It is a fine zoo all considered. For those who like to rank zoos it will not be high on their list. For the visitors, though, it is great. Here is a map that must be at least five years old.
Thank you, that's good to see, I had found an overview but had no idea what anything was and have heard references made here and there but knew very little about it.
Now that I look at it I see the map does not show the expansion of Missouri wildlife (located to the right of the bears) including cougar and deer. It also doesn't show the Asian Tropics where the elephants were moved to along with tigers and gibbons.
This zoo used to be the center of Asian elephant breeding for most of the 1980s and 1990s. The 1st successful elephant AI was at this very zoo.
Dickerson Park Zoo map Shirokuma - I am the PR/marketing director for Dickerson Park Zoo. If you would like our updated guest map, please e-mail me directly at marnold[at]dickersonparkzoo[dot]org and I can e-mail a PDF to you. Melinda Arnold
Another giraffe calf was born at 2:00 P.M today. http://www.news-leader.com/article/...rson-park-zoo?odyssey=nav|head&nclick_check=1
While another giraffe was born, its mother had to be euthanized. Giraffe born, mother euthanized at Springfield, Mo., zoo : Entertainment
Keepers are hand raising Leila a seven month old joey whos mother had to be put down last week due to illness. Zoo Staff Hand-Raising Orphaned Kangaroo Joey
A female elephant was euthanized. http://www.news-leader.com/article/...d|newswell|text|Photo Essays|p&nclick_check=1
Elephant handling was big concern in report on Mo. zoo Appears to have been a terrible accident due to a moment of misjudgement
It is no surprise that there will be changes in the way that the zoo handles its elephants: Staff member's death prompts changes in safety rules at Missouri zoo - UPI.com
I'm curious about their plan now for their elephant program seeing as how neither Moola or Patience can be put together due to Patience's aggression towards Moola. Personally, I l'd like to see Moola sent to okc zoo to be reunited with her daughter Chandra which will better help them establish their multigenerational herd. Plus Moola is still capable of producing a calf so who knows, maybe she could be sent over pregnant? I hate the idea of separating them but seeing as how they're not compatible, I'd say patience should be sent to the Tulsa Zoo. Gunda is a geriatric elephant and if something were to happen then Sooky would be left alone (minus the bull Sneezy). The zoo is planning on adding an additional yard to their exhibit and recently completed a renovation of their elephant museum. With the females gone, the dpz could turn their attention to managing bulls. They've certainly done a wonderful job managing multiple bulls in the past and could even renovate the main barn and yard to make it bull proof and serve as a bull hub like Denver. Switching to managing strictly bulls would also prevent the zoo from breeding and exposing and new calves to the herpes virus. What do you guys think? I'm just throwing thoughts out there.
Another article about the Giraffe-birth : Hi, Mom! Baby Giraffe Born at Dickerson Park Zoo - ZooBorns