Bosco, a young walrus, came to the Zoo in 1951 and charmed visitors with his whistles, barks, and whiskered face—even if he did snarf up his food in a less-than-elegant manner. He was highlighted in a ZOONOOZ article title

A pair of north African ground hornbills came to the Zoo in 1951, the first time for this species in the collection. The male was Charlie, who would become a legend. He lived at the Zoo for 20 years before moving to the Wild Animal Park in 1971, where he roamed the grounds and curiously checked on anyone working nearby. During the Park's construction, the workers referred to him as

Eight emerald tree boas were born (boas give birth to live young instead of laying eggs) on November 27, 1951, for first time at the Zoo. This was a rare occurrence in a zoo, and the staff was surprised that the young were rust-red colored, instead of green like the adults. They speculated about when the color change would take place, and kept records about the transformation.

Rare and Wild

In the 1950s, the Zoo’s collection continued to add a wide variety of interesting new species, and keepers and curators continued to learn more about the species’ needs and behavior.

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1951

Growth 1947 - 1956

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