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June 13, 2005

Zoo Celebrates 40th Anniversary

The Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo will mark its 40th anniversary this summer with special events, a historical look back, and thanks for the community that built the zoo.

The zoo officially opened to the public on July 3, 1965 with just 18 exhibits covering five and one-half acres. Today, the zoo is the area’s top tourist attraction, draws more than 500,000 visitors annually, houses more than 1,500 animals on 38 acres, and is recognized as a world-class facility dedicated to the preservation of wild animals.

“The zoo has made amazing progress over the last 40 years,” says Zoo Director Jim Anderson, “and much of that can be attributed to the vision of our community leaders and the generosity of our citizens.”

“Nearly everything at the zoo—from the first monkey cage built in 1965 to the $800,000 shark tank we opened last year—has been built with donated money,” Anderson says. “Fort Wayne should be very proud of the zoo it has created.”

A series of special events is planned for the zoo’s anniversary week, June 27 – July 1.

The zoo is open every day from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. until October 10. Admission is $7.50 for adults, $5.00 for children age 2-14 and for seniors over age 60. Babies age 1 and under and Zoo Society Members are admitted free.

40th Anniversary
Schedule of Events

Monday, June 27 Kids’ Parade 11:00 a.m.
Kids are invited to dress as their favorite animal or get their face painted and join our parade around the zoo.

Tuesday, June 28 Peek Behind the Scenes 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Go behind the door that says “Employees Only” to find out how zoo keepers care for the animals.

Wednesday, June 29 40 Cent Day 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Train, boat, and safari car rides are 40 cents each.

Thursday, June 30 Top 40 Day 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Visitors can choose the Top 40 attractions at the zoo, past and present. Results will be announced July 1.

Friday, July 1 Birthday Party 11:00 a.m.
Sing “Happy Birthday to Zoo” with the Fort Wayne Children’s Choir and enjoy a slice of our giant birthday cake!

All anniversary events are free with zoo admission and are sponsored by Waterfield Mortgage Company, Lutheran Health Network, National City Bank, and Specialized Printed Products.

40th Anniversary
Zoo History Timeline

1961
Community leaders propose building a Children’s Zoo in Fort Wayne.

1962
City Park Board appoints 65-member advisory board to raise money for the new zoo.

1963
The duck pond is dug out and underground pipes are laid on the site of the new zoo.

1964
Kids collect pennies to buy an elephant for the zoo. In total, the community raises more than $550,000 to build the zoo.

Earl Wells is hired as the first director of the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo. He will serve until his retirement in 1994.

1965
The zoo opens to the public on July 3, featuring 18 exhibits. More than 6,000 people visit the zoo that day.

1966
The nonprofit Fort Wayne Zoological Society is chartered to raise funds for the zoo and sell season pass memberships to the zoo. More than 400 season passes are sold that first year.

Sinbad, a 10-month-old chimpanzee, arrives and soon becomes the star attraction at the zoo.

“Zoo’s Who” TV show, hosted by Zoo Director Earl Wells, debuts on WPTA-TV, Channel 21.

1967
A flamingo escapes the zoo and flies to Brudi’s gravel pit, where it is later recovered.

In only its third year of operation, zoo attendance tops 250,000.

Amos, a rare bonobo (pygmy chimpanzee), is acquired by the zoo. He becomes the zoo’s mascot, and his portrait graces the zoo’s logo.

1969
The Zoomobile program is created to bring animals to every third grade classroom in Allen County, a tradition which continues today.

1970
The Women’s Auxiliary of the Fort Wayne Zoological Society is formed, providing an official organization of volunteers to assist the zoo.

1971
Plans are unveiled for an African Veldt.

An attendance record of 286,841 is set.

Children collect nickels and dimes to buy a giraffe for the new African exhibit.

1972
Camilla, a female bonobo, is acquired as a companion for Amos, making the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo only the third zoo in the world to possess a true pair of this very rare animal.

1976
The African Veldt opens on June 26. Visitors patiently wait two hours to ride Safari Cars through the exhibit.

Christmastime-at-the-Zoo debuts with more than 26,000 lights adorning the zoo. Popular demand forces the display to remain open one week longer than planned.

1977
Lorel, another female bonobo, arrives on breeding loan from the San Diego Zoo. Much public attention is focused on romantic activity between Lorel and Amos.

Amos dies from a sudden bacterial infection on Labor Day. Bonobos are never bred at the zoo.

Membership in the Zoo Society reaches an all-time high at 6,186, one of the largest in the nation.

