Detroit Zoological Society

• DZS Board and Staff

   

  KEY STAFF Ron L. Kagan, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer Scott Carter, Chief Life Sciences Officer Gerry VanAcker, Chief Operating Officer Diane Miller, Chief Program Officer Jane Alessandrini, Chief Development Officer BOARD OF DIRECTORS Executive Committee Anthony F. Earley, Jr., Chair Stephen R. Polk, Vice Chair Robert G. Riney, Vice Chair John G. Sznewajs, Treasurer Dr. William A. Conway Karen Dumas Cynthia Ford Alan Kalter Thomas J. Lewand Denise J. Lewis Shawn Patterson Richard B. Platt Lloyd A. Semple Sean Werdlow Lawrence A. Wolfe Directors Anthony Adams Ismael Ahmed N. Charles Anderson Diane Banks Alisha R. Bell Thomas C. Buhl Clark Bunting Beth Chappell Mary Kay Crain Matthew P. Cullen Marvin C. Daitch Dr. Beth Daly David E. Duprey Charles Ellis (Bishop) John Erb Burton D. Farbman Kristy Fercho Allan Gilmour

  Directors cont. Jennifer M. Grieco Dr. Terry S. Harvill Rejji Hayes Marina A. Houghton Paul Huxley Hassan Jaber PJ Jenkins, Jr. Alan J. Kaufman Brandon Kolo Bonnie Larson Dawn Lee-Cotton Lisa Lis Victor Martin Dr. Isaiah McKinnon Candice S. Miller Dr. Virinder Moudgil Sandra Pierce Stuart Robbins James Rosenthal Melissa Roy Rick Ruffner Anmar Sarafa Dr. James Sawyer Lawrence Scott Andre Spivey Shirley R. Stancato James Tate Joel D. Tauber Manny Torgow Rachel Vitti Gail L. Warden Advisory Council Lloyd A. Semple, Chair Lynn Ford Alandt Sean Cotton Leslie Devereaux Edsel B. Ford II Jonathan Holtzman Richard Manoogian Edward Mardigian Gail L. Warden Marilyn J. Way Jeffrey K. Willemain

• DZS Facts

  Detroit Zoological Society

  • Nonprofit organization that operates the Detroit Zoo and Belle Isle Nature Center
  • Statement of purpose: Celebrating and Saving Wildlife
  • Renowned leader in wildlife conservation, animal welfare, environmental sustainability and humane education
  • 261 full-time and 30 part-time employees
  • 1,100 volunteers
  • 52,000 member households

  Detroit Zoo

  • Situated on 125 acres with many naturalistic habitats
  • Major exhibits include the Polk Penguin Conservation Center, Arctic Ring of Life, Australian Outback Adventure, Great Apes of Harambee, National Amphibian Conservation Center, Holden Reptile Conservation Center and Butterfly Garden
  • Click here for current operating hours
  • Click here for admission prices
  • Largest paid family attraction in Michigan with more than 1.3 million visitors annually
  • Home to more than 2,000 animals of 237 species
  • Accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums

  Belle Isle Nature Center
  

  • Situated on approximately 6 acres of Michigan’s forested wetland
  • Click here for current operating hours
  • Focuses on Michigan wildlife, flora and fauna
  • Offers family nature programs and education programs for schools and community groups
  • Admission to the Nature Center is free; however, a State of Michigan Recreation Passport is required for all vehicles to enter Belle Isle.

  Great Lakes Center for Nature

  • Plans underway for 30,000-square-foot waterfront facility in Macomb County dedicated to water and wildlife of the Great Lakes.
• DZS History

