The Henry Doorly Zoo located in Omaha, Nebraska is considered by many to be one of the top zoos in the United States. In May 2004, it was voted by Reader's Digest as the best zoo in America. Readers of Disney-owned Family Fun Magazine recently named this the "#1 Family Friendly Vacation Spot in the U.S."
The Henry Doorly Zoo has evolved from the small Riverview Park zoo, established in 1894, into a world class tourist attraction and a leader in environmental education.
The Lied Jungle is the largest indoor rainforest in the world, occupying an 80 foot tall building that spans 1.5 acres and is located just inside the main entrance. The Walter and Suzanne Scott Kingdoms of the Seas Aquarium opened on April 1, 1995 at a cost of $16 million. The Garden of the Senses contains over 250 different species of herbs, perennials, and trees as well as roses & flowers, butterfly-friendly plants, and trellises. The birds include Macaws, South American parrots, and Australian cockatoos. The Desert Dome, at nearly 42,000 square feet, it is the world's largest indoor desert. The Desert Dome has geologic features from deserts around the world including Namib Desert of South Africa, Red Center of Australia, and the Sonoran Desert of the southwest United States. The Eugene T. Mahoney Kingdoms of the Night is the world's largest nocturnal animal exhibit. Both the Kingdoms of the Night and the Desert combine to a total of 84,000 ft². The Kingdoms of the Night features a wet cave, a canyon, an African diorama, a Eucalyptus forest, a dry batcave, and a swamp. The swamp is also the world's largest indoor swamp. The Hubbard Gorilla Valley is a gorilla exhibit named after Dr. Theodore Hubbard – a cardiologist from Omaha. The Hubbard Orangutan Forest opened in two phases during 2005. The first phase is the outdoor habitat that includes two 65-foot tall, 100 ton Banyan trees interconnected with vines enclosed by stainless steel netting. A 20 foot waterfall is named after Claire Hubbard, the Orangutan Forest's primary donor. The Cat Complex opened in 1977 at a cost of $2.5 million. The complex has 11 inside enclosures and 10 outside enclosures with capacity of up to 100 cats. The Durham Family Bear Canyon has a large 30,000 gallon (114,000 liters) tank for Polar Bears.
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo is a leader in animal conservation and research. The Bill and Berniece Grewcock Center for Conservation and Research provides state of the art medical and research capabilities in the following fields: animal care and management, reproductive physiology, nutrition, genetics and genome resource banking. The Zoo also has an aggressive undergraduate, graduate, and post doctoral student program to provide valuable educational experience to North American and overseas students alike. The Lee G. Simmons Conservation Park and Wildlife Safari displays Nebraska's wild as it once lived. Prairies, meadows, and wetlands create living classrooms for the curious naturalist and budding biologist. Click here to go to the Wildlife Safari webpage. Zoo History: Contact Information: Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo 3701 S 10th Street Omaha, NE 68107 Informational Recording: (402) 733-8400 Business Office: (402) 733-8401 http://www.omahazoo.com/
