Indianapolis Zoo

Today the author visits the Indianapolis Zoo.
From the Book
East Central Indiana Day Trips

At the suggestion of Indianapolis Times writer Lowell Nussbaum, the Indianapolis Zoological Society formed in 1944. The Society began collecting animals and searching for a new site.
They opened their first zoo at George Washington Park in 1964. By 1984 the zoo’s collection had outgrown its space and a search for a new site led it to the new White River State Park, near downtown Indianapolis. The new zoo opened as the first attraction in the park in June 1988.

Transcript:

Greetings, today we will visit the Indianapolis Zoo.

Indianapolis Zoo
Newspaper columnist Lowell Nussbaum, writer for the Indianapolis Times, began advocating for a zoo in his “Inside Indianapolis”, column in the 1944. His efforts led to the formation of the Indianapolis Zoological Society later that year. World War II slowed the effort, however Nussbaum and the members of the group continued to plan.

The group spent years collecting animals and searched for a suitable site. They did not want to depend upon governmental funds, instead desiring to rely on admissions, in facility sales, donations and member ship fees. This is the current means of funding the zoo.

The group decided to place the zoo in the 128 acre George Washington Park, which is on 30th Street between Keystone Avenue and Dearborn Street. Construction crews began working at the site on August 6, 1962. The zoo opened on April 18, 1964 as the Washington Park Children’s Zoo. Animals included in this zoo included an Asian elephant, penguins, kangaroos, foxes, raccoons, camels, bison, deer, lambs, tortoises, llamas, prairie dogs, pygmy goats, and buffalo exhibits. The entrance to the zoo featured a Dutch windmill and huge replicas of a giraffe and blue whale. The zoo drew 270,000 visitors in its inaugural year. The zoo’s staff grew to include a full time educational staff in 1965, one of the few zoos in the nation to have one. The zoo hosted the first “Christmas at the Zoo” exhibits in 1967, the first such event in the nation.

The zoo continued to add animals to its collection and by 1984 it had outgrown its space. The search for a location, preferably in or near downtown Indianapolis began. The solution came with the establishment of White River State Park.
White River State Park
Created in 1979 by the Indiana General Assembly, White River State Park is not part of the Department of Natural Resources system. Instead, it operates under the White River State Park Development Commission which is composed of the Indianapolis Mayor, Indiana University President, Director of the Department of Natural Resources and seven citizens appointed by the Indiana governor. Four members of the Indiana General Assembly also meet with the Council as non-voting members. The Indianapolis Zoo became the first entity to become part of the park in 1988. The Indiana State Museum, Victory Field and others became part of the park in the ensuing years.
White River State Park
801 W Washington St
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317.233.2434

Workers broke ground for the new zoo in September 1985. By 1987 the facility was ready to admit the over 500 animal residents of the Washington Park zoo. The dual challenge of managing the new zoo while transporting the animals and continuing to maintain the old facility was a challenge, however the staff pulled it off. The Washington Park Zoo officially closed on November 1, 1987. The animals began moving from the old zoo in late November and by mid December the move was complete. It was the first attraction to open in the new state park on June 11, 1988.

Instead of caging the animals, the zoo’s designers incorporated the biome concept, which kept the animals in an environment similar to that in which they lived in the wild. The zoo uses environments like deserts, forests and plains to house the animals. The Marine Mammals Pavilion opened in February 1989 and was the largest enclosed environmentally controlled facility in the nation when it opened.

White River Gardens
The 3.3-acre garden serves as the entrance to the Indianapolis Zoo opened in 1989. The garden includes the 5,000 square foot Hilbert Conservatory, which has an extensive tropical plant collection. The Gardens also features the outdoor DeHaan Tiergarten. This garden features gardening ideas, information on plants and landscape design inspirations. The zoo and gardens share the same entrance.

The 93 acre zoo includes the following exhibits:
Deserts Dome
Extreme Snakes
Flights of Fancy
Budgie and Lorikeet Aviaries
Flamingo Pool
Alligators & Crocodiles: The Fight to Survive
International Chimpanzee Complex
Kangaroo Crossing
Magnificent Macaws
Simon Skjodt International Orangutan Center
Tiger Forest
Oceans
Ascension St. Vincent Dolphin Pavilion
Penguin Hall
Sea Lion & Seal
Sharing One World: Long-Tailed Macaques
Walrus Complex
Plains
Visitors will also find several restaurants, a gift shop and kid’s rides. The zoo’s staff conducts various events periodically.

Indianapolis Zoo
1200 West Washington St.
Indianapolis, IN 46222
317-630-2001

The episode is based upon my book, Central Indiana Day Trips, available on the web site, http://www.mossyfeetbooks.com. The book is the fifth book in the 9 volume Road Trip Indiana Series. The books include all the historical markers, as of 2022, in Indiana with the text and back story. The books also include a nearly complete listing of virtually every tourism destination in the state. The destinations include parks, museums, drive in theaters, bowling alleys, wineries and much, much more. I encourage you to visit the web site and subscribe to it. If you like what I am doing, please purchase a book, as it helps fund my work.

I hope you enjoyed this podcast and thank you for listening.