111 Items Tagged

Zoos

This pygmy hippo at the 1939 World's Fair Firestone exhibit was probably Gumdrop I, Billy's first surviving calf.

Before Moo Deng, There Was ‘William Johnson Hippopotamus’

During the Roaring ’20s, the American National Zoo welcomed the first pygmy hippo superstar.

Andrew Coletti November 25, 2024

This detail from the 12th-century Aberdeen Bestiary shows a dragon wrestling an elephant.

That Time Portugal’s King Gifted an Elephant to the Pope

Hanno the elephant suffered much at the hands of power-hungry Europeans.

Devon Field August 21, 2024

A sign requesting information on big cats in West Sussex.

The Enduring Enigma of Alien Big Cats

What sightings of lions in Illinois and pumas in Australia tell us about our relationship with the natural world.

Colin Dickey May 30, 2024

Podcast: Exotic Feline Rescue Center

Long before Joe Exotic got the country talking about big cats, there was Joe Taft

The Podcast Team May 1, 2024

In the past Golden Gate Park’s bison were given thematic names; now, half have names starting with B and the others are referred to by the numbers on their ear tags.

The Surprising Story of the 10 Bison Roaming Golden Gate Park

A herd of the largest land mammal in North America thrive in the country’s third-most-visited urban park, in the heart of San Francisco.

Sponsored by Visit California

African penguins develop a unique arrangement of black speckles on their white bellies at around three months old.

How Polka Dots Help African Penguins Stand Out From the Crowd

A new study shows how the birds identify their mates in a sea of black and white.

Roxanne Hoorn November 30, 2023

Old Zoo Nature Trails

Hike the ruins of a zoo that was shut down by an unsolved murder.

Fort Davis, Texas

Rattlers & Reptiles

A rattlesnake museum showcasing over 30 species, in a century-old building that used to be the general store in this tiny West Texas town.

Kiama is one of about a dozen white rhinos at Disney Animal Kingdom, where caretakers work to keep the animals happy and healthy.

Disney's Animal Kingdom Rhinos Are the 'Real Housewives' of Orlando

Keeping the gossipy big animals healthy and happy means spa days and spritzes of cologne.

Karuna Eberl June 15, 2023

Sydney, Australia

Cactus and Succulent Garden

Hidden within Sydney’s lush Royal Botanic Garden is a walled cactus rockery and the site of Australia's first zoo.

Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City Northern Miniature Railroad

Three historic trains run on a half-mile track that features a tunnel.

9 Places to Get Outside in Los Angeles

From Batman's secret hideout to an abandoned zoo.

Sponsored by Los Angeles Tourism

A male great argus hopes to impress a potential mate with an arresting show of plumage and pomp.

This Bird's Mating Dance Is Full of Stomp and Pomp

The great argus uses its unusual wing feathers to maximum, eye-catching effect.

Gemma Tarlach April 13, 2022

'Sami'

Belgrade, Serbia

'Sami'

One of Belgrade's most beloved animals.

Podcast: Micropia

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.

The Podcast Team November 30, 2021

The Lion's Den

Stirling, Scotland

The Lion's Den

It's said this was once the home of King James V's pet lion.

Enclosure in the woods.

Bjørnegrotten

An abandoned bear enclosure from a 19th-century zoo located in a Danish forest.

Infield at the Zoo

Omaha, Nebraska

Infield at the Zoo

A miniature baseball stadium honoring Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium, home of the College World Series from 1950-2010.