My childhood home of Evansville, Indiana gets a lot of neglect from travel bloggers and websites. This part of the midwest holds so much that I definitely took for granted until I left. Delicious food spots, laid-back summer days, and of course, the historic Mesker Park Zoo.
The Mesker Park Zoo and Botanical Gardens is one of those zoos that have continued to grow and change as our perceptions of animal welfare have changed over time. Starting out as just a few lion cubs and an elephant in 1928, the zoo is now AZA-accredited and contributes to conservation efforts around the world.
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Exhibits at Mesker Park Zoo
Since those initial days, Mesker has grown quite a bit! Now housing hundreds of animals across a sprawling 45-acre park, the zoo is a must when visiting Southern Indiana.
The newest exhibit (and my favorite!) is Amazonia. The huge greenhouse is filled with the Amazon’s native plants and flowers. Birds fly free and large tapirs and capybaras graze under the visitor walkways. This area alone houses over 150 different animals, including monkeys, jaguars, fish, and large mammals from the Amazon.
During my last visit in December 2019, Amazonia was under construction and the animals were housed elsewhere. I was unable to get pictures for the site!
The rest of the park is divided into regions of the world: Africa, North America, Asia, and Australia. There is a Children’s forest and petting zoo, two play areas for kids, and indoor buildings with exhibits for those hot summer and cold winter visits. My favorite indoor exhibit? The Komodo dragons!
A carousel, gift shop, tram, and educational buildings are also available for visitors. You can even check out where they prepare the animals’ food!
Conservation Efforts
Currently, Mesker Park works with the AZA breeding program, as well as local Indiana Fish and Wildlife. Recently, the zoo has seen the births of animals such as Francois’ langur, sitatunga, takin, African-crested porcupine, colobus monkey, and lesser tenrec. Some of these animals are endangered, and were massive successes for their conservation!
Mesker Park Zoo also houses Mexican Grey Wolves for the Fish and Wildlife as part of a recovery plan for this species. The pups arrived when I was growing up in the area!
Most recently, the zoo has been involved with the conservation of the Eastern Hellbender. The endangered salamander is being bred and kept at the zoo until it is large enough to reduce its chances of becoming prey for another animal. Mesker is working with Purdue University to raise and reintroduce hellbenders throughout the state.
Mesker has a huge array of conservation projects, which can be found here.
Why I Love Mesker Park Zoo
AZA-accredited zoos are incredible, and Mesker is no exception. The conservation efforts put forth by this zoo are fantastic! Their volunteer programs (which I was a part of in high school) truly help the locals and animals. Animals are cared for by top-notch veterinary staff, zookeepers, and animal trainers. During my last visit, we even got to see the Komodo dragon touch her nose to a target to get food and her bath.
Keepers have trained dozens of animals throughout the zoo using only positive reinforcement to make their care easier and safer for everyone involved. Animals are also offered different enrichment items every week, and special items for different holidays!
The Mesker Park Zoo and Botanical Garden may be a small zoo compared to the giants in California and New York. However, they strive to provide excellent care for their animals, inform visitors on wildlife, and strive to assist in conservation efforts around the world. I definitely recommend a visit to Mesker!
Evansville, Indiana in the fall is the best time to visit. While here, be sure to check out the Fall Festival: the US’s second-largest street festival!
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