Today’s Post by Joe Farace
On April 8th, National Zoo Lovers Day encourages us to explore our local zoos. Every year millions of people visit zoos to learn about the many animals that live there. Sometimes known as zoological parks, many of them also serve as breeding centers. These facilities are relied upon when species are endangered or at risk of becoming endangered. They also provide education to the public about a broad variety of animals and their habitats.
A few zoo facts: The Vienna Zoo is the oldest existing zoo and was opened to the public in 1765. The United State’s first zoo that was open to the public, the Central Park Zoo, opened in 1864 in New York. The Philadelphia Zoo holds the oldest zoo charter, formed in 1859. It officially opened to the public in 1874.
There are 350 zoos in the United States. Approximately 175 million people visit a zoo each year.More than 3.2 million people visit the San Diego Zoo each year, including the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, where I made today’s featured photograph.
Things to do today:
- Visit your local zoo. Enjoy seeing your favorite animals swinging from the trees or splashing in the water and have a fun-filled day.
- Make a donation to a zoo program.
- Use #NationalZooLoversDay to post on social media.
- Take a virtual tour of a zoo.
How I Made this (uncropped) Photo: The camera used was a Canon EOS 50D with EF75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens and an exposure of 1/800 sec at f/9 and ISO 640.
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