A zoo born from luck, not planning

Chartered in 1876, the Maryland Zoo started as the Druid Hill Park Zoo, one of the country's earliest. Unlike the Philadelphia Zoo, which was carefully planned, Baltimore's zoo simply happened, shaped by the personalities and philanthropy of people like John Garrett.

“There are some zoos in this country that were planned and some that happened. The Philadelphia Zoo was planned; Baltimore happened.”

Kids' campaign brought the first lion

In 1919, Baltimore children wrote to Sun columnist Raymond Tompkins asking for lions. Park commissioners refused, but kids raised money themselves. The issue became so popular it influenced the 1922 mayoral election, which candidate Howard Wilkinson Jackson won by supporting the zoo.

“Did you know the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore shaped the 1922 mayoral election?”

Elephants arrived after the hullabaloo

After commissioners rejected an elephant request citing cost and safety, kids raised money to buy one anyway. The campaign worked, and Mary Ann became the zoo's first elephant, arriving after the mayoral election that turned on the issue.

“Though they acquiesced to the kids' request for lions in 1919, park commissioners said no to a request for elephants, citing cost, safety and other concerns.”

New book chronicles 150 years

Ian Shelley, the zoo's registrar, wrote 'This Is Your Zoo: 150 Years of Community, Conservation, and Change at the Maryland Zoo.' The book traces the zoo's journey from a rag-tag menagerie of abandoned animals into a world-leading conservation institution.

“It really just kind of fascinated me that there were so many stories wrapped up in this place that people didn't know.”

Arthur Watson proved doubters wrong

In 1948, Arthur Watson became the zoo's first director and longest-serving one. He convinced Baltimore that the zoo could be great, overcoming the belief that the city would never have anything like the National Zoo.

“Arthur Watson was the person who went out to prove that wrong.”

Watson brought community involvement

Arthur Watson's tenure was defined by getting the community to believe the zoo could be special. He shifted the focus from a struggling menagerie to a place where Baltimoreans felt ownership and pride.

“He was really the person who got the community to realize that this zoo could be something special.”

1920s brought lions, tigers, bears

The zoo's real growth began in the 1920s when the city opened it to citizen support. Once Baltimoreans could help shape the zoo, it quickly acquired its first lion, tiger, polar bears, and elephant.

Rutledge brought conservation focus

Director Brian Rutledge in the 1980s shifted the zoo toward scientific research and conservation. He believed the zoo's work should improve wildlife outside its gates, making it a hub for projects like the lion-tailed macaque symposium.

Golden Frogs showed commitment

The Golden Frog project arrived in the early 2000s just as the zoo faced financial crisis. Despite downsizing dramatically, the zoo kept the project going because without it, golden frogs might have disappeared from the world entirely.

“If the zoo was not there for golden frogs, then we could very well have been looking at a world where there would be no golden frogs.”

Early 2000s crisis forced downsizing

The zoo faced near-bankruptcy in the early 2000s, giving away hundreds of animals including the entire Reptile House collection and much of its bird collection. Staff was cut dramatically during this dire period.

“The zoo was looking bankruptcy in the face.”

Community saved the zoo

When closure seemed inevitable, Baltimoreans rallied to save their zoo. Public support helped secure funding from the state, city, and surrounding municipalities, proving the zoo was worth preserving.

“The people of Maryland decided that their zoo was worth saving.”

New master plan signals recovery

After 20 years without a master plan, the zoo launched new projects like the Red Panda exhibit. These initiatives give the community something to rally around while the zoo focuses on financial stability.

Alaska the polar bear embodies mission

Alaska arrived at the zoo after years of misery, including being crammed with seven other polar bears in a trailer performing tricks across the Caribbean. At the zoo, she swam and saw snow for the first time in years.

“That is the kind of force for good that the zoo could be.”

Zoo punches above its weight

Today the Maryland Zoo measures success by public education, conservation impact, and animal welfare. Despite its modest size and history, it now ranks among the world's leading animal care and conservation institutions.

“I say our zoo really punches above its weight.”