The Montgomery Zoo, located in northern Montgomery, Alabama, has origins dating as far back as 1920, when the zoo was a part of Oak Park. The zoo remained in this location until the 1960s, when officials decided to move it away from Oak Park to its own space. Since 1989, the Montgomery Zoo has been in its current location, and it has grown to have over 700 animals, representing over 150 species, all of which inhabit a 48-acre plot of land. This is one of just two zoos in the entire state that is accredited with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
As visitors enter the zoo, they can spend time learning about the gardens found at the entry plaza or grab a bite to eat at the zoo's Overlook Caf,, which provides a panorama of the entire facility for patrons. The exhibits are split into areas depending on the animal's habitat. Some exhibits have enclosures for a single species, while in other environments, several species live together as they would in the wild. In Australia, guests can see animals such as the red kangroo, magpie goose, wallaby, and black swan living together. There's a bridge where visitors can stand to overlook the field where these animals live.
The Montgomery Zoo's Asia exhibit has Bengal tigers and Indian rhinoceroses. They also have an award-winning exhibit featuring hoofed animals. Found living together are species such as the benteng, fallow deer, Eld's deer, axis deer, and mentjac. Equally impressive is the zoo's Africa Realm, which has a large waterfall, streams, and a number of "enrichment' items, which are placed to keep the animals active and playful during the day. Some of the most popular animals from Africa include African penguins, elephants, zebras, lions, cheetahs, gazelles, cranes, hippos, kudus, chimpanzees, and storks.
Unlike many of the other exhibits, the South America section of the zoo focuses mainly on smaller, single-species exhibits, since many of these animals are predators. Some of the animals you can see here include the squirrel monkey, macaw, sloth bear, ocelot, black jaguar, rhea, titi monkey, maned wolf, anteater, flamingo, and spider monkey. They also have an aviary in this section of the zoo, which was constructed to resemble the 1904 World's Fair Aviary. In this humid environment, which mimics the rain forest, zoo guests can view the scarlet ibis, the white-faced duck, the Bahama pintail, the ringed teal, and a number of other birds. Similarly, this section of the zoo has a reptile house, which is home to the Indian star tortoise, poise dart frogs, a number of different kinds of snakes, and the American alligator.
Before leaving the zoo, guests can also stop by the North America exhibit, which has many animals native to the Montgomery area, as well as other parts of the United States. These include elk, bison, black bears, cougars, river otters, bald eagles, and snapping turtles.
The zoo has train rides for those interested and is open year-round from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Ticket prices range from $5 to $12, and there are special events held throughout the year. To learn more, visitors can call the City of Montgomery, which runs the zoo, at 334-241-4400.
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