Dr. Schroeder (left) and William Fox, KFMB-TV station manager and chairman of ZOO50 Week, put up signs for the anniversary event, which would include a children's birthday party, a polar bear naming contest, and a Safari Supper for members. Dr. Schroeder and the staff were proud to show off the spic-and-span Zoo, which had been transformed by the new moated enclosures and open mesa exhibits. The outdoor moving sidewalk, Turtletorium, Hummingbird Aviary, and Skyfari were all ideas that Dr. Schroeder had implemented as well. By the Golden Jubilee, the San Diego Zoo had the world’s largest collection of wild animals, and it was looking very different than it had a decade ago.

Zoo director Dr. Charles Schroeder (right) and star of the television show

1966 marked the Zoo’s 50th anniversary, the Golden Jubilee. The Zoo hosted an international wildlife conservation conference that year, and international flags adorned the front entrance. The American Zoo and Aquarium Association also held their national conference in San Diego, where the Zoo awarded its first Conservation Medals. For Dr. Schroeder, conservation was a very important emphasis for the celebration, and for the Zoo. He and other zoo directors were very aware of the increasing problem of species becoming endangered, and it was an important theme of the San Diego Zoo's 50th anniversary.

1966

Innovation 1957 - 1966

In 1966, the San Diego Zoo marked its milestone 50th anniversary with the Golden Jubilee celebration, a week of special events, presentations, and a children’s birthday party, plus hosting the national American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums (AAZPA) conference and a special conference on the role of zoos in conservation.

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