| Metro Richmond Zoo | |
|---|---|
 Front entrance to Metro Richmond Zoo, 2024. | |
 | |
| 37°22′54″N77°46′03″W / 37.3818°N 77.7674°W /37.3818; -77.7674 | |
| Date opened | April 22, 1995[1] |
| Location | Moseley,Chesterfield County,Virginia |
| Land area | 70 acres (28 ha) |
| No. of animals | 2000[2] |
| No. of species | 190+[2] |
| Memberships | ZAA[3] |
| Director | Jim Andelin[4] |
| Website | www |
Metro Richmond Zoo is a privately owned, for-profitzoo inChesterfield County,Virginia. It is located in the central Virginia area, off ofU.S. Route 360 (Hull Street Road), about 20 miles southwest of Richmond. Metro Richmond Zoo encompasses about 70 acres (28 ha) and houses around 2,000 animals representing over 190 species, includingreticulated giraffe,white rhinoceros,snow leopard,cheetah andGrant's zebra.
The zoo is accredited by theZoological Association of America (ZAA), and has one of the largestprimate collections in the United States.[citation needed]
The zoo opened to the public on April 22, 1995, and was home to 167 animals of 15 species at the time.
2003 was the opening year of the zoo's safari sky ride, a fifteen-minute ride that gives visitors a high view of much of the zoo and the year the North American area of the zoo opened. 2006 was the opening year for the Jungle Carousel, and Kiddie Rides. 2008 saw the debut of a $250,000 expansion featuring a safari-like ride through a new 8-acre (32,000 m2) animal enclosure, with visitors in a two-car "train".[1] In fall 2013, the zoo installed treetop Zoofari, a zipline and adventure park located outside of the zoo entrance. In 2019, the zoo introduced a drop tower ride where visitors travel up to 30 ft.
Following theCOVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the zoo was closed in March. From May 7 to June 13, 2020, the zoo reopened as a drive thru tour, where visitors can bring in their private vehicles to ride through the pathway. The zoo later reopened to visitors for walking, but the drive-thru tours operated again from December 7, 2020 to February 27, 2021.
The Metro Richmond Zoo is noted for giraffe-feeding opportunities. Visitors can purchase zoo treats for giraffe feeding. The zoo houses a herd of ninereticulated giraffe and a singleMasai giraffe, kept in a yard across from the main giraffe exhibit along with another reticulated giraffe. Animals residing with the giraffes includeeastern bongo,kudu,Stanley crane, andcrowned crane. Visitors can also purchase zoo treats for deer, goats, sheep, donkeys, and young antelope in the children's farm. Some of the larger animals can be fed zoo treats via tubes that reach to their feeding troughs. Those animals aredromedaries,Bactrian camels,elk,American bison, andwarthog.
The North American area of the zoo is home toelk,bison,wolves,Steller's sea eagles,skunks,mouflons,fallow deers, andalligators.
There are enclosures forraccoons,binturongs andIndian crested porcupines as well as an exhibit forred kangaroos,emus, andcommon wallaroos.
2004 saw the opening of a walk-through aviary near the zoo entrance containingroseate spoonbill,demoiselle crane,sacred ibis, and multiple species ofwaterfowl such asyellow-billed duck,Mandarin duck,paradise shelduck,ringed teal,common shelduck,rosybill andred-crested pochard. The aviary also housesgolden pheasants,Lady Amherst's pheasants andSwinhoe's pheasants. Adjacent to the aviary is a flock ofChilean flamingos. Also near the avairy are enclosures forprairie dogs, andfennec foxes.
The safari ride enclosure includesgemsbok,waterbuck,greater kudu,eland,lowland nyala,Thomson's gazelle,Scimitar oryx,Baird's tapir, andostrich.
Adjacent to the safari enclosure is a large wooded valley viewable only from the safari train and a small viewing deck. Four species of ungulates native toIndia andChina reside in this exhibit. They areblackbuck,Himalayan tahr, andtakin. The Metro Richmond Zoo is one of the few zoos in the United States to have takin on display, as it is considered a national treasure in China and receives the same protection as thegiant panda.[5] On June 6, 2017, fivemarkhors were added to the exhibit.
Near the station where the visitors get on the zoo train is anAfrican penguin exhibit where visitors can view an educational penguin feeding program twice daily. The zoo is also the home of the oldest African penguin in the world, ET, who is currently 42 years old.[6] Around the penguin exhibit are enclosures containing the camels, and nearby is a South American exhibit containing specimens such asBrazilian tapir,greater rhea,giant anteater,capybara,llama,alpaca,king vulture, toucans, and new world primates, along withcrested fireback andsouthern white-faced scops owl. A bat house is adjacent to the king vulture enclosure, and containsIndian flying fox,straw-colored fruit bat,two-toed sloth, andprehensile-tailed porcupine. Nearby is an aviary containingblue-and-yellow macaws,salmon-crested cockatoos,red-crowned amazons,crested screamers,Reeves's pheasants, and agrey parrot.
