You may have seen one in your own backyard! What is a cervid? While you might not recognize the term, you have probably seen one or more in a back yard or nearby corn field. Cervids are deer! The term cervid comes from the family name of Cervidae. This includes deer, elk, moose, and more. […]
The Friends of the Zoo Society was created in 1969 to help the zoo make much needed improvements. Its ability to raise funds as well as obtain donations of labor and materials from staff and the community served the zoo well. The group took on big projects, including the acquisition of an Asian […]
The 1960s were not a good time for the zoo, but long-time Lansing State Journal columnist Jim Hough and a Mexican burro named Herman helped turn things around. Jim Hough was a beloved columnist for the Lansing State Journal, writing 9,000 daily columns in his 30 years from 1958-1988. He wrote “The Onlooker” column for […]
There’s something special about seeing babies at the zoo – the activity, the interactions, and in the case of primates, the comparisons to human families that come to mind. That was the mandrill exhibit for almost a decade, from 2007 to 2016. Here’s the story. Loko the big male mandrill arrived at Potter Park Zoo […]
The Great Depression had a huge impact on life in the 1930s. Even so, Potter Park Zoo was able to add significantly to the core of the zoo at a much-reduced cost, thanks to the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The WPA was created by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1935 to help lift the country out […]
Potter Park Zoo is the first AZA-accredited zoo or aquarium in Michigan to provide braille maps for guests. The zoo has continued to expand its initiative to become more accessible to all including those who are visually impaired or blind. The zoo team recognized the importance of offering a braille map to those who visit […]
As the animal collection grew at the zoo in the 1920s, there was a need for a new animal building. Funds were put in the city budget in the late ‘20s and construction completed in 1930. It was known as the Lion House. It was – and continues to be – a significant element of […]
For many years there was a large statue of a Native American in Potter Park. It was carved in 1975 and widely known at the time as the Indian Statue, or Whispering Giant, as it was officially known. It was a landmark in the park and later in the zoo itself. It was a […]
Tucker is a yellow-naped Amazon parrot that was hatched at the zoo in 1994 and has lived her life here since. She was an ambassador animal at the zoo and in the community for many years and is recognized by many who have seen her in presentations. She is known for her entertaining repertoire […]
This saga began in 2009, when Potter Park Zoo had one Amur tiger at the zoo – Sivaki, a male who had been born here in 2005 and grew up with his two sisters. In 2009 it was time for the girls to leave for other zoos, and we wanted to try to have some […]