About Brookfield Zoo
Brookfield Zoo is located in Brookfield, Illinois. Brookfield is a western suburb of Chicago, and the zoo is approximately 216 acres. Brookfield Zoo first opened its doors on July 1, 1934 and is home to the spectacular "Great Bear Wilderness" exhibit. The Brookfield Zoo was home to Ziggy, who was a bull elephant, weighing in at over 6 tons.
Cage-Free
One of the most unique characteristics of the Brookfield Zoo, is that instead of using cages to house their animals, they utilize ditches and moats. This design has long kept visitors out of harms way from the animals, and vice-versa. In August of 1996, however, a little boy accidentally tumbled into the gorilla exhibit near Binti Jua, a lowland gorilla. As spectators looked on in horror, they were amazed to see that the gorilla gently carried the child to her trainers, instead of harming him, attracting world-wide media attention. Some noted exhibits at the Brookfield Zoo include the Children's Zoo, Fragile Dessert, Fragile Rain Forest and The Living Coast, where visitors can enjoy seeing penguins and other animals of the ocean.
Exhibits
One of the oldest exhibits at the Brookfield Zoo is The Swamp. This exhibit showcases American Alligators and the river otters of North America. The Tropic World Exhibit is also a very popular exhibit and is always a popular destination for students attending the zoo on field trips. Tropic World is an ape exhibit that is home to black spider monkeys, orangutans and western lowland gorillas, like Binti Jua. In addition to animal exhibits, the Brookfield Zoo offers a large selection of zoo classes for people of all ages. Educational classes include the Bear Class, Orangutans in Crisis, Animals Tracks and African Wild Dogs.
Zoo Camp
The Brookfield Zoo also offers Zoo Camp. This summer program is a first-come, first-served day camp that includes exploration of the wetlands, going on a "safari," taking care of a goats, and learning about stingrays. In addition, kids who attend the camp enjoy making crafts, learning songs and making new friends. The Brookfield Zoo is open every day, and offers military personnel free admission. Pets are not allowed admission into the Brookfield Zoo; however, service dogs are allowed, but should be checked in first at the security office.