Behind the Zoo: A Look at America’s First Wildlife Park

On Monday, Philly PR girl had the opportunity to get a behind the scenes look at the Philadelphia Zoo. Thanks to our friends at the Global Philadelphia Association, we enjoyed an hour and a half tour that gave us a new perspective on how the zoo operates. The forty-two acres that are home to over 1,300 animals predate the Civil War, making the Philadelphia Zoo the first in America when it opened its doors on July 1, 1874.

The tour began at the zoo’s animal hospital, which the staff informed us is a requirement set by the U.S. government for all zoos. The animal hospital has three veterinarians who are on call around the clock; there is never a time when the hospital is without a vet on duty during the day to help ensure the health and safety of the animals. Almost every animal there comes in from another zoo, so the vets do a lot of preventative care to make sure diseases don’t spread with the transfers of animals. The zoo also has its own in-house lab for testing, along with a dentist who does all of the animals’ dentistry work free of charge for 35 years.

The Philadelphia Zoo offers a special program where different small animals, such as birds and hedgehogs and more, can be brought to schools or birthday parties for presentations. The presentations aren’t entirely just for entertainment purposes though. They also teach kids things like the importance of conservation with the help of animals like the bird who knows how to shut off a light switch. As our guide said, “If they can shut off the lights when they leave a room, so can you.”

Along with all of the other amazing things the zoo does, they also provide wide-ranging educational services on the importance of conservation to keep the beauty of wildlife alive and healthy.   Whether you go to the zoo for a guided tour or to just a fun family day, we say,  just go!