I had the privilege of going on a 1st. grade field trip this week. We visited....you guessed it, the zoo...John Ball Zoo! When Trent first told me about the zoo trip...I thought he was mistaken! Don't you go to the zoo in the spring? Well I guess NO! We actually had a pretty decent day! We did have to bundle up a bit...but not too bad!
My favorite is the Spider Monkeys. They were so comical. They were jumping all over and putting on a real show for the kids!The other animals were all very active..as you can see they were up close and personal with us! One other year, we went to the zoo when it was fairly cool and we noticed they animals were much more active. When we go in the summer, it always seems as though the animals are hiding, trying to stay cool. Seems as though I'm saying...."see the lions ear up there by the rock" or "watch and you might get a glimpse of the bear behind the tree"...I think the kids must wonder if this is really a zoo???
We had a personal guide..Barb....you can see her in the red coat. Trent is to right of her....we only had 5 kids in out group & 3 adults!! Here is a picture of the Snow Leopard (he has a very bushy tail!) & the Tiger.
BTW...JB Zoo is redoing the monkey island....it will be open for the '09 season!
On a strange note.....If you have ever been to John Ball Zoo you will find a bronze statue out front of John Ball. I don't know when the zoo opened but my dad has a picture of himself with his class visiting by the statue!
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The original 40 acres of the park was donated to the city by noted pioneer and explorer John Ball upon his death in 1884. Shortly after, another 100 acres (0.40 km2) would be added and this marked the beginning of additional amenities, including ponds, a theater, a band shell, playgrounds, ballfields, trails and the zoo. In 1891 a debate happen if city money should be used to purchase more animals to add to the existing wounded and orphaned animals at the park.[1]
During the Great Depression, the Zoo fell on hard times. Most of the collection was given away to other zoos. The buffalo and deer were butchered to help feed the poor. Only a few aging animals remained.
During 1949, Katherine Whinery approached the mayor of Grand Rapids about resurrecting the zoo by forming a Zoo Society. A deal was formed that if a zoo society could be formed, the city would hire a Zoo Director to run the zoo. Fred Meyer was hired as the first director of the zoo. Also the monkey island exhibit was built during that year. During the 50-60s John Ball Zoo was built in the hills of the park.
Thanx Tod!
Can you imagine the uproar now if we tried to butcher zoo animals today to feed to the needy people of America! (Even if they were deer and buffalo)
I thought that was crazy too!
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