Lions and tigers and bears ... oh my ... all at home
by Paul D. Matson, sports editor

    (Part 1 in a series on the Fort Worth Zoo.)

    The Fort Worth Zoo entertains, informs, educates and keeps an ever-vigilant eye on the concerns of nature.

    The zoo, established in 1909, keeps up with the new directions of animal stewardship and spearheads much of the groundbreaking advancements in the field.

    In the beginning, the zoo’s animal population consisted of one lion, two bear cubs, an alligator, a coyote, a peacock and a few rabbits.

    Privatized in 1991, the zoo now has more than 5,000 animals from six continents on exhibit.

    Ever expanding, the exhibits have changed with the times.

    Evolving from cramped concrete and steel cages to a more natural environmental setting, the changes have given the animals more freedom to roam.

    “Zoos do not just house animals anymore,” Tarren Wagener, director of conservation and science, said.

    “Modern zoos must have more credibility now,” she said.

    Zoo personnel strive not only for authenticity in animal environments but also in taking care of the animals.

    “We try to enrich the animals lives; we try to keep the animals entertained,” she said.

    Wagener explained how entertaining animals is very similar to parents’ trying to entertain their children.

    “We might give animals, for instance the elephants, balls to play with, or we might hide food inside a hollow log or in bamboo shoots to force them to forage for their food, creating a more natural setting,” she said.

    The newly opened, state-of-the-art Nutritional Services Facility, built with bond money, can store up to 22 tons of meat and fish and caters to the special needs of the animals.

    “You feed different species as a group, but you also have to feed some as individuals,” Mike Maslanka, manager/staff nutritionist, said. “Just like humans, dietary needs are separated into diabetic, geriatric and obese categories.”

    For the first time in 40 years, the zoo has been able to store all the food needed in one location, Maslanka said.

    The World of Primates and the Asian Falls habitat, along with several other improvements, opened in 1992. Attendance doubled in the first year.

    In 1994, the Gloria Lupton Tennison Educational Center opened. Classes cover a full range of interests, and daycare is available.

    The Fort Worth Zoo is rated as a top zoo in the nation by Family Life magazine, the Los Angeles Times and USA Today.

    Costing $40 million and taking six years to complete, Texas Wild! was unveiled in June. The newest section of the zoo encompasses eight acres at the south end of the complex.

    The exhibit highlights the six distinct geological regions of the Lone Star State, showcasing the state’s unique animal species and fauna.

    The zoo not only shows man’s conservation successes in nature but also points out man’s failures with his habitats.

    Boo at the Zoo, in its 10th year, runs Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 20-28, 6-8 p.m.

    The “spooktacular,” features carnival games, live entertainment, costumed characters, candy stations and trick-or-treating.

    Youngsters 6 and older may keep “booing” into the night when the education center will sponsor overnight sleep-overs Oct. 20, 26 and 27.

    The zoo is open seven days a week, all year, is handicap accessible and offers an assortment of restaurants and picnic areas.