North Carolina Zoo

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North Carolina Zoo
The African plains exhibit exemplifies the zoo's natural habitat philosophy
Date opened	August 13, 1976 (Official) ^[1]
Location	Asheboro, North Carolina, USA
Land area	535 acres (2.2 km²)
Accreditations/ Memberships	AZA
Website
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North Carolina Zoological Park is located in Asheboro, which is about 75 miles (120 km) west of Raleigh. At 535 acres (2.2 km²), it is the largest walk-through natural-habitat zoo. Construction of the North Carolina Zoo began in 1974 with the official opening date of August 13, 1976. ^[1] The first exhibit opened in 1979. The North Carolina Zoo is the nation’s first state-supported zoo and remains one of only two state zoos (the other state being Minnesota).

1 Layout
2 Trivia
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Layout

North Carolina Zoological Park consists of three areas: "Africa" , "North America", and "Australia". The Australia area is closed as of September 2006. It is being replaced by a new Children’s Discovery Center. The 37-acre (150,000 m²) African Plains exhibit alone is as large as many entire zoos. There are parking lots located at both ends of the park, so during peak season, visitors can start their day from either side. There are approximately 5 miles of walking paths. There is also a tram, but only a few exhibits can be seen from it.

The North Carolina Zoo was the first American zoo to incorporate the "natural habitat" philosophy - presenting animals together with plants in exhibits that resemble the habitats in which they would be found in the wild. Most animals are kept in large expanses of land, which reduces many of the behavior problems that can be caused by close confinement. The Zoo is located atop Purgatory Mountain, which is a part of the ancient Uwharrie Mountains in central North Carolina. These mountains are among the oldest on earth, and time and erosion have gradually worn them down to little more than high hills a few hundred feet above sea level. Nonetheless, roads running around the park do offer superb views of the surrounding countryside.

[edit] Trivia

Rusted cube outside the zoo

A sculpture outside the zoo is scattered with large metal cubes, a yard (1 m) on a side. Most of the cubes are shiny and depict live species, but a few rusted cubes memorialize extinct species.