by Erik Dodge

Created on: July 02, 2009

Blank Park Zoo, located at 7401 SW 9th Street in Des Moines, Iowa, is home to 104 different species of animals and 1,484 animal specimens. As Iowa's only accredited zoo, Blank Park manages 49 acres of land, 22 acres of which has been developed into animal exhibits or facilities. Every day from 10 am to 5 pm visitors can get a face to face experience with the animals by exploring the Discovery Center, Australian Section, Contact Area, Big Cats and Primates, Marine Animals and African Section. Multiple WebCams, a television show, behind the scene tours and zoo blogs are also features of Blank Park Zoo. Admission to the zoo costs only $9.95 for adults (13-64 years), $7.95 for senior citizens, $4.95 for children (3-12 years) and free for children 2 years old or younger (www.blankparkzoo.com).

The Discovery Center is the first exhibit visitors enter, and is a completely enclosed area. A variety of plants and animals call the Discovery Center home, including the endangered Red Panda, whose natural habitat is all the way in the mountains of Southwest China. Other animals that can be found in the Discovery Center include the Golden Headed Tarmarin, Egyptian Fruit Bat, Black Headed Heron, Chilean Flamingo, Ringed Teal, Greater Sun Bittern, Mauritius Pink Pigeon, Scarlet Macaw, Pond Turtle, Dwarf Caiman, Boa Constrictor, Giant Madagascar Day Gecko, Hissing Cockroach, Emperor Scorpion, Pacu Fish and various coral reef fish.

For a taste of the Outback, take a stroll to the Australian Section of Blank Park Zoo. Here guests can get an up close look at the King Island Red Wallaby, Emu, Black Swan, Common Peafowl, Giant Kingfisher, Cattle Egret and Green Winged Pigeon. The best part is that there's no need to buy a plane ticket or worry about jet lag from a trip down under.

Always sure to be a favorite for the children is the Contact Area. This area contains a Domestic Goat, Trumpeter Swan, Domestic Chicken, and Llama. Both the young in years and the young at heart will find that the extra interaction with the animals in the Contact area can create memories that last long after the return home.

The Big Cats and Primates section delivers on its name with its most distinguished guest, the African Lion. In the wild a male African Lion typically weighs 450 pounds and grows to be 8 feet long. In captivity, the African Lion can live up to 25 years and are much easier to track down than on the arid savannas of East and South Africa. Other big cats in this section include the

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