The Second Oldest Zoo in Indiana, And We Have It!
The Columbian Park Zoo will be opening its doors to the public again this year in mid April. I am looking forward to its opening because when it does, that means it will be warm in Lafayette again!
Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the animals and exhibits at our Columbian Park Zoo are great as well. And just a note of Zoo trivia: did you know that the Columbian Park Zoo in Lafayette is the second oldest zoo in the state of Indiana? It turned 100 in 2008. That means it has been around since 1908 thrilling visitors with views of animals of all kinds. The oldest zoo is the Potawatomi Zoo in South Bend, Indiana. Being in the top two oldest is a distinction that should be celebrated. As part of your celebration of Lafayette’s Columbian Park Zoo you need to be aware of what is new at the zoo.
The zoo features over 190 animals representing 79 different species and opened several new exhibits in 2010. The new exhibits included all of the following.
The Australia exhibit, or Wallaby Walkabout, is sponsored by Tippecanoe Laboratories. The exhibit feature various species from “Down Under” including Bennett’s wallabies, New Guinea singing dogs, emus, kookaburras, and Galah cockatoos. Visitors will have an immersion experience as they meander along the pathway through the wallabies’ habitat as they hop about. The Columbian Park Zoo currently exhibits seven adult wallabies. Two of the females have joeys in their pouches. These joeys should emerge sometime this summer!
There is a new North American River Otter exhibit which features a trio of otters in an 18,500-gallon pool. Visitors will enjoy watching these playful creatures through 
the large underwater viewing window. Also included is a clear, acrylic tunnel through which Zoo patrons can crawl and see the otters swim over and under the tube! I can personally vouch for how much fun this exhibit is. My wife and I had a very enjoyable afternoon at the zoo looking at this exhibit with our son Nathan, his friend Britney, and our two grandsons, Chase and Parker. It was great watching the otters swimming around in their enclosure. And even better we got a special kick out of watching Chase and Parker watching the otters. They were so excited!
The zoo also hosts a Galapagos Tortoise Exhibit. The Friends of Columbian Park Zoo, along with several individual donors, provided the funding for this exciting exhibit. Two giant female tortoises, one of which is over 90 years old, inhabit the exhibit, which features lava rock similar to rock found on the Galapagos Islands, landscaping, and a small hut to provide shade. Don’t miss you opportunity to view this beautiful endangered species! While you are at it, don’t miss the Giant Tortoise Sculpture. Sitting just outside the Galapagos tortoise exhibit, this life-size sculpture will become a photo-favorite stop for Zoo visitors! The bronze tortoise was fabricated in Otterbein, Indiana by Rick and Rita Hadley of Moments in Bronze. The beautiful sculpture weighs in at approximately 500 pounds and was sponsored by the Jim Risk Family Foundation.
The address of the zoo is:
Columbian Park Zoo
1915 Scott Street
Lafayette, IN 47904
(765) 807-1500
For additional information visit lafayette.in.gov/zoo/
