The Potawatomi Zoo is a zoological park located in South Bend, Indiana, United States. The Zoo is nestled in Potawatomi Park between the St. Joseph River and the Grand Trunk railroad in the east side neighborhood of River Park. Founded in 1902, it is Indiana's oldest Zoo. The zoo's mission is to inspire excellence in education, conservation, and improved animal quality of life. It features over 400 animals and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The zoo has over 200,000 visitors each year.
History
Potawatomi Zoo began in 1921 when a single deer was donated by Albert Russell Erskine, then president of the Studebaker Corporation. At the end of the Great Depression in 1940, the Works Progress Administration constructed the zoo's Cat House, its first permanent structure. The building still stands, serving as home to Amur leopards and is the oldest zoo building still standing. The list of species housed at the zoo in 1947 included a polar bear, African lions, dwarf zebu, rhesus monkeys, peacocks and the less exotic raccoon. In 1971, the St. Joseph Zoological Society, now called Potawatomi Zoological Society, was formed, with Craig D. McCowan as its first director. In 1981, the zoo began charging admission, to provide an accurate attendance count as well as revenue. The zoo was formerly run and maintained by the South Bend Parks and Recreation Department. Since January 1, 2014, it has been run and maintained by the Potawatomi Zoological Society, while still remaining city owned. In 2018, the zoo broke ground on a new front entrance that is scheduled to open in the Spring of 2020.
Exhibits
The Potawatomi Zoo is home to over 400 animals and the zoo participates in over 56 Species Survival Plans.
Africa
The Africa section spans much of the eastern third of the zoo. Leaving the Zoo Farm the Africa section begins with the Old World Monkeys exhibit which is home to black-and-white Colobus monkeys. In this part of the zoo you will also find Southern ground hornbills, lions, Plains zebra, addax, Diana monkeys, chimpanzees, African wild dogs, Greater kudo, and ostrich. In 2017, it became the first accredited zoo in the state of Indiana to house a pair of okapi, a rare forest-dwelling relative of the common giraffe. In 2019, the zoo announced the addition of a Southern white rhinoceros.
Asia
The Potawatomi Zoo is home to numerous species that are native to parts of Asia but these exhibits are spread throughout the zoo rather than being in one section. Near the front gate on the east side of the zoo is the Amur tiger exhibit and the Sichuan takins. In 2014, a red panda and muntjac exhibit was added near the front gate on the western side.
The zoo's Cat House was its first permanent structure built during the Great Depression as part of the Works Progress Administration. The Cat House includes outdoor exhibits for a snow leopard and Amur leopards. The birth of in the summer of 2016 was a big hit.
Pet and feed the animals in the Zoo Farm. Animals at the Zoo Farm include alpacas, goats, sheep, Jersey cow, donkeys, turkeys, chickens, and a pot-bellied pig.
Conservation
The zoo breeds endangered animals and participates in over 56 Species Survival Plan programs. The zoo has had a number of successes including the breeding of Amur Leopards. Since 2007, Pearl has had nine cubs with the most recent two being born in 2016. In 2019, the zoo announced the birth of two Sichuan Takins, a vulnerable species native to Tibet and parts of China.
Other Attractions
Carousel: The Endangered Species Carousel opened in 2016. The ride features 18 hand-crafted animals, like zebras, lions, and leopards. Zoo Train:Take a ride on a historic CP Huntington electric train around the western half of the zoo.