Another aviary contains about 400Budgerigars. The zoo offers seed-coated Popsicle sticks that visitors can purchase to attract the birds to perch and feed in the aviary.
New arrivals in 2010 and 2011 weregolden pheasant,white-faced saki,Kirk's dik-dik,steenbok,great white pelican,marabou stork,Himalayan tahr,yellow-backed duiker,toco toucan,red-billed toucan,black howler monkey,crested screamer,Reeve's pheasant, andAllen's swamp monkey. More exhibits are currently being built, including a large reptile and small mammal building near the zoo entrance, and many small enclosures around the safari paddock.
Early 2013 saw the opening of a newmeerkat enclosure alongside the under construction reptile and small mammal building. In late March 2013, a new jungle gym for children to play in was built next door the safari skyride. In mid-April 2013, a Baird's tapir and a Ruppell's griffon vulture were added to the zoo, and can be seen in a safari-ride preserve area. In 2015, phase 1 of the Reptile Building opened to the public to view various reptiles and amphibians, including theKomodo dragon. In August 2016, a newserval exhibit opened adjacent to the bat exhibit. On June 26, the reptile house was expanded with a new hallway containing 13 additional exhibits for 15 new species includingrhino iguanas,rhino rat snakes,Madagascar tree boas,prehensile-tailed skinks,Dominican mountain boas,veiled chameleons, andemerald tree boas. Later this year, two new primate islands similar to the existing ones holding chimpanzees and orangutans were made to be viewed from the Safari Train Ride.
In October 2013, five cheetah cubs were born to parents Lana and Kitu. The cubs quickly gained global attention because they were only the third litter born in the U.S. in 2013. They were named after Virginia counties and cities: Richie (Richmond), Rico (Henrico), Chester (Chesterfield), Amelia (Amelia), and Hanna (Hanover).
In 2015, the zoo received attention for Kumbali & Kago, a cheetah cub & rescue puppy that were paired and became friends when Kumbali was removed from his mother who was not producing enough milk.[7]
In summer 2018, the zoo debuted a pair ofpygmy hippopotamuses to their collection. In January 2019 the zoo debuted a pair of youngSteller's sea eagles to their collection. They temporarily resided in what used to be where theblack-and-white ruffed lemurs were, while their bigger exhibit was being constructed.
In June 2020, the new exhibit forCape clawless otters called "Otter Cove" opened next to the pygmy hippo exhibit. In October 2020, the zoo debuted a pair ofgray wolves to their collection. They reside in what used to be where thewhite-tailed deer were. In fall 2020, the new bigger expanded exhibit for Steller's sea eagles opened nearby the wolf exhibit.
In 2023, a pair ofEurasian eagle owls were moved on exhibit next to the sea eagles, and a year later, new exhibits forred ruffed lemurs,black-and-white ruffed lemurs, andring-tailed lemurs opened by the blackbuck and tahr exhibit. Inside the former cape clawless otter exhibit are somerock hyraxes.
The zoo allowsIndian peafowl,bar-headed geese,barnacle geese,Egyptian geese, andWest Indian whistling ducks to roam freely among the visitors. The zoo is also a rest stop for wild Virginia-native waterfowl such aswood duck,mallards andCanada geese.
The zoo has one of the largest collections of primates in the United States, with more than 200 individuals representing 30 species, such asSulawesi macaque,chimpanzee,Diana monkey,orangutan,cotton-top tamarin,red-handed tamarin,black-handed spider monkey,gibbon,lesser spot-nosed monkey,coppery titi monkey,eastern black-and-white colobus,ring-tailed lemur,red ruffed lemur,siamang, andblack-and-white ruffed lemur .[1] The zoo has a Diana monkey breeding program.
In late-July 2012, the zoo opened an enclosure that houses Farley and Zoe, two juvenile orangutans. Guests can interact and come face-to-face with Farley and Zoe through glass windows. On March 2, 2021, the pair had a male baby, named Taavi. Another organgutan at Tasha may act as a surrogate mother.[4] Adjacent to the orangutans are a pair of white handed gibbons.
Every year since 2003, the Metro Richmond Zoo hosts a Christmas pageant on December 21, 22, and 23. The zoo is decorated with thousands of Christmas lights, wreaths, and trees. The fifteen-minute outdoor pageant celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. The Miracle of Christmas also features live animals from the zoo.[8]
Metro Richmond Zoo participates in several scientific research and wildlife conservation projects. The zoo also plays a key part in addax and eastern bongo conservation. The bongo herd has had several calves born in the past several years and many of the addax born at the zoo have been released to the wild. Other threatened and endangered animals living here include theAsian black bear,Bengal tiger,Galapagos giant tortoise, andblack-and-white ruffed lemur.