History
The Bronx Zoo was founded in 1895 as the New York Zoological Society by members of the Boone and Crockett Club, a non-governmental organization founded by Theodore Roosevelt. Two prominent members of the club, Madison Grant and C. Grant LaFarge were instrumental in the effort to create a zoo to study and protect valuable wildlife species. As a result of their efforts, the zoo opened to the public in November 1899 and was managed and directed by William T. Hornaday, a renowned zoologist and taxidermist. Under his leadership, the Bronx Zoo followed unusually high standards. However, his tenure was not without controversy, as the zoo displayed Ota Benga, a Mbuti pygmy native from the Congo, as an exhibit, an action that received significant criticism.
The Bronx Zoo was one of the few facilities to house a thylacine, also known as the Tasmanian tiger, a now-extinct Australian native animal. Despite efforts to save them, the thylacine species became extinct. The zoo also houses animals that are at risk of extinction, including okapis, komodo dragons, and shoebills.
The Bronx Zoo was also home to the lion who served as the Rainey Memorial Gates model. The zoo has many impressive exhibits and displays, including a state-of-the-art animal hospital.
