Dakota Zoo - History

History

The Dakota Zoo began on a 67-acre (27 ha) farm owned by Marc and Betty Christianson on the northern edge of Bismarck. At first the farm boarded domestic animals such as dogs, cats, horses. At one point the farm was used to raise mink for profit. Over time, people who knew of the Christiansons' love for animals began dropping off strays and injured animals, knowing that they would be well taken care of. As the number of animals increased, word got out and more and more people came to see them.

After some publicity from a local TV station, petitions were signed by 780 people supporting the idea of a community Zoo in Bismarck,l and Marc Christianson took these to the Bismarck Park Board to present the concept of a self-supporting community Zoo. In 1958, the Park Board made 88 acres (36 ha) of Park District land in Sertoma Park available to the zoo.

The majority of construction was initially done by Marc ans his crew with donated materials. The zoo opened on 3 June 1961 with 75 mammals, 23 birds, and about 15 acres (61,000 m2) of developed land. IN the first year, 40,000 people paid ten cents each to visit the zoo. By 2007 there were about 3400 zoo members, and more than 100,000 visitors per year to view 125 species of animals and birds.

The Dakota zoo has been accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) since 1991, and remains self-supported through admissions, concession sales, animal sales, the adopt an animal program, memberships, and donations.