The Toledo Zoo & Aquarium

Toledo Zoo & Aquarium

The Toledo Zoo & Aquarium in Toledo, Ohio, is a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) until 2022.  The Toledo Zoo & Aquarium is home to over 10,000 individual animals from 720 different species.  With a strong emphasis on conservation, the Toledo Zoo & Aquarium is currently involved in over 80 species survival programmed. The Toledo Zoo & Aquarium has over 57,000 members and receives over one million visitors per year.

History

1900–1920: Beginnings

The Toledo Zoo & Aquarium is a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) until 2022.  Over 10,000 animals from 720 different species live at the Toledo Zoo & Aquarium.  The Toledo Zoo & Aquarium is currently involved in over 80 species survival programmed, with a strong emphasis on conservation.  The Toledo Zoo & Aquarium has over 57,000 members and over a million visitors each year.

2000–current

The Toledo Zoo faced controversy after a female sloth bear died of dehydration in 2000, shortly after celebrating its centennial anniversary. Following an investigation, the FDA fined the zoo and ordered it to implement an animal reporting system to better track any issues involving animal concerns.  The Toledo Zoo debuted the Africa! exhibit in 2001, with a wolf exhibit set to open the following year. By 2003, the Toledo Zoo's breeding programmed had taken off, with sloth bears, elephants, tigers, and other animals being born. The successful birth of the African elephant was historic, as only 12 births had occurred in the United States since 1995.  Anne Baker, the zoo's new director, was hired in 2006.

GET TO KNOW OUR ANIMALS

Your Zoo is home to over 10,000 individual animals from over 720 different species. We participate in over 80 Species Survival Plans that ensure healthy, genetically diverse Zoo populations in an effort to save endangered wildlife. In one visit to the Zoo, you can travel from the tropics to Greenland, from the ocean to the sky, and from the desert to the rain forest.

Aquarium

The Toledo Zoo & Aquarium has one of the most diverse collections of any US zoo-aquarium. The aquarium closed for renovations in October 2012 and reopened in March 2015. The updated aquarium houses 3000+ aquatic animals in 178,000 US gal (670,000 l) of water, including a 90,000 US gal tank (340,000 l). The total volume of water is nearly four times that of the previous aquarium. A large touch tank containing various stingrays and small sharks and a smaller touch tank housing invertebrates such as multiple species of starfish, a wide variety of hermit crabs, horseshoe crabs, and pencil sea urchins are two new additions. The two-and-a-half-year renovations preserved the exterior of the Works Progress Administration era.