The Salisbury Zoological Park, commonly referred to as the Salisbury Zoo, is a

zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility where animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zoology, ...

located on the

Delmarva Peninsula The Delmarva Peninsula, or simply Delmarva, is a peninsula on the East Coast of the United States, occupied by the majority of the state of Delaware and parts of the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Eastern Shore of Virginia. The peninsula is l ...

in the

Salisbury, Maryland Salisbury ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Wicomico County, Maryland, United States. Salisbury is the largest city in Eastern Shore of Maryland, the state's Eastern Shore region, with a population of 33,050 at the 2020 United States census ...

city park. The Salisbury Zoo chooses to mainly house species native to

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

, and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. Its collection of over 100 animals includes

wallabies A wallaby () is a small or middle-sized macropod native to Australia and New Guinea, with introduced populations in New Zealand, Hawaii, the United Kingdom and other countries. They belong to the same taxonomic family as kangaroos and som ...

flamingo Flamingos or flamingoes () are a type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas (including the Caribbe ...

North American river otter The North American river otter (''Lontra canadensis''), also known as the northern river otter and river otter, is a semiaquatic mammal that endemism, lives only on the North American continent throughout most of Canada, along the coasts of the U ...

s, an

ocelot The ocelot (''Leopardus pardalis'') is a medium-sized spotted Felidae, wild cat that reaches at the shoulders and weighs between on average. It is native to the southwestern United States, Mexico, Central America, Central and South America, ...

, a

red wolf The red wolf (''Canis rufus'') is a Canis, canine native to the southeastern United States. Its size is intermediate between the coyote (''Canis latrans'') and Wolf, gray wolf (''Canis lupus''). The red wolf's taxonomic classification as being ...

two-toed sloth ''Choloepus'' is a genus of xenarthran mammals from Central and South America within the monotypic family Choloepodidae, consisting of two-toed sloths, sometimes also called two-fingered sloths. The two species of ''Choloepus'' (which means "la ...

alpacas The alpaca (''Lama pacos'') is a species of South American camelid mammal. Traditionally, alpacas were kept in herds that grazed on the level heights of the Andes of Southern Peru, Western Bolivia, Ecuador, and Northern Chile. More recently ...

turtle Turtles are reptiles of the order (biology), order Testudines, characterized by a special turtle shell, shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Crypt ...

macaw Macaws are a group of Neotropical parrot, New World parrots that are long-tailed and often colorful, in the Tribe (biology), tribe Arini (tribe), Arini. They are popular in aviculture or as companion parrots, although there are conservation con ...

s, rescued

birds of prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as (although not the same as) raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively predation, hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and smaller birds). In addition to speed ...

and

owls Owls are birds from the Order (biology), order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly Solitary animal, solitary and Nocturnal animal, nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vis ...

. Admission at the Salisbury Zoo is free.

History

The zoo was founded in 1954, with the placement of some animals on permanent display, in the city park. Improvements made in the 1970s focused on providing more naturalistic enclosures for the zoo's animals. The zoo is currently run by a nine (9)-member Salisbury Zoo Commission; appointed by the mayor of Salisbury, and confirmed by the city council, the zoo is funded predominantly by this commission, as well as the

City of Salisbury The City of Salisbury is a local government area (LGA) located in the northern suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia. Its neighbours are the City of Playford, City of Tea Tree Gully and City of Port Adelaide Enfield. Encompassing an area of ...

, and the nonprofit group, the Delmarva Zoological Society. The Zoo raised nearly $3 million in a joint campaign for an animal health clinic, a new Environmental Center, and a new exhibit of Australian animals. In 2020, the zoo lost its accreditation with the

Association of Zoos and Aquariums The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), originally the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums (AAZPA), is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1924 and dedicated to the advancement of zoos and public aqu ...

. As of 2024, it planned improvements in the facility to regain the accreditation.

Andean bears

The Salisbury Zoo has been home to Andean (or spectacled) bears since the 1970s. These bears are the only bear species endemic to South America. One of the first bears in the zoo's collection, Poopsie, later gained popularity for becoming the oldest Andean bear in captivity, reaching 37 years of age prior to her death in 2011. The zoo was also home to Andean bear Gritto, born July 28, 1991. He would go on to be the oldest Andean bear to become a father, at the age of 22, when he sired a female cub named Alba, born January 23, 2015. Gritto was put to sleep on October 15, 2015, at 24 years of age, after suffering from a stroke. Chaska, Alba's mom, gave birth to another cub, Sinchi, on January 11, 2020. The father was Pinocchio, who came to the Salisbury Zoo from Ecuador. Chaska had two more cubs with Pinocchio, Inti and Raymi, on January 16, 2022. Upon Chaska's move to the Alexandria Zoo in May 2025, all of Salisbury's Andean bears had been moved to new facilities, paving the way for the construction of a new, larger Andean bear exhibit. The exhibit will include three yards, with room for one male and three female bears, and will meet AZA standards.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Zoos in Maryland Buildings and structures in Salisbury, Maryland 1954 establishments in Maryland Tourist attractions in Wicomico County, Maryland Zoos established in 1954