When the plants arrived at the Zoo, they were dehydrated and barely alive. The horticulture staff soaked them in a warm sugar solution for an hour, then kept them on flats of bark under high humidity. Three months later, the 255 plants that survived were growing new roots and were placed into individual pots. Since they were not to be returned to the country of origin, they officially became part of the Zoo's orchid collection. There were three different species represented, which were eventually identified as Paphiopedilum wardii (seen here), an endangered orchid from northern Burma and southwestern China; Paphiopedilum tigrinum, a recently discovered species at the time found in China's Yunnan Province; and Paphiopedilum emersonii, a rare species also from Yunnan Province. Quite a spectacular addition to the Zoo's Orchid Greenhouse!

1990

Expansion 1987 - 1996

The Zoo had received animals confiscated from illegal transactions before—but poached plants? Yes! In 1990, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service asked the Zoo to accept an illegal shipment of orchids from Asia that had been confiscated. The Zoo’s Horticulture Department had applied for and been granted designation as an official Plant Rescue Center for the federal government in 1988, so they were able to take in the orchids, which were in bad shape when they arrived. Out of 450 plants, the Zoo staff were able to restore 255 of them to stable condition, including these Paphiopedilum wardii orchids.