- Charles Paddock Zoo
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Charles Paddock Zoo 
Charles Paddock Zoo logo
Meerkats at the zooDate opened 1955[1]
1963 (at current location)[2]Location Atascadero, California, USA Land area 5 acres (2.0 ha)[2] Coordinates 35°28′00″N 120°40′13″W / 35.4666667°N 120.67028°WCoordinates: 35°28′00″N 120°40′13″W / 35.4666667°N 120.67028°W Number of animals 100+[3] Number of species 45[3] Annual visitors 72,000[3] Memberships AZA[4] Website www.charlespaddockzoo.org The Charles Paddock Zoo is a small 5-acre (2.0 ha) community zoo located in San Luis Obispo County, California, in the City of Atascadero, California. It is the only zoo in the Central Coast area of that U.S. state. It is also home to a female Indochinese tiger named Sala, one of only 235 worldwide.
Accredited since 1991, the zoo is one of the smallest zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).[5]
Contents
History
The Charles Paddock Zoo was started by Charles Paddock, a county park ranger, in the county animal shelter in 1955. Paddock would nurse wild animals back to health, and by 1959 his menagerie contained over 125 birds and mammals. In 1963 the animals were moved to the current location adjacent to the Atascadero Lake Park, just off State Route 41, and the new zoo was named Atascadero Children’s Zoo.[2]
In 1979, the City of Atascadero took over management of the zoo after it was incorporated. The name was changed to Charles Paddock Zoo in honor of its founder in 1980.[2]
In 2010, while the zoo was under review for re-accreditation, it started a series of renovations and maintenance updates including new roofs, repaving, new public fencing, and a long list of other smaller projects.[5] A new entrance to the zoo was opened on 9 November 2010.[1]
Exhibits and animals
The zoo is home to more than 100 animals representing 45 species.[3]
- Birds
Birds at the zoo include black-necked stilt, Inca tern, Mandarin duck, ring-necked parakeet, ringed teal, roseate spoonbill, scarlet ibis, Sulawesi ground dove, and white-faced whistling duck in the aviary, blue and gold macaw, double yellow-headed Amazon parrot, salmon-crested cockatoo, and scarlet macaw at the Parrot Pond, as well as burrowing owl, Caribbean flamingo, emu, great horned owl, and helmeted guineafowl.[6]
- Mammals
Mammals at the zoo include Jacob's sheep in the barnyard, titi monkey and Hoffmann's two-toed sloth in the South American exhibit, and African crested porcupine, Bennett's wallaby, black-handed spider monkey, Channel Island fox, fossa, Malayan tiger, Mara (Patagonia Cavy), prehensile-tailed porcupine, Prevost's squirrel, Red River hog, red ruffed lemur, slender-tailed meerkat, and White-fronted marmoset.[7]
- Reptiles and amphibians
Reptiles and amphibians at the zoo include Aldabra giant tortoise, Burmese python, carpet python, Desert tortoise, European pond turtle, giant Asian hill tortoise, Gila monster, South American red-footed tortoise, and African bullfrog (Burrowing Frog).[8][9]
The Central Coast Zoo Society
The Central Coast Zoo Society, originally formed in 1962 as the Children’s Zoo Friendship Society, has formed partnerships with both the City of Atascadero and the Zoo Director to "support and promote the Charles Paddock Zoo, its exhibits, the educational and scientific programs, and the conservation and preservation of wildlife."[10]
The future
Plans for the future include a new fisher exhibit[1] and a new Indo-Burma exhibit to include a tiger, red pandas, and a reptile house for Komodo dragons.[5]
Notes
- ^ a b c "Charles Paddock Zoo upgrade: New zoo view". sanluisobispo.com. The San Luis Obispo Tribune. 6 November 2010. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/11/05/1358085/charles-paddock-zoo-upgrade-new.html#storylink=mirelated. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
- ^ a b c d "History of the Charles Paddock Zoo". charlespaddockzoo.org. Charles Paddock Zoo. http://www.charlespaddockzoo.org/about_the_zoo/history.php. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
- ^ a b c d "Charles Paddock Zoo". americanzoos.info. AmericanZoo. http://www.americanzoos.info/Files/Webpages/USA/States/CA/Atascadero.html. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
- ^ "List of Accredited Zoos and Aquariums". aza.org. AZA. http://www.aza.org/current-accreditation-list/. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
- ^ a b c "Charles Paddock Zoo on the right track". sanluisobispo.com. The San Luis Obispo Tribune. 16 March 2010. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/03/15/1068182/charles-paddock-zoo-on-the-right.html. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
- ^ "Birds". charlespaddockzoo.org. Charles Paddock Zoo. http://www.charlespaddockzoo.org/animals/animals.php?animal_category_id=1. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
- ^ "Mammals". charlespaddockzoo.org. Charles Paddock Zoo. http://www.charlespaddockzoo.org/animals/animals.php?animal_category_id=7. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
- ^ "Reptiles". charlespaddockzoo.org. Charles Paddock Zoo. http://www.charlespaddockzoo.org/animals/animals.php?animal_category_id=8. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
- ^ "Amphibians". charlespaddockzoo.org. Charles Paddock Zoo. http://www.charlespaddockzoo.org/animals/animals.php?animal_category_id=9. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
- ^ "Central Coast Zoo Society". charlespaddockzoo.org. Charles Paddock Zoo. http://www.charlespaddockzoo.org/about_the_zoo/central_coast_zoo_society.php. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
External links
Aquaria and zoos in California Aquaria Zoos - Charles Paddock Zoo
- CuriOdyssey
- Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary
- Fresno Chaffee Zoo
- Happy Hollow Park & Zoo
- Living Desert Zoo and Gardens
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- Micke Grove Zoo
- Moonridge Animal Park
- Oakland Zoo
- Orange County Zoo
- Sacramento Zoo
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- Sequoia Park Zoo
- Shambala Preserve
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Categories:- Zoos in California
- Visitor attractions in San Luis Obispo County, California
- Buildings and structures in San Luis Obispo County, California
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