  Part 1 – The Detroit Zoo’s Early Years

  Part 2 – From the Roosevelt Administration Era (1932) to Now

• DZS Timeline

  Timeline of the Detroit Zoological Society

  • 1928 – Detroit Zoo opens to the public on August 1.  Habitats include bear dens, lion dens, bird house, elk yard, raccoon and wolverine habitats, African veldt and completely stocked lakes.
  • 1928 – Zoo closes on December 3 for the winter, having entertained 1.5 million visitors in its first four months.
  • 1930-32 – New animals and habitats are added, including elephants, rhinos, giraffes, bison, Baboon Rock, Prairie Dog Village, a farmyard and the first reptile habitat.
  • 1931 – Miniature railroad opens, donated by The Detroit News.
  • 1932 – First chimpanzee show debuts, starring the famous Jo Mendi.
  • 1933 – Zoo begins truck gardens to help alleviate Depression food shortages.
  • 1933-34 – Civil Works Administration and Federal Emergency Relief Administration provide funds and manpower to build hippopotamus house, beaver habitat and other animal habitats.
  • 1935-37 – The federal Work Projects Administration (WPA) builds animal hospital and administration building and provides major landscaping.
  • 1939 – Horace Rackham Memorial Fountain is dedicated.
  • 1940 – Paulina the elephant retires after 500,000 riders.
  • 1955 – Holden Amphitheater and Great Ape House open.
  • 1960 – Holden Museum of Living Reptiles opens.
  • 1962 – Regular TV broadcasts of “Sonny Eliot at the Zoo” begin.
  • 1968 – Penguinarium opens, the first zoo building in the world designed entirely for penguins; includes underwater viewing and continuous swim loop for the penguins.
  • 1969 – Detroit Zoo opens to the public year-round.
  • 1977 – Bird House free-flight wing built with funding from Matilda R. Wilson.  Docent (volunteer teacher) program begins.
  • 1982 – Chimpanzee shows end as Zoo’s philosophy about animal management changes.
  • 1989 – Chimps of Harambee habitat opens.
  • 1993 – Dinosauria! exhibit debuts at Detroit Zoo.
  • 1994 – Mandrill habitat opens. Renovated giraffe house opens to the public after 32 years.
  • 1995 – Wildlife Interpretive Gallery opens, a renovation of the original bird house.
  • 1997 – Edward Mardigian, Sr. River Otter habitat and Gerry Rissman PlayVenture open.
  • 2000 – Amphibiville, home of the National Amphibian Conservation Center, opens in June.
  • 2001 – Wild Adventure Ride, the nation’s first zoo simulator, opens in May. Arctic Ring of Life, North America’s largest polar bear habitat, opens in October.
  • 2001 – Berman Academy for Humane Education is established.
  • 2002 – Detroit Zoo receives the 2002 AZA National Exhibit Award for Amphibiville.
  • 2004 – Ruth Roby Glancy Animal Health Complex is completed.
  • 2005 – Ford Education Center opens.
  • 2005 – Elephants Winky and Wanda are moved to the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) sanctuary in California.
  • 2006 – Detroit Zoological Society assumes daily operations and financial management of Detroit Zoo and Belle Isle Nature Center.
  • 2006 – Australian Outback Adventure opens.
  • 2008 – Detroit Zoo celebrates 80th anniversary.
  • 2008 – Wayne, Oakland and Macomb county voters approve property tax millage to help support Detroit Zoo operations.
  • 2012 – Cotton Family Wetlands and Boardwalk opens.
  • 2012 – Jane and Frank Warchol Beaver Habitat opens.
  • 2015 – Cotton Family Wolf Wilderness opens.
  • 2015 – Crain’s Detroit Business names Detroit Zoological Society Best-Managed Nonprofit.
  • 2015 – Detroit Zoological Society wins AZA Green Award and International Conservation Award.
  • 2016 – Polk Penguin Conservation Center opens.
  • 2016 – Wayne, Oakland and Macomb county voters renew property tax millage for 10 years.
  • 2017 – Polk Penguin Conservation Center receives AZA National Exhibit Award.
  • 2018 – Detroit Zoo celebrates 90^th anniversary.
  • 2018 – Detroit Zoological Society wins AZA Education Award for our Celebrate Urban Backyards Program.
  • 2018 – Holtzman Wildlife Foundation Red Panda Forest opens.
  • 2019 – Devereaux Tiger Forest opens.
  • 2020 – Detroit Zoological Society wins WAZA Environmental Sustainability Award.
• DZS Diversity Statement

  Just as we value and celebrate biodiversity, the Detroit Zoological Society celebrates the diversity of our human community. We are committed to ensuring that our programs and facilities are fully accessible to our diverse communities and audiences and that our staff and volunteers reflect the multicultural fabric that is the strength of southeast Michigan.