There are a some zoo’s that one can spend a day in while visiting Manhattan. The first one to start with is in Central Park. Every yellow cab driver in town can get you from one of the boutique Manhattan hotels to the Central Park Zoo in no time at all. Whether there are kids with your group or not, the zoo is always a great place to spend an afternoon. They have some gorgeous cats just hanging around watching all the people walking by. There is a Red Panda which is on the endangered species list and most don’t realize that it is the original Panda. There is something special about seeing such unique animals in a habitat that is similar to where they came from.
The zoo was not apart of the original concept of Central Park. It actually came out of a necessity to house many animals that came as gifts. In 1859, they decided that they had to have some where to house the Bear and Swans. They built the first zoo from the Arsenal building in 1870. Then the hired a zoo keeper in the early 1900s who added a new beloved friend Hattie, the elephant. Finally, in 1934, they build some neo-Georgian brick buildings and they just kept on adding exhibits. The Sea Lion pool which was one of the first habitats that was built out of the study of the habits of the Sea Lion. The zoo has been redesigned and added to over the many years it has been in operation. It is run by the Wildlife Conservation Society. Many of the early cages have been replaced with wonderful natural habitats which make the animals happy and as well as the visitors.
The zoo has been mentioned in pop culture along the way. It has been featured in novel classics like The Catcher in the Rye in 1951. In modern times, it has been the main setting for the animated film Madagascar in 2005 and 2008. There are some other zoo’s in the State of New York. The other closest to Manhattan would be the Bronx Zoo which is also maintained by the Wildlife Conservation Society.