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Bronx Zoo 1985 Archive Footage

Discussion in 'Zoo History' started by ZooFan1, 15 May 2021.

  1. ZooFan1

    ZooFan1 Member

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    I’ve seen this video and I know most of the species, can anyone name all of the animals that are captured on this video? The animals won’t start appearing until around 2:19.
     
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  2. Gomphothere

    Gomphothere Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Very cool.
     
  3. evilmonkey239

    evilmonkey239 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Overall, the zoo doesn’t look that different from today. However, some differences I did notice in the video were...
    • It looks like they had some kind of fur seal rather than the California sea lions?
    • Humboldt penguins appear to have lived where the Magellanic penguins are now kept.
    • The gorillas are obviously in an old habitat.
    • The bontebok, which lived at the zoo until around a decade ago.
    • The outdoor island with gibbons; I know there was one in the Rare Animal Range, was that the one in the video?
     
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  4. Zooplantman

    Zooplantman Well-Known Member

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    Except that this is before Congo Gorilla Forest, Butterfly zone, Madagascar, Himalayan Highlands and Ethiopian Highlands exhibits and there was still a South America building, the World of Darkness was open and Rare Animal Range was much larger.
     
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  5. DavidBrown

    DavidBrown Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    When was the last time that the Bronx Zoo had hippos, and where was the exhibit shown in the video (10:45)? The exhibit looks pretty nice with a stream running through it.

    Have any other zoos ever exhibited giant chicken species like the Bronx Zoo did (2:10)? Somehow this species never gets discussed on Zoochat. Look at how the zoo let it roam freely through the zoo and casually interact with visitors.
     
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  6. Zooplantman

    Zooplantman Well-Known Member

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    Over the years hippos were in the Elephant House but also elsewhere. I believe that shot was one of the yards adjoining the South America/Small Deer building (where Congo Gorilla Forest is today) [​IMG]
     
  7. nczoofan

    nczoofan Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Didn’t the zoo last have common hippos before the renovation to the elephant house in the 80’s? I know they had pygmy hippos into the 90’s on the site u mentioned though.
     
  8. Zooplantman

    Zooplantman Well-Known Member

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    See NYC zoo question
     
  9. Zooplantman

    Zooplantman Well-Known Member

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  10. evilmonkey239

    evilmonkey239 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Let me rephrase that: the parts of the zoo shown in the video don’t look very different for the most part.
     
  11. Octopie

    Octopie New Member

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    Yea I remember looking up old maps of the Bronx zoo, it seems that the Gorillas and Gibbons were still at the Great apes house, and I know there used to be a penguin house across from the Grizzly bear exhibit, so the penguins may be there.