Blank Park Zoo is a 49-acre zoological park on the south side of Des Moines, Iowa, United States, near historic Fort Des Moines. It is a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), and is the only accredited zoo in Iowa. The mission of the Blank Park Zoo is to inspire an appreciation of the natural world through conservation, education, research, and recreation.
Major exhibits include:
Myron and Jackie Blank Discovery Center
The Discovery Center is an entirely enclosed area visitors encounter first when entering the zoo, and contains various species of plants and animals. The Discovery Center contains separate sections to create a unique viewing experience:
Meredith Alpine Exhibit
Visitors can find the Meredith Alpine Exhibit at the entrance of the Discovery Center, accessible through the zoo's main visitor lobby. Here, visitors can view the zoo's pair of red pandas from an indoor enclosure with attached travel tunnel, allowing the animals additional space in an outdoor exhibit.
The Cave
The Cave immediately follows the Meredith Alpine Exhibit and contains most of the zoo's nocturnal animals, alongside a few enclosed reptile exhibits including:
Madagascar hissing cockroach
White's Tree Frog
Egyptian fruit bat
Woma Python
Cuvier's dwarf caiman
Free Range Tropical Aviary
home to tropical forest-dwelling birds such as the pink pigeon, mountain peacock-pheasant, ringed teal, silver-eared mesia, scarlet-chested parrot, pheasant pigeon, Gouldian finch, sunbittern, common emerald dove, Victoria crowned pigeon, speckled mousebird, and mountain bamboo partridge. Some enclosed exhibits are home to Green Iguana and golden-headed lion tamarins.
Aquarium of the Discovery Center
The Aquarium of the Discovery Center includes aquatic environments from all around the world. A waterfall feature can be seen above the Amazon River Pool. The pool includes tropical river fish such as tambaqui (Pacu), redtail catfish, and silver arowana. The coral reef exhibit is home to species of aquatic life from coral reefs around the world including coral, sea anemone, clown triggerfish, foureye butterflyfish, clownfish, schooling bannerfish, yellow tang, and Achilles tang.
Jaama Kwa: Connection to Africa
Opened in spring 2013 at a cost of $4.1 million, the zoo welcomed its new expansion of the existing African Boardwalk on the east side of the park. The expansion brought multiple new species to the zoo, including a pair of the Eastern black rhinoceros, common eland, common ostrich, kori bustard, blue wildebeest, African spurred tortoise, an okapi, nyala, and two red river hogs.
David Kruidenier Australia Adventure
Completed in July 2011, this Australian-themed section of the zoo brings visitors into the great Australian outback, which includes an Australian-themed barn, and many animals including double-wattled cassowary, laughing kookaburra, Bennet's wallaby, and common peafowl. A specially designed aviary can also be found within this exhibit, homed to the rainbow lorikeet.
Kids' Kingdom
In late June 2007, the zoo, the Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute, and hundreds of volunteers from around Des Moines built the Kids' Kingdom playground. It includes 5,600 sq ft (520 m2) of slides, mazes, monkey bars, sand pits, fossil digs, and mining sluice. This area features many "contact animals" that visitors can feed. Animals in this area include Nigerian dwarf goats, llamas, miniature donkeys, zebu, Meishan pigs, Brahma chickens, koi fish, trumpeter swans, and dromedary camels.
Tom and Jo Ghrist Big Cat Complex
The cat exhibit opened in 1999 with snow leopards, Amur tigers, and African lions. Recently, this exhibit got a facelift with new interactive displays and new viewing area rocks.
Hub Harbor Pinniped Pavilion
The new seal/sea lion pool opened on March 17, 2012 after a year of reconstruction to the old pool. The exhibit now features two high-rise viewing areas, as well as an underwater viewing area for the zoo's California sea lions and harbor seals.
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