Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden

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The Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden is a zoo that opened in 1928 in Evansville, Indiana. It is one of the oldest and largest zoos in the state. Set in a 50acre park, the zoo features 200 species and more than 700 animals roaming freely in natural habitats surrounded by exotic plants, wildflowers, and trees.The Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.HistoryThe zoo was founded in 1928 by Gilmour Haynie and other business leaders. Karl Kae Knecht, a local cartoonist for the Evansville Courier & Press, helped popularize the idea of a zoo. It initially opened with two lion cubs, some antelope, and an elephant.In 2008 the zoo finished a major expansion including the $15 million tropical rainforest exhibit and a new entry complex. The new exhibit was credited with drawing more than 38,000 visitors in its first month. One of two existing lakes in the zoo was filled in to make the exhibit, which added more than 150 animals to the zoo.ExhibitsMesker Park was one of the first zoos in the United States to use a moat system to display animals in more natural exhibits. The zoo's exhibits (counter-clockwise around the zoo from the entrance) include Amazonia, North America, Tropic America, Discovery Center, Lemur Forest, African Rift, the Kley building, Asia & Australia, Children's Enchanted Forest, and African Panorama.

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