RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Lincoln Park Zoo, one of the oldest zoos in North America, is officially celebrating its 150th Anniversary during 2018; and
WHEREAS, The Chicago City Council has been informed of this auspicious milestone by Alderman Edward M. Burke (14th); and
WHEREAS, Located on 35 acres in Lincoln Park, the zoo began in 1868 with a gift of two pairs of swans from New York's Central Park; and
WHEREAS, Other animals were soon donated to the park, including, two elk, three wolves, four eagles, a puma, and eight peacock; and
WHEREAS, In 1874 a bear cub from the Philadelphia Zoo was the first animal purchased by the zoo; and
WHEREAS, In 1884 reportedly the first American bison born in captivity was born at the Lincoln Park Zoo; and
WHEREAS, At this time the American bison had been hunted to near-extinction in the wild; and
WHEREAS, In 1896, the United States government purchased one bull and seven cows from the zoo's bison herd to send to Yellowstone National Park to assist in the revival of the species; and
WHEREAS, From 1888 to 1919 Cy DeVry was the director of the Lincoln Park Zoo and during his tenure he built many new structures and obtained the zoo's first elephant and monkeys; and
WHEREAS, A new Lion House opened in 1912 and it was renovated and reopened in 1990; and
WHEREAS, The Primate House, another central attraction at the zoo, opened in 1927, and was known for housing a popular gorilla named Bushman (1931-1951), one of the only gorillas in a United States zoo at the time; and
WHEREAS, Marlin Perkins, who gained fame as the host of the television program "Wild Kingdom" was tire director of the zoo from 1944 until 1962; and
WHEREAS, Marlin Perkins will also be remembered for recruiting a citizens group to support the zoo, the Lincoln Park Zoological Society; and
WHEREAS, During the 1970s and 1980s the zoo underwent a dramatic transformation with the additions of many new, naturalistic exhibits; and
WHEREAS, In 1995 the Zoological Society assumed management of the zoo from the Chicago Park District which remains the owner; and
WHEREAS, Regenstein African Journey, a renovation of the zoo's former Large Mammal House, opened in 2003, turning the zoo's largest building from concrete showcases for a few large mammals into a series of naturalistic settings that tell the story of the wildlife of the African continent, welcoming the return of the zoo's African elephants and giraffes; and
WHEREAS, In 2005 the zoo renovated its Great Ape House, opening the Regenstein Center for African Apes, home to the zoo's chimpanzees and western lowland gorillas; and
WHEREAS, In 2010, Lincoln Park Zoo transformed the adjacent South Pond to create the Nature Boardwalk, an ecological habitat that features native plants and wildlife; and
WHEREAS, Throughout its rich history tire Lincoln Park Zoo has brought joy to countiess visitors and remains one of the free zoos open to the public in North America; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and the members of the Chicago City Council, assembled this twentieth day of September, 2018, do hereby congratulate the Lincoln Park Zoo in its 150th Anniversary and do hereby express every good wish for the continued success of this institution which has evolved into a world-class facility that puts science and conservation at the heart of its mission; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to
the Lincoln Park Zoo. . . s\ [ \
