Did you know Lincoln Park Zoo is the oldest public zoo in the nation? Chicago’s free zoo got its start after New York’s Central Park gifted two pairs of swans to the zoo in 1868.

Today, the zoo is home to nearly 200 unique species from around the world. The variety of animals is endless, from critically endangered eastern black rhinoceroses to Jamaican iguanas – which were previously thought to be extinct.

Lincoln Park has more than 2,000 individual plants representing more than 1,200 species on their 49-acre landscape that creates an urban oasis home to native birds, frogs, fish, turtles, insects and more.

The zoo is dedicated to using science to conserve wildlife and provide the animals with better care. Since 1989, the Scientific Team has studied more than 250 wildlife species, from Chicago to the Republic of Congo, and supported more than 500 zoo species with science-based management.

For more information, visit the Lincoln Park Zoo website.