by Lori Kaye

Created on: August 11, 2009   Last Updated: August 12, 2009

You can spend the night at the Buffalo Zoo, and listen to lions roar after dark. You can help feed the animals by making "paper tube treats" and then watch the zookeeper feed them to the hyena. Offering Wild Workshop and Zoo Snooze experiences like these, the Buffalo Zoo is not the ordinary zoo.

First opened in 1875, the zoo is the third oldest in the nation. It was originally a deer park, but quickly acquired a pair of American bison, some goats, and a small herd of elk. The 23.5 acres of deer pasture was soon transformed into a zoo.

Today, a visitor can still see deer and bison. You can also find polar bears, rhinoceros, zebra, toucans and parrots, and a wide variety of amphibians and reptiles. But it doesn't end there; the zoo is filled with over 4,000 creeping, hopping, flying, and wiggling creatures.

Beginning in 2002 the zoo began to update its outmoded, tired Victorian cages. Four exhibit zones are in various stages of development, so some areas are currently closed to the public. Animals are slowly being relocated into new habitats: the Asian River and Highlands, African Watering Hole, South American Rainforest, and Arctic Edge zones.

The zoo is also developing a fifth region, the Delta Sonic Heritage Farm - a replica of an 1800s farm on the banks of the Erie Canal.

Visitors will soon see improvements to Entry Plaza, where the California sea lions and the river otter are. The main Animal Building will be expanded, with the addition of a West Plaza, and with food service concessions and picnic tables.

Dramatic changes are already evident. The new Ecostation is devoted to educating the public about endangered animals. The plight of rapidly vanishing amphibians is its current focus.

Newly completed Rainforest Falls houses South American animals and vegetation in a two story glass structure. Upon entering, visitors can watch a short video and enjoy an interactive learning station. The main building contains a mini version of Venezuela's Canaima National Park, including a replica of Angel Falls, the world's tallest waterfall. Behind the falls is the bat cave complete with vampire bats.

Other current exhibits include an excellent Gorilla Habitat, a Lion and Tiger "Habicat," the Hyena exhibit, Sea Lion cove and Otter Creek, Vanishing Animals, the Bone Zone, and the Children's Petting Zoo.

Buffalo Zoo is an active member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. They participate in a special breeding program called the Species Survival Program. Dedicated to preserving endangered species, the zoo breeds threatened frogs, lizards, and snakes. In 1987, Buffalo Zoo and Toronto Zoo reintroduced 1,000 Puerto Rican crested tadpoles into Guanica State Forest in Puerto Rico.

Admission fees directly support the care and feeding of the animals, the breeding program, and the newly remodeled, state-of-the-art Veterinary facility. The zoo is open daily, March - December, and open Wednesday - Sunday in January and February. Admission is $9.50 for adults, $6 for 2-14 year-olds, $7 with ID for students to 22 years, $7 for seniors, and parking $3.50.

The Buffalo Zoo is located at 300 Parkside Avenue in Delaware Park. You can get much more information at www.buffalozoo.org. Then come to the zoo, buy a little food for yourself at the Beastro, and get a little animal food and feed the giraffes.

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