1979
The Great Zoo Halloween opens to provide a safe alternative to neighborhood trick-or-treating.

1982
An alligator escapes into Shoaff Lake in Franke Park, where it spends the summer sunning itself on the banks and dining on ducks. Two zoo workers eventually net it.

1983
The Zooper Market Gift Shop opens.

The Discovery Center is built. A chick hatchery is a visitor favorite.

1984
Plans are underway for a new exhibit devoted to Australian animals.

1985
Fund raising begins for the new Australian Adventure, with a goal of $2.5 million.

1986
The massive 24-foot-long acrylic window for the Australian Adventure’s new aquarium is lowered into place by crane before the building’s roof is constructed.

1987
Three days before the exhibit opens, a wallaby escapes from the Australian Adventure. He is quickly herded back to his new home.

The Australian Adventure opens on June 20 to rave reviews. Annual attendance skyrockets to more than 400,000 visitors.

1988
The Australian Adventure receives an award for excellence in exhibit design by zoo professionals around the country.

1989
The zoo hosts Dinosaurs Alive, an exhibit of life-sized, robotic dinosaurs, for the summer.

1990
The zoo begins an effort to conserve five species of rare primates in Indonesia’s Mentawai Islands. More than 15,000 local school children raise money for the project.

1991
The zoo lands on the pages of Cosmopolitan magazine, where it is named one of the ten best zoos in the country. A flurry of recognition in other national publications follows.

A rare hornbill chick hatches after being sealed in its log nest for more than 40 days.

A rare white, blue-eyed alligator is displayed at the zoo for the season.

The zoo establishes the Lawrence A. Ackerman Scholarship in honor of retiring zoo veterinarian Dr. Larry Ackerman, who served the zoo for 25 years.

The zoo receives its largest single donation ever—$1 million—from the estate of retired school teacher Harriet Nietert Weaver.

1992
Plans to build a rain forest exhibit at the zoo—inspired by Weaver’s donation and conservation efforts in Indonesia—are announced. A fund drive is launched to raise $4 million.

Scott’s Foods hosts the first Zoo Day, netting $166,000 for the zoo.

1994
The Indonesian Rain Forest exhibit opens to the public on June 18. Nearly 16,000 people brave the 100-degree heat that weekend to see the new exhibit.

Earl Wells retires as the zoo’s director in November. Assistant Director Jim Anderson is named as his replacement.

1995
Orangutan Valley, phase two of the Indonesian Rain Forest, opens in June.

1996
Tiger Forest opens in June as the third and final phase of the Indonesian Rain Forest exhibit

Zoo attendance exceeds 500,000 visitors for the first time.

Two dingo pups, Jantek and Jaga, are obtained from the zoo in Warsaw, Poland.

1997
Warthogs come to a new exhibit in the African Veldt.

Zoo attendance ranks fourth in the nation, per capita.

1998
$3.7 million Heart of the Zoo Campaign is announced.

835 educational programs served 25,774 people.

1999
Wild Wings, a bird of prey show, lands at the zoo for the summer.

A dispute erupts over a proposed parking lot at the zoo. Despite constant attendance growth, the zoo has not gained any paved parking spaces since it opened in 1965.

2000
African wild dogs move into a new exhibit in the African Veldt.

Fort Wayne Children's Zoo named one of the “Best Zoos Coast to Coast” by Family Fun magazine.

$3.7 million in Heart of the Zoo improvements begin.

A state-of-the-art animal hospital is constructed.

2001
Black storks Connie and Salvador hatch the first black stork chick in North America. The female chick is named Chocolat.

The Indiana Family Farm opens.

Zoo to You, a TV show filmed entirely at the zoo, premieres on local TV.

2002
Sea Lion Beach opens, with more than three times the space of the old sea lion tank.

After four years, the parking lot debate concludes with 600 new paved spaces.

FLIP program delivers funds and school supplies to help save endangered sea turtles in Costa Rica.

2003
Coolah becomes the only Tasmanian devil outside Australia after four other devils in U.S. zoos die of old age.

2004
Rare Sumatran tiger cubs Teddy, Sparky, and Cantik are born on April 22.

Sharks, Rays, & Jellyfish, a 50,000-gallon addition to the aquarium, opens in the Australian Adventure.

Coolah the Tasmanian devil dies, leaving no Tasmanian devils outside of Australia.

Child magazine ranks the zoo as one of the “Top Ten Zoos for Kids.”

Five wildebeests break through a gate and escape onto Wells Street and become the top story on the evening news.

