Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

In 1882, the Cleveland Zoological Park joined the myriad of attractions and recreational activities in Cleveland Ohio’s Wade Park (current day University Circle). The first exhibit was a herd of deer, followed by a variety of other local wildlife. The need for more space, plus the growing number of institutions in the area such as the Cleveland Natural History Museum and the Cleveland Art Museum, resulted in the zoo’s move to Brookside Park on the southwest side of Cleveland in 1916.

In the 1930’s the Cleveland Zoological Park suffered a variety of setbacks. Aside from the effects of the Great Depression, the zoo wasn’t well liked. This is likely due to the exhibits still largely consisting of domestic animals and local wildlife. Throughout the 1930’s more effort was put into revamping the zoo and adding new exhibits including the longstanding Monkey Island. A sea lion exhibit was also built, but remained empty until the 1940’s due to the realization that caring for the sea lions would cost more than the zoo could afford at the time.

In 1940, the zoo was entrusted to the care of the Cleveland Natural History Museum. The care of the zoo changed hands several times, finally coming to the Care of the Cleveland Metropolitan Park District in 1968. Today, the zoo is known as the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.

In 1959, flooding from nearby Big Creek caused severe damage to many of the zoo’s exhibits and outbuildings. Unfortunately the zoo’s entire reptile collection was completely wiped out. The zoo recovered quickly, however, and by 1962 they had expanded again, adding lions and tigers to their growing collection.

Since then, the zoo has continued to expand the scope of their exhibits. In the 1970's they had a full circle moment when the deer shed from the original Wade Park Location was moved to the grounds. It has been repurposed as a Victorian style ice cream parlor and is situated near the Waterfowl Lake. The popular Rain Forest building was built in 1992, finally reviving the zoo’s permanent reptile exhibit. Wolf Wilderness opened in 1997 the zoo's Northern Trek area. In 2011, the African Elephant Crossing opened, featuring expansive exhibit spaces to house a small herd of elephants.

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo also hosts a variety of educational programs and special events such as the annual Lantern Festival and a new exhibit set to open in July 2020 called Dinosaurs Around the World. The zoo also promotes their conservation efforts on their website and in their educational signage posted around the exhibits. 

Zoo History, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. Accessed July 8 2020. clevelandmetroparks.com.

Encyclopedia Of Cleveland History: Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Case Western Reserve University. Accessed July 8 2020. case.edu.

Historical Resources, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Research Library. Accessed July 8 2020. resourcelibrary.clemetzoo.com.