Things to Know about the Indianapolis Zoo

Indianapolis, often abbreviated Indy, is a beautiful city in the United States, located more exactly within the state of Indiana, in Marion County, being its county seat at the same time. Indianapolis is also a popular destination for both tourists and businesspeople who come here every year for a wide array of purposes. Regardless of whether you find yourself in Indianapolis for personal or business reasons, you should not miss seeing the fabulous Indianapolis Zoo, which is located in White River State Park and is very popular in the area. The history of the zoo goes back ti 1964, when it first opened to the public, 2 decades after the Indianapolis Zoological Society was formed. Since then, the zoo has developed and expanded hugely.

The zoo is now home to over 1,500 animals representing about 320 species that visitors can admire. You can tell how popular the zoo is from the more than 1 million visitors who come here every year. The zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the American Association of Museums as a zoo, aquarium and botanical garden at the same time. The zoo is very involved in conservation programs and research, playing an important part worldwide when it comes to these areas of expertise. In fact, the zoo has accomplished the first successful artificial insemination of an African elephant in the world. Its mission is: “The Indianapolis Zoo empowers people and communities, both locally and globally, to advance animal conservation.” Unlike many other zoos, this one is organized around the concept of biomes, meaning areas of the planet that share similarities in climate, animals, and plants. This means that the zoo clustered animals in groups with similar habitats.

The five biomes at the Indianapolis Zoo include Zoo Babies (displaying baby elephants, gazelles, lemurs, giraffes, and baboons in 2011), Forests (comprising the exhibits China Display, Tropical Rainforest, Tiger Forest, Bats, Featured Exhibit, and Aviaries), Oceans (Seal Lion Exhibit, Penguin display, and many other exhibits), Marina mammals, Commons (Cafe on the Commons, Lemur Exhibit), Deserts (featuring mammals, tortoises and turtles, lizards, birds, snakes), and Plains (exhibits here include Grassland Field, Giraffes presented by Meijer, Race a Cheetah, Warthogs, African Lions, and more). A particularly interesting feature of the zoo is the Dolphin Adventure Pavilion. The zoo also features fun rides that children will particularly enjoy and other great amenities. And make sure you do not forget about the Indianapolis Zoo coupons when coming here!