Brookfield Zoo (also known as Chicago Zoological Park) opened in 1934 in south suburban Brookfield, Illinois. It gained fame and popularity for being at the forefront of the movement to shun cages, preferring instead to separate animals from each other and from visitors by using moats and ditches. I came here numerous times as a kid in the 1950's and '60's, and though our local Lincoln Park Zoo (established 1868) in Chicago was only a few miles from our north side home (and it was free!) we still made the long trek out to Brookfield regularly. I even recall going there on a 6th grade field trip with my favorite teacher, Mr. Palinscar.
This visit marked my first time back in decades, not having been here since my kids had been young in the '70s and '80s, but grandsons are a wonderful excuse to resurrect a tradition, right!
I was not aware that grizzly bears were such accomplished swimmers until I watched this guy dive into the water, swim to the bottom, cavort about for about 2 minutes, then resurface...
The emus were in a large caged area...
...along with the large wallaby population, and the kids had a great time watching...
....and even touching the wallabies when they ventured onto the sidewalk to investigate the visitors and the strollers...
The reindeer/caribou had an impressive rack...
The dolphin theatre is an impressive structure. The dolphin show is a separate extra charge but is an excellent show...
The parakeet room was also popular...
The anteater was making the rounds of his large enclosure...
...as his roommates were taking it easy up above...
The penguins were a favorite of my young grandsons...
.. and so was the polar bear.
The giraffes were out and strutting their stuff. It was interesting to read that Commonwealth Edison weekly delivers freshly cut branches and leaves by the semi-full which are then hoisted into trees for the giraffes to eat.
The zebras are always fun to see...
...as are the two-humped camels...
The amur tiger is the biggest cat in the world and can grow to 670 pounds...
Clouded leopards have the longest canine teeth in relation to the size of the skull of any carnivore...
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