Long gone are the days when two chimpanzees smoked cigarettes in a cramped cage at the entrance to the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk.
Today, the zoo, celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, is centered on animal well-being and enrichment; animals roam in environments similar to their natural habitats.
Once a city park and community gathering spot with animals, the zoo transformed during the years into a regional attraction that draws more than 500,000 visitors annually.
“Zoos went from collectors of wildlife to conservers of wildlife,” said Chris Jenkins, executive director, noting that traditionally zoos were thought of as entertainment. “Our heavy emphasis now is on education. We do it really well when we do both at the same time — call it edutainment.”
Longtime Norfolk natives wax nostalgic about the zoo, which opened in 1901 as the Lafayette Park Zoo, its name until 1985. For decades, the park was more of a draw than the animals.
Mary White, a fifth-generation Norfolkian, grew up in the 600 block of West 31st Street and would regularly play in the sandbox and ride the merry-go-round there in the 1960s. She remembers Sunday concerts at an amphitheater and being part of one as a member of the Maury high band.
“There was a confectionery, a small building with dark brown shingles that had a screen door that seemed fairly heavy,” she said. “They had snow cones, and I think my favorite flavors were lime and cherry.”
White recalls some animals, including sea lions and chickens, but is especially sentimental about the park.
“I would go swinging with my mother, and sometimes she would say to be sure to look under the swings for money because people drop money,” she said. “And I would find quarters! But in adulthood, I concluded that she was planting them.”
California sea lions are no longer part of the zoo’s collection of 170 species. But the stone dwelling and pool created for them remain as part of a turtle oasis that opened in 2023.
“It’s so relaxing to walk through here,” said Lori Lampert, the zoo’s senior director of guest experience. The sounds of cascading waterfalls create serenity while strolling along the raised boardwalk, with turtles swimming beneath.
The turtle oasis is in Flora Point, which still has acres of green space, making it ideal for weddings and events. Lampert remembers her grandmother telling stories of visiting there for photos while wearing her Sunday best.
In 1906, Flora Point housed a domed-shaped conservatory filled with more than 200 plants. The building was demolished in 2001 for the short-lived Australia Walkabout Yard, where kangaroos and wallabies roamed. An infection caused the yard to close and the animals to relocate. A herd of alpacas is among the residents.
Lampert started at the zoo in 2005, three years after the opening of the "African Okavango Delta Trail." The 10 acres, modeled after a desert in Botswana, features manmade rock formations, streams and a diverse range of species, including zebras and giraffes.
The once beloved elephants have left. The zoo housed African elephants from 1976 until 2016. With the males weighing as much as 14,000 pounds and needing to walk — ideally —7.5 miles a day, zoo leadership decided it didn’t have the space to properly care for them.
Today, white rhinos thrive in that space. As big as they are, rhinos are more solitary than elephants and do well in compact areas.
Today’s zoo rock stars are considerably smaller than elephants: red pandas and sloths. They are the most requested animals to visit, Lampert said, pausing to make eye contact with Natasha the red panda, who is resting on a tree branch.
“They’re just so cute,” she said, noting Natasha and male Sampson look almost exactly like the stuffed ones sold in the gift shop.
Jenkins, hired as executive director last August, has too many favorite animals to choose one but adores red pandas.
He recalled volunteering at a zoo in California and feeding a fluffy, raccoon-faced red panda an apple. At the time, he thought it was “the high point in my life.”
“They are fascinating creatures that can survive harsh climates,” he said. “If you want to see red pandas and you’re in southeast Virginia, this is where you’re going to come.”
As for the sloth, the appeal of the tree-dwelling mammal that hangs upside down for almost its entire life comes from a viral moment in 2012. Actress Kristen Bell told a story on “The Ellen Show” about her boyfriend gifting her one on her 31st birthday. The emotional moment created a following.
“Some people literally cry when they meet them,” Lampert said.
Two-toed sloths KC and Trey are among the animal ambassadors the zoo reserves for interactive presentations and educational programming. Expansion for an improved education and events space, which includes a building for hosting groups of up to 250 people, is expected to be complete by the end of the year.
The zoo’s "Asia: Trail of the Tiger" opened in 2011. The $18 million project increased the number of naturalistic habitats with 45-foot-tall climbing structures for the apes, a viewing cave and raised boardwalks for enhanced viewing. Here live two female and one male lion, the red pandas, and the must-see Bornean orangutan, Poppy. She turns 2 this month but is tiny enough to comfortably ride on Mama Dora’s back.
Mother and baby are often pressed against the glass, creating quite a crowd.
“They love people,” Lampert said.