo

    Asian Highlands

A new exhibit built on previously undeveloped space the Asian Highlands area is a $22 million, 8-acre recreation of the highlands of central Asia, including India and China designed to simulate a mountain ascent, featuring species native to the region as well as a Yeti Camp, acting as a hub for visitors with themed food and gift options, and a Kid's Discovery Trail as well. The first phase of the exhibit opened in the spring of 2018 and the second phase opened in the spring of 2019.
  • Indian rhinoceros
  • Père David's deer
  • Red panda
  • White-naped crane
  • Sichuan takin
  • Goral
  • Tufted deer
  • Sloth bear
  • Snow leopard
  • Siberian tiger

    Owen Sea Lion Shores

Replacing the Durham Family Bear Canyon and existing Owen Sea Lion Pavilion, the one acre $27.5 million Owen Sea Lion Shores will be a new home for sea lions. It will include a 275,000-gallon saltwater pool with natural wave chambers, shallow beaches for young pups learning to swim, fish feeders that release fish and calamari at random times and places in the exhibit encouraging hunting behavior, a shaded seating area with a capacity of up to 170, and an underwater viewing cavern, and will open in fall 2020.

Other exhibits

The zoo also features Lozier IMAX theater and many other exhibits. Other exhibits include a petting zoo, the new Budgie Encounter, and many others. Many different animals have smaller, individual exhibits such as sea lions.

Retired Exhibits

Cat Complex

The Cat Complex opened in 1977 at a cost of $2.5 million. The complex had 11 indoor enclosures and 10 outdoor enclosures with a claimed capacity of up to 100 cats.
The building was the largest cat-breeding and management facility in North America.
The Cat Complex was awarded the "Edward H. Bean Award" for tiger husbandry by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium is known worldwide for its work in the field of artificial insemination of large cats. The exhibit was closed permanently and demolished in 2019 as the cats located in the Cat Complex were relocated to new exhibits in the African Grasslands and Asian Highlands or at other zoos and sanctuaries.
The complex contained nine species from the family Felidae:
The zoo's 15 year master plan called for the elimination of the Cat Complex along with the overhauling of several other exhibits. Going forward, animals at the zoo will be grouped by regions of the world, not their genetic relatives.

Durham Family Bear Canyon

The Durham Family Bear Canyon opened in 1989 at a cost of $1.4 million. The canyon had a large tank for polar bears. Having previously housed four bear species - the Polar bear, the American black bear, the Sun bear and the Spectacled bear, it was closed and demolished in 2018 to make room for Owen Coastal Shores.

Red Barn Park

The Red Barn Park was a petting zoo that opened in 1966. It included numerous domesticated animals including goats and cattle and was particularly noteworthy because of the large red barn that could be found in the area. It was demolished in 2018 and replaced with the Glacier Bay Landing area which opened in the spring of 2019. Many of the animals found in the exhibit were transferred to the Children's Adventure Trails.

Research

The Bill and Berniece Grewcock Center for Conservation and Research is a world-class research center at the zoo. The center has discovered several new species. The world's first in vitro-fertilized gorilla resides at the zoo. The world's first artificially inseminated tiger was born in Omaha in 1991, followed by the world's first artificially inseminated gaur. The original facility was constructed in 1996.
In 2006, it underwent a $6 million expansion which brings the total space to.
The research center focuses on six areas:
A study led by Edward Louis, a conservation geneticist at the zoo, identified three new mouse lemurs with the first named after Lee Simmons, the zoo's director.

Rides and transportation

Railroad

The Omaha Zoo Railroad is a, narrow gauge train that loops through the zoo.
The railroad began operations on July 22, 1968, after the track was laid down by the Union Pacific railroad. The train operates with one of two oil-powered steam locomotives. Riva is about twice as powerful as the #119 and is regularly used on weekends when more visitors are present. The #119 is the original locomotive for the zoo. A new diesel locomotive arrived in September 2008. This diesel is a 2-axle Plymouth locomotive and is used for switching operations of the passenger cars and other railroad-related projects.

Tram">Trackless train">Tram

The tram is a trackless tram that drives on the walkway paths around the zoo.
It has four stops:
  • By the Desert Dome
  • Between the elephant/zebra yard and pygmy goat kraal
  • By the playground near the sea lions
  • Between the carousel and Alaskan Adventure splashpad

    Skyfari

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium opened the Skyfari in 2009. It is an aerial tram that runs from one stop at the Butterfly and Insect Pavilion to the lion platform. It goes over the African veldt, cheetahs, the railroad tracks, the Garden of the Senses, the koi lagoon, and the lions.

Carousel

A carousel is available on which visitors can ride handcrafted recreations of wild animals.

Educational programs

The zoo offers many educational programs. The activities include school-involved programs, special "edzoocational" programs, zoo internships, animal-adoption, and volunteer work. Several programs include field trips, guided tours, educator workshops, Little Lion's Preschool, and two-way internet video conferencing to bring the zoo to the classroom. The edzoocational programs are educational programs that are taught in a nontraditional way. These programs include overnight camp-outs at the zoo, scouting programs, summer camps, birthday parties, and on-site speakers.