2005
A rare striped possum baby is born in the Australian Adventure.

Zoo celebrates its 40th anniversary.

40th Anniversary
History of the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo

In 1924, City Parks Superintendent Adolph Jaenicke took trips to visit the parks in Lafayette and Marion, Indiana. As he wrote in a newspaper article dated July 11, 1925, he was amazed to discover that each city had its own municipal zoo, with “immense crowds filling the zoo to capacity.”

Jaenicke envisioned Franke Park as the perfect location for Fort Wayne’s very own zoo. After all, he wrote, “Franke Park is only two miles from the courthouse” and “the Huffman street car line is only six blocks away.” In addition, Jaenicke felt that since the city had a policy of having special attractions in each park—rose gardens at Lakeside Park, the iris and peony gardens at Weisser Park—it was “only natural that . . . Franke Park should be chosen for this purpose.”

After considering the matter, Jaenicke wrote that he had “the firm conviction that a zoo in Fort Wayne would be a success.”

He was right.

Humble beginnings

It took more than three decades, but in the mid 1950s, a zoo of sorts did sprout up in Franke Park. Old records refer to it as a “nature preserve” that housed four monkeys, a black bear, three wildcats, deer, mountain goats, raccoons, foxes, porcupines, pheasants, ducks, swans, and an American eagle.

The nature preserve soon became a popular destination for families, prompting local officials to consider Jaenicke’s suggestion to build a zoo in Franke Park. At that time, “children’s zoos” with storybook themes were popular around the country. Thus, the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo was born.

By 1962, some preliminary planning had taken place. Proposed exhibits included an Indian Village, a prairie dog colony, mammal dens, hoofed animal areas, and Noah’s Ark.

With these plans in hand, the city’s Board of Park Commissioners saw the need to get the citizens of Fort Wayne involved. They appointed a 65-person Advisory Committee to foster interest in the zoo and, more importantly, to raise money for the zoo’s construction.

The people and businesses of Fort Wayne threw their support behind the zoo project. Local tradesmen donated their time to install utilities. “Zoo boosters” from age two to 12 collected pennies to buy an elephant. The Jaycees and Jane Addams Society donated funds toward construction. Countless other contributions of time and money, both large and small, added up. Within three years, the Advisory Committee had raised $350,000 and secured $200,000 in donated materials and services.

This outpouring of support from the community was unprecedented. Byron Novitsky, then chairman of the Board of Park Commissioners, who had spearheaded the efforts, said he had never seen the public rally behind a project so enthusiastically.

Now that the zoo was becoming a reality, it was time to hire a full-time director. Earl B. Wells, then a young zoo director in Rochester, New York, was hired in 1964 to supervise the new Children’s Zoo—a position he held until his retirement in 1994.

A zoo at last

On July 3, 1965, the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo, comprising five and one-half acres and 18 exhibits, opened to the public. Attendance that first day was 6,000. The zoo was one of the nation’s few self-supporting zoos, earning all revenue from admissions, rides, and concessions, and remains so today.

Even though the zoo was completed, it was clear that funds would still be needed for future expansion. The Fort Wayne Zoological Society was established in 1966 as a nonprofit organization to assist in the development and growth of the zoo. To raise money, the Society sold season passes to the zoo and sponsored member-appreciation events such as the Zoo-Loo-Au picnic, two services that continue today.

In the early years, some of the zoo’s unusual animals became celebrities. In 1967, Amos, a rare bonobo (pygmy chimpanzee), was the zoo’s most popular resident. Amos rapidly became the zoo’s mascot and goodwill ambassador. For a time, Amos’s portrait even graced the zoo logo.

The people of Fort Wayne loved the zoo, and Director Wells knew he had a responsibility to give back to the citizens. In 1969, Wells established the Zoomobile program, which visited every third grade classroom in Allen County, absolutely free of charge. Over time, this educational program grew along with the city, from visiting 50 classrooms in 1969 to nearly 400 in six counties in 2005.

The first major expansion

By 1971, the zoo enjoyed an annual attendance of more than 286,000, and plans were unveiled for an exciting addition to the zoo: the African Veldt. Wells envisioned an exhibit unlike anything seen in zoos at that time: He would mix several types of animals together and let them roam free, while visitors were enclosed in motorized jeeps.

The African Veldt opened in 1976, adding 22 acres to the zoo. Exotic architectural elements such as thatch-roofed huts and stick fences immersed visitors in the African theme and created a sensation in Fort Wayne. Visitors patiently waited up to two hours to enjoy a ride in a zebra-striped Safari Car—a problem that was resolved in 1977 when an elevated boardwalk was added as an alternate way to reach the African Village.

1976 also marked the first Christmas Time at the Zoo, a tradition that continued through 1994. The zoo was adorned with thousands of lights, Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus, and storybook characters. That first year, the event was scheduled to run for 12 days—that is until unbelievable attendance and pleading phone calls convinced Wells to keep the event open for another week.

Meanwhile, zoo animals visited playgrounds, nursing homes, and the children’s ward at Parkview Hospital. Zoo education programs grew to include tours, presentations, and a weekly 30-minute “Zoo’s Who” television program. The Fort Wayne Zoological Society became one of the largest in the nation, with a membership of 6,186 families.

In 1979, another tradition came alive: the Great Zoo Halloween. For the event, thousands of pumpkins were carved and painted to transform the zoo. Legions of volunteers arrived from schools, scout troops, and service groups to dispense candy and haunt the woods in Franke Park. Today, the Great Zoo Halloween is one of the area’s most popular Halloween attractions.

By 1982, there were about 550 animals in the zoo, with 12 permanent staff and 50 seasonal workers. Nearly 100 volunteers helped where needed.

1983 brought the long-awaited opening of the Zooper Market Gift Shop and the new Discovery Center, with displays of hatching chicks and a honey bee colony.

A visit “Down Under”

Wells was ready to expand the zoo again, and a 1984 survey of area school children determined that the theme would focus on Australian animals. More than $2.5 million was raised to build the exhibit, which would be the largest display of Australian animals outside of Australia.

Wells and his staff set to work planning the new displays. The largest was a 27,000-gallon aquarium to depict the Great Barrier Reef. Its huge 24-foot-long window had to be lowered into the building with a crane before the roof was added.

Most of the animals for the new addition were imported from zoos in Australia. Soon after the construction was complete, crates of kangaroos, dingoes, and Tasmanian devils began arriving. The opening of the Australian Adventure in 1987 was the crowning event of the year. The zoo broke all attendance records, and received a prestigious award from the professional zoo community.

In the national spotlight

In the early 1990s, the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo received a flurry of national recognition and accolades. Mentions in Cosmopolitan magazine, the New York Times, Child magazine, ABC’s Good Morning America, and the ZooLife television show brought unprecedented publicity to the zoo. In a survey, zoo visitors rated their zoo experience 9.6 out of 10. The zoo generated more than $14 million annually in tourism dollars for the community.

Conserving endangered species has always been a priority for the zoo. In 1990, the zoo sponsored a project in Indonesia’s Mentawai Islands to protect five species of rare monkeys and apes. Nearly 15,000 local students helped raise funds to “adopt” an acre of rain forest in the Mentawai Islands.

From the Mentawai project came an idea for the zoo’s next major expansion: the Indonesian Rain Forest exhibit. Zoo officials unveiled plans for the new display in 1992. Within a year, the zoo had raised $5.5 million.

The first phase of the exhibit, a domed rain forest jungle, opened in 1994. Orangutan Valley, the second phase of the project, opened in 1995, followed by Tiger Forest in 1996. Interest in the zoo soared, and attendance topped 540,000 visitors. The zoo again was honored with awards from professional colleagues.

Veteran zoo employee Jim Anderson took over as zoo director when Earl Wells retired in 1994. The zoo covered 38 acres, housed more than 1,500 animals and employed 45 people year round, with another 100 workers added in the summer.

The late 1990s saw a new animal display every year—warthogs, worms, a bird of prey show—growth in education programs, increased involvement in conservation efforts, and more than 10,000 families in the Zoological Society.

In 1998, the Heart of the Zoo Capital Campaign set out to revitalize older areas of the zoo, add new attractions, and improve visitor service. The animal contact area was renovated to depict life on traditional Hoosier farm, and renamed the Indiana Family Farm.

In 2002, Sea Lion Beach was built to replace the aging sea lion exhibit, which had been constructed in 1968. A major addition to the zoo’s aquarium was completed in 2004, adding a 50,000-gallon tank for Sharks, Rays, and Jellyfish.

What’s next?

What does the future hold for the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo? If the past is any indication, you can be certain that the zoo will continue on its path to success—offering exciting animals, innovative exhibits, and an opportunity for families to enjoy memorable times together.

Bringing people close to animals and fostering an appreciation of wildlife has always been the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo’s mission—from its humble beginnings as a nature preserve to its current status as a world-class zoological facility.

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