Author’s note: This article was written a few years back so some things may have changed.

Today’s Zoo Atlanta is a fascinating and busy place where fun and education go hand-in-hand. Megan Winokur, Zoo Atlanta’s public relations manager, says, “I love working here because I learn something new every day and not many people can say that about their jobs.”

Much of the zoo revolves around education together with conservation. “We think of the animals as ambassadors from the wild,” Ms. Winokur states. “Things are fun here, they’re really fun, but at the same time we’re bringing conservation issues home to people.”

The zoo is especially important to Atlanta’s youngsters, Ms. Winokur believes, because city kids often do not have that much exposure to animals (other than domesticated pets). Although families with children are the primary market for Zoo Atlanta, people of all ages including senior citizens enjoy it. “I’m twenty-four and I like to ride the carousel,” Ms. Winokur confesses.

The carousel to which she refers is the Nabisco Endangered Species Carousel that is in the Children’s Zoo. The ride is made up of painted replicas of 42 of endangered species. Each animal representation was hand-carved from the wood of non-endangered trees. There are two chariots for people who use wheelchairs or who, for whatever reason, do not wish to ride on the carved animals.

What are the biggest draws amongst the animals at Zoo Atlanta? “People love to watch the orangutans if they’re swinging around,” Ms. Winokur relates fondly, “and small kids like the lemurs because the lemurs climb around and act silly and are very active. The biggest draws at the zoo tend to be the larger animals, lions and tigers and especially the pandas and gorillas.”

The recent entry of pandas from China to Zoo Atlanta was an occasion of much joy for our city’s lucky residents. Zoo Atlanta is now one of only two zoos in the United States to provide a habitat to these adorable animals.

The gorillas of Zoo Atlanta have recently been in the news because of the death of Atlanta’s beloved Willie B, the namesake of flamboyant Atlanta mayor William. B. Hartsfield. The late great ape (pun intended), was one of the first and chief beneficiaries when Zoo Atlanta modernized — taking its new name to symbolize its completely revamped character.

Atlanta’s zoo was once called the Grant Park Zoo. It was an old-fashioned zoo where bored animals were kept in non-stimulating cages. The Grant Park Zoo showed up on a list of ten substandard zoos compiled by the Humane Society of the United States.

Stung by the negative publicity, Atlanta’s zoo underwent a radical transformation, turning from a zoo of dull cages to a progressive zoo of naturalistic habitats: the proud and joyful Zoo Atlanta of today.

During the Grant Park Zoo years, Willie B. had spent much of his life packed in concrete with only a TV set for company and no contact with others of his kind. The whole city watched in sympathetic fascination as the adult silverback was introduced to other gorillas in a roomy and forest-like exhibit. Would a grown-up gorilla adjust to his new and improved circumstances? Willie B. ended up doing just fine and fathered several baby gorillas in the process, one of whom has now taken on the proud name of Willie B.

The animals at Zoo Atlanta are not tame; they are wild. Thus, safety is always a major concern and one to which the zoo gives a high priority. There are deep, dry moats around the exhibits so that visitors have unobstructed views of the animals but physical contact is impossible. “We don’t allow people to pet the animals,” Ms. Winokur elaborates, “except for a few small educational animals that can be safely handled by staff and that we are sure are able to be handled so they are taken by our Zoomobile programs to places like schools and camps. These animals are chinchillas, small snakes, and some birds of prey. The keeper teaches where to pet and how to pet so the animal isn’t startled and there is no danger.”

In general, even the keepers at Zoo Atlanta do not have physical contact with the animals. There are dangers to both humans and animals from contact that is too close. In 1980, Willie B. seriously injured a keeper after his cage door had been carelessly left open. He threw the man against a wall, breaking a leg and knocking the worker unconscious. It is believed that the gorilla only meant to play with the man but, obviously, physical play between our different species can be dangerous indeed.

Having too-close contact with people can be bad for the animals because it puts them in a stressful situation. Additionally, things from people can present a choking hazard to animals; straws and balloons are prohibited on zoo grounds for this reason.

However, some keepers are able to safely engage in very close contact with some of Zoo Atlanta’s residents — including its largest, the elephants Starlet O’Hara, Victoria and Zambezi. The keepers have developed very close and trusting relationships with these animals and that relationship is reinforced twice daily (11:00AM and 2:00 PM) as the public is both entertained and educated when these three teenage pachyderms make demonstrations of agile elephant footwork. Starlet has become especially famous as an artist and her abstract paintings have sold for as much as $1,800. The Zoo Atlanta Trading Company sells Starlet paintings for the very reasonable price of $25.

Visitors are not permitted to feed the animals at Zoo Atlanta because they are on carefully balanced zoo diets. However, there are public feedings of both gorillas and orangutans in which people visiting the zoo can watch these large and magnificent primates being fed.

There are three programs that allow visitors to stay overnight at Zoo Atlanta: Nightcrawlers, Family Overnights and Adult Overnights. The Nightcrawlers program is for groups of at least fifteen. It is very popular and usually consists of groups of children, classes, scout troops and the like. Children also come on the Family Overnights. In each case, the night at Atlanta Zoo starts at 7:00 PM with a lecture on a specific topic. The conversations and activities are always age-appropriate so, Ms. Winokur notes, “There is more discussion of animals’ sex lives and reproductive habits with an Adult Overnight.” (Not that anything at Zoo Atlanta should be considered X-rated!) For all three of these programs, the cost is $30 per person ($25 for zoo members). It is requested that reservations be made at least one week in advance. The number at which to do so is 404-624-5822.

Another very popular program at Zoo Atlanta is the Summer Safari, a week-long day camp at the zoo. There are ten sessions occurring from June 5 to August 18. The children are placed with others in their age group. At this summer camp, children partake of many different activities for a rich learning experience many different kinds of animals. Call 404-624-5822 to get more information.

Zoo Atlanta is open, in the months from April through October, from 9:30AM-4:30PM on Mondays through Fridays and 9:30AM-5:30PM on Saturdays and Sundays. However, members of Zoo Atlanta can enter on Saturdays and Sundays at 9:00AM. It is closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. The cost of admission is $12 for adults and $8 for children ages three through eleven and $10 for senior citizens; Zoo Atlanta members get in free. For more information on Zoo Atlanta, call 404-624-5600.

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