New book captures the Zoo’s rich history and its emergence as a modern-day center of research and conservation.

Observing exotic creatures, petting friendly animals, and riding the train through the Zoo grounds—no one can forget the enchanting family ritual of visiting the Saint Louis Zoo. In reality, Zoo visitors experience only the tip of the iceberg.  A new book published by University of Missouri Press, Animals Always, gives readers a glimpse into the unseen work and overlooked history of the Saint Louis Zoo. The Zoo, which will celebrate its centennial in 2010, now houses more than 18,000 animals and is rated America’s #1 zoo by Zagat, the well-known rating agency.

Overflowing with stories, photographs, and fascinating sidebars, Animals Always covers the Zoo’s rich history and its emergence as a modern-day center of research and conservation. The Saint Louis Zoo has earned its excellent reputation thanks to its forward thinking and its community support—not to mention familiar faces like Marlin Perkins and Phil the Gorilla. St. Louis was the first city in the world to support its zoo through public taxes, and the Zoo remains free to all visitors today.

“We’re looking forward to celebrating our centennial with long-time Zoo fans throughout next year,” said Dr. Jeffery P. Bonner, Dana Brown President and CEO of the Saint Louis Zoo.  “This new book is a celebration of our past and present, and a great way to kick-off our 2010 celebration.”

Author Mary Delach Leonard takes readers from the days when schoolchildren collected 238,400 pennies to purchase Miss Jim the elephant, through years of renovation and innovation, to the 21st-century realization of the River’s Edge habitat, which elevates the concept of natural displays to a new level, and the WildCare Institute, launched in 2004 to support animal conservation centers around the world. Vintage photographs offer up animal shows and early visitors in period dress, and modern color images capture today’s awe-inspiring wild exhibits.

Readers are treated to behind-the-scenes anecdotes and statistics to which visitors are normally not privy. In 1917, the Zoo’s annual attendance was 299,100 visitors. Today, annual attendance is 3,000,000. A peek at the current Zoo grocery list for the animals reveals a need for 43,056 red delicious apples per year—but also 122,000 mice and 16,750 rats! If each of 7,500 medical tests the Zoo performs each year used one standard-sized test tube and the tubes were laid end-to-end, they would tower three times higher than the Gateway Arch.

Through page after page of surprises—pictures never before published and amazing historical facts—as well as anecdotes sure to stir memories, this coffee-table volume captures an institution that has always been one step ahead. And Zoo President Jeffrey Bonner gives readers a peek at what’s in store for the Zoo in the not-too-distant future. Animals Always is a tribute to the Saint Louis Zoo’s innovation, dedication, and long-standing commitment to the people of St. Louis.

About the Author
Mary Delach Leonard, a feature writer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for seventeen years, is presently on the staff of the St. Louis Beacon and lives in Collinsville, Illinois.

Purchase the book
Animals Always: 100 Years at the Saint Louis Zoo (978-0-8262-1855-1, $29.95 hard cover) is available at Saint Louis Zoo gift shops, online at www.stlzoo.org, at local bookstores and online retailers.
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