Denver Zoo history

In 1905, a population of red squirrels was added to the zoo's collection; this population grew rapidly and decimated the bird population at Duck Lake.

In 1907, German animal trader/trainer Carl Hagenbeck opened his “animal gardens” with a radical new concept: nature-based habitats and no bars between visitors and animals.

Borcherdt designed the Bear Mountain exhibit, which opened in 1918.

In 1936 Monkey Island was added to the zoo with the support of federal funds.

Monkey Island was built in 1937 using funds from the Works Progress Administration.

Mayor Benjamin F. Stapleton funded the zoo very little, and it was in poorly maintained condition when Mayor Quigg Newton was elected in 1947.

Starting with the 1950 overhaul of Monkey Island, the zoo has steadily added to and improved its exhibits.

In 1956 the Denver Zoological Foundation signed an agreement with the City and County of Denver to oversee the administration, management and development of Denver Zoo.

She lived for nearly a decade in the City Park Pump House before the new Pachyderm Building was completed in 1959.

Velox died at the zoo in 1961 and a memorial stone for her is displayed at the zoo.

The Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 made it impossible to keep the polar bears and sea lions in the Bear Mountain enclosure.

In 1975 Bird World opened to great fanfare as visitors were able to feel rainforest mist, view mountain waterfalls and sandy shorelines in an open-air aviary featuring dozens of bird species.

Northern Shores brought the wonders of the aquatic life to Denver in 1987 and provides zoo guests with an underwater vantage point to watch the graceful beauty of seals, sea lions and polar bears.

In 1993, the zoo opened the $11.5 million Tropical Discovery exhibit.

On November 6, 1994, twin polar bear cubs Klondike and Snow were born to a first-time mother named Ulu, who rejected the cubs.

Created in 1996, this team oversees critical projects all over the world.

On February 24, 2007, a jaguar mauled zookeeper Ashlee Pfaff inside the animal's enclosure.

The exhibit was constructed by the Kiewit Building Group and groundbreaking was on December 2, 2009.

The zoo has not had jaguars since 2010.

It was opened to the general public on June 1, 2012.

Klondike died at SeaWorld Orlando on September 13, 2013.

In 2015, following conservation work with researchers around Lake Titicaca in Peru, Denver Zoo welcomed 20 Lake Titicaca frogs from the Huachipa Zoo and later became the first zoo outside South America to breed the rare amphibians.