NEEDS HISTORICAL CONTENT The Louisville Zoo is a non-profit zoological garden located just 15 minutes from downtown Louisville. Known as “the State Zoo of Kentucky,” it was accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) in 1980. Two important missions of the Zoo include education and wildlife conservation. Its collections, including its botanical garden, are also accredited by the American Association of Museums (AAM). The Kentucky zoo is home to more than 1300 wild animals in natural and mixed settings. The topography here represents several geographical areas including the Asian Plains, North and South American Panorama and the Australian Outback. Animals to see here include orangutans, lions, elephants, gorillas, a tiger, a polar bear, and a snow leopard. It is also home to a green mamba and an albino alligator. The Louisville Zoo is famous for “the Islands”, a world-class zoological exhibit, which is the first exhibit in the world that uses a system of rotating a variety of animals into one exhibit. Like this, the animals can explore different habitats throughout the day, as they would in the wild. Additionally, this is a first exhibit that presents natural predator and prey in the same space. Other attractions include the Herp Aquarium, featuring 100 species of reptiles, amphibians and fish from around the world; and an award-winning four-acre Gorilla exhibit, featuring Pygmy hippos and Western lowland gorillas. In its 35-year history, the Zoo has placed a special importance on meeting the needs of individuals, teachers and students of all ages. Its innovative Meta Zoo Education Center conducts many programs led by degreed instructors and trained personnel. This was the first facility of its kind to serve both as a public exhibit and a living classroom. The facilities here can handle anything from corporate meetings of 10 to company picnics of 10,000. It hosts one of the largest halloween parties annually. Scavenger hunts, live music, face painting and inflatable games are also a few of the entertainment options available here.