The Fort Worth Zoo: A Howling Big Success

The Fort Worth Zoo is not only one of the loveliest zoos in Texas, it’s nestled on the oldest continuous zoo site in the state. When the zoo was started in 1909 in a dell beneath a cliff in Forest Park, the guest list consisted of one lion, two bear cubs, an alligator, a coyote, a peacock, and a few rabbits from a traveling carnival. Today the zoo houses 732 species and 4,613 specimens, and is hailed as one of the best in the country. Its central location amid the great natural beauty of an inner city park is one of its biggest attractions-and the cause of one of its biggest public relations nightmares.

In 1909, conventional wisdom held that Fort Worth would develop to the east rather than the west, because people wouldn’t want to drive to work and back home every day with the sun in their eyes. So much for conventional wisdom. Fort Worth’s biggest growth has always been to the west, and before long, the Forest Park zoo site was surrounded by upscale residential neighborhoods.

Thus the scene was set for the series of “Zoo Wars” the city has witnessed since the early 1970s, as the Zoological Association seeks to expand the zoo and the neighborhood fights to protect the precious open space of Forest Park. Even now, as zoo attendance moves farther past the one million mark each year, the issue of paving more park land for the hugely popular zoo is simmering beneath the surface.

It will be back. Meanwhile, those one million-plus visitors see an outstanding zoological park, full of a number of must-see attractions. Among them is the World of Primates, a 2.5-acre exhibit including an indoor, climate-controlled tropical rain forest for housing endangered lowland gorillas in natural family groups. It is the only exhibit in the nation to house all the Great Apes-gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees, and bonobos (pygmy chimps). The large outdoor area has lots of space for the animals to play, sleep, climb, and groom one another. All this activity is easily visible to visitors from elevated and ground-level walkways. And the visitors are highly visible to the apes, who often seem to be regarding these strange, two-legged, camera-equipped animals with a kind of jaded amazement.

When you can tear yourself away from the apes, stroll past the warthogs (every kid who has seen Disney’s The Lion King will spot them immediately) and the bongos (striped African antelopes with spiral horns) and head for the fastest animals in the world-cheetahs!

These are the most endangered big cats in Africa. However, four new cheetah cubs were recently born in Fort Worth as part of the zoo’s participation in an international effort to breed them in captivity. Visitors can watch the cheetahs from an extended platform over the two cheetah yards.

Then stroll to the Asian Falls, an exhibit carved out of the hillside to create a natural setting of grassy hills, waterfalls, and trees. Walk along the shady elevated boardwalk and look down on Sumatran tigers; Neela, the elegantly gorgeous blue-eyed white tiger; and the Malayan sun bears.

A 40-foot waterfall flows into a ravine and acts as a natural barrier to separate two families of endangered tigers. Streams from the waterfall empty into each cat yard, where the tigers can loll to escape the Texas heat. Look through a viewing window in a rock bordering the exhibit and you may find yourself eye to eye with a tiger.

Some 30 other endangered species live in the zoo, including the red wolf, the Mexican wolf, the Asian elephant, harpy eagles,and the roseate spoonbill. The zoo also houses three of the four rhino species currently maintained In captivity. The threat of extinction for rhinos ) is very real, and captive reproduction has had limited success.

And although the Jamaican iguana is much smaller than the rhinos, its story is as dramatic. For nearly 50 years, the iguana was believed to be extinct. But a small population was discovered in 1990, and the zoo is participating in a conservation program that should soon see its first full-scale release of captivebred Jamaican iguanas. And because no animal exists in a vacuum, prior to the release, a mongoose control program was initiated in Jamaica. Mongooses are natural predators of the iguanas, and are believed to have contributed a great deal to the species’ decline.

The zoo’s TEXAS! exhibit recreates a turn-of-the-century pioneer town complete with a saloon, a one-room school house, an operating blacksmith shop, and a working windmill. A 12-stall barn houses domestic farm animals such as cows, pigs, and chickens. An adjacent corral holds baby goats and sheep for petting- a thrill for city kids. And don’t miss the prairie dog village where children can crawl in a tunnel and then pop up in a plastic dome for face-to-face encounters with the prairie dogs.

Plan to spend most of the day at the zoo. There are several places to eat, and lots of carts selling ice creams and drinks scattered throughout the grounds. The zoo gift shop is filled with goodies, And don’t miss Portraits of the Wild, an art gallery filled with the zoo’s spectacular collection of paintings by renowned wildlife artist Wilhelm Kuhnert. The building itself is a piece of art, with beautiful wood floors made of-surprise!-Texas mesquite. Not only is mesquite a harder, more durable wood than teak, it also helps further the zoo’s conservation message. The world-famous Kimbell Museum collaborated with the zoo on the display, lighting, and hanging of the paintings.

Special events are regular features at the zoo. July will see the public debuts of some of the zoo babies, the wildest newborns in town. Big Cat Weekend is Aug. 10-11, when kids can learn about the felines and get free big cat masks, stickers, and posters. October brings Boo At The Zoo, when Halloween characters lurk along the paths (but they aren’t too scary for even the littlest kids). And in December, the Zoobilee of Lights is an evening holiday wonderland featuring children’s crafts, seasonal entertainment, and more than 300,000 sparkling lights.

To get to the zoo, take the University exit off 1-30 and go south for a mile to Colonial Partway. Take a left and follow the signs to the zoo.

Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday; 10 a.m.- 6 p.m., Saturday & Sunday. Admission for adults age 13 and older is $5.50. Children 3 to 12 are $3. Toddlers 2 and under are free. Seniors 65 and older are $2.50. Admission is half-price every Wednesday and group rates are available. For recorded information, call 817-871-7050.