10 Facts About Philadelphia Zoo

Philadelphia Zoo, located in the Centennial District of Philadelphia, on the west bank of the Schuylkill River, is the first true zoo in the United States.

Philadelphia Zoo is one of the premier zoos in the world for breeding animals that are difficult to breed in captivity.

Philadelphia Zoo is 42 acres and the home of nearly 1,300 animals, many of which are rare and endangered.

Dr William Camac of Philadelphia had traveled throughout Europe in the 1850's and visited the London Zoo.

The opening of the Philadelphia Zoo was delayed by the Civil War which lasted from 1861 to 1865.

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Philadelphia Zoo attendance increased to nearly 680,000 visitors in 1876, a 36 percent increase over the preceding year, and set a record that would remain unmatched until nearly 858,000 visited in 1951.

Philadelphia Zoo has developed a distinguished breeding program over the years and is credited with many "firsts" including: the first successful birth of an orangutan and a chimpanzee in a U S zoo in 1928, the first cheetahs born in a zoo in 1956, the first successful birth of an echidna in North America in 1983, and the first successful birth of a giant river otter in North America in 2004.

Philadelphia Zoo pioneered the first captive management of flamingos under the direction of curator emeritus John A Griswold.

Philadelphia Zoo opened Treetop Trail in 2011, the first component of its Zoo360 animal exploration trail system.

Philadelphia Zoo360 is a network of see-through mesh trails, consisting of elevated and ground-level structures, along which animals can explore the zoo away from their enclosures.