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Zoo’s Australian Exhibit Named Best in Nation

Kid-friendly atmosphere, unique rides also lauded in new book

The Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo was named the country’s Number One Zoo for Australian Animals and Exhibits by the authors of America’s Best Zoos.

The zoo’s five-acre Australian Adventure exhibit is called “one of the country’s largest and best displays of Australian animals” by the book’s authors, Allen W. Nyhuis and Jon Wassner.  They describe the exhibit as “fascinating” and a “most convincing virtual journey to the ‘Land Down Under.’”  Runners-up in the category include Chicago’s Brookfield Zoo and the San Diego Zoo.

The zoo was also named a runner-up in the Best Rides category, just behind the San Diego Zoo and Disney’s Animal Kingdom.  The book places the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo among the 60 Best Zoos in the United States.

“Recognition like this is a reflection on the entire Fort Wayne community,” says Zoo Director Jim Anderson. “Without the support of the community, the zoo would not be what it is today.”

When the Australian Adventure was built in 1987, it was one of the first zoo exhibits in the nation to use Australian architecture, music, and plant materials to complement the animal exhibits and immerse visitors in Australian culture. The exhibit features a 17,000-gallon Great Barrier Reef Aquarium, a nocturnal bat cave, a one-half acre free flight aviary, a dingo exhibit, a log boat ride, and one of the country’s only walk-through kangaroo exhibits, where no physical barrier separates kangaroos from visitors.  A 50,000-gallon shark aquarium was added in 2004. 

Like all areas of the zoo, the entire Australian Adventure was built entirely with donations from foundations, businesses, and individuals.  Rides like the Australian Adventure’s log boat ride generate important revenue for the zoo, which is one of only a handful of zoos in the nation that receive no tax dollars for operations.

The Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo draws 500,000 visitors every year.  The all-new African Journey, featuring lions, hyenas, vultures, and giraffe feeding, is set to open in summer 2009.

The zoo is open every day 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily until October 12. Admission is $9.50 for adults, $6.50 for children age 2-14, and $8.50 for seniors over age 60. Babies age 1 and under and Zoo Society Members are admitted free.

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