Bronx Zoo

The Bronx Zoo is managed by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting wildlife and wild places. The zoo's full official name is the Bronx Zoological Park. All revenue generated from ticket sales goes directly toward funding WCS's global conservation efforts.

The zoo first opened its gates on November 8, 1899, featuring 843 animals across 22 exhibits. It was one of the first zoos in North America to prioritize naturalistic enclosures and animal preservation over simply displaying animals in cages. It was designed by the firm of Heins & LaFarge.

Opened in 1999, the Congo Gorilla Forest is a massive, 6.5-acre indoor-outdoor exhibit that replicates the ecosystem of the African Congo rainforest. It houses over 20 western lowland gorillas, as well as okapis, mandrills, and marmosets. It was one of the first zoo exhibits to charge a separate admission fee, with proceeds going directly to African conservation.

The Bronx Zoo is the largest metropolitan zoo in the United States, encompassing roughly 265 acres of land and habitats. Because of its immense size, navigating the park requires the use of their internal monorail system (the Wild Asia Monorail) and shuttle trams. It contains over 4,000 animals representing more than 650 species.