Happy 30th Anniversary to the Central Park Zoo August 5, 2018

This Wednesday (8.8.18) will be the 30th anniversary of the Central Park Zoo. I am happy to say I have been associated with the zoo for the past 28 of those 30 years (that is probably how I know most of you). The zoo began in the 1860s as a menagerie. The zoo was modified in 1934 as part of the WPA with the addition of many new buildings arranged in a quadrangle around the sea lion pool. In a contract with NYC, the zoo was completely renovated in the mid-1980s and with much fanfare, reopened on August 8th, 1988. The photo above shows then Mayor Ed Koch throwing a fish to Finn, one of our sea lions, during the opening ceremony. Some of you old timers might recognize some of the faces in this photo. Happy Anniversary!