The Staten Island Zoo – Summer 2013 August 25, 2013

My friend, Marc Valitutto, is the General Curator and Veterinarian at the Staten Island Zoo.  Our last visit was in April of 2012 and I was excited to see what has developed. Once again Marc gave us a fabulous tour and showed us the amazing changes he has made in this 75 year old zoo. The collection has jumped from 250 to over 350 species and continues to grow.  In the fall, their two gorgeous Amur Leopards will move into a 4,500 square foot exhibit which will be three stories high – making it one of the largest exhibits in the nation. We met the zoo’s new adorable bat-eared foxes, servals, baby marmosets, and toured the new nursery, which can be viewed by the public, where we met a young fennec fox, ground hog, sloth and African porcupine.  A shout out to Marc for his generosity and continuing great work.  Visiting the Staten Island Zoo, which proudly calls itself  ‘New York’s Biggest Little Zoo’ is a great place to visit.  We went via the Staten Island Ferry which in and of itself is a great adventure.