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| Saint Louis ZOO in Forest Park 314-781-0900 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Free admission |
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by Betty Moore, SLFP.com ST. LOUIS, MO, (SLFP.com), June 18, 2010 - Families and visitors arriving at the South Entrance to the St. Louis Zoo will be greeted with an enormous bronze statue of a 19-foot-tall African elephant, titled "Reaching Elephant," by sculptor Kent Ullberg, near the new bridge. The elephant stands on his back legs to reach into the honey locust tree with its trunk. On Friday morning, visitors were able to enter the parking lot from the newly opened Wells Drive and then walk from the lot over the street via a pedestrian steel bridge that has weather, naturalistic finish similar to the "Animals Always" sculpture, located at Wells Drive and Hampton Avenue. The deck on the suspended bridge has been etched to look like natural stone accented with reliefs of ferns, pine branch, twigs and other foilage. While landscapers worked in near ninety degree heat to put down mulch and place plants, kids were eager to have their picture taken in front of the elephant before heading into the Zoo. The bridge was dedicated last month in the memory of Luke Taylor Maue, an 8-year-old killed on Wells Drive at the South Entrance by a drunk driver. When completed this fall, the Wachovia South Arrival Experience of the Zoo will feature additional life-size sculptures of African wildlife set in an island of greenery, rock outcroppings, footpaths, waterfalls and pools. In this African savanna habitat, the honey locust trees will be trimmed to resemble acacia trees, the "flat tops" in Africa that are trimmed by foraging giraffes and elephants. Currently under construction is Elephant Woods, a fourth Asian elephant habitat with a forest environment. Behind the scenes, the Myron Glassberg Family Maintenance Facility under construction will improve the Zoo's ability to care for all of its facilities and animals. The Zoo is home to more than 3,000 animals and features Jungle of the Apes and Big Cat Country. Additional attractions include the Emerson Electric Children's Zoo, The Living World educational center, River's Edge, "Penguin & Puffin Coast," Monsanto Insectarium, Mary Ann Lee Conservation Carousel, sea lion shows and bird house.
The Zoo is open year round, except December 25 and January 1. Summer hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. Non-summer hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. General admission to the Zoo is FREE. Parking on the Zoo's two lots is $11 per day. Parking for buses, motor homes and R.V.s is $22 and is available on the South Lot only. Some events and special programs may have an admission cost. Note: Coolers and picnic baskets are permitted on the Zoo grounds. There are picnic tables located in central areas at the Zoo. All major facilities are wheelchair accessible, as are most restrooms. Wheelchairs and strollers are available to rent at The Living World and South Gate. Wheelchairs: $7 per day; motorized vehicles (limited number) available to those 18 years or older with a major credit card: $25 per day; single strollers are $7 per day; double strollers are $9 per day. For more information, please call 314-781-0900, 1-800-966-8877 or TDD: 314-768-5421. Archived Stories:  St. Louis Zoo Kicks Off 'The Living Promise' CampaignStingray Exhibit Draws Huge Crowd at St. Louis ZooNew St. Louis Zoo South Entrance Takes Shape Restaurants HotelsReturn to Saint Louis Front Page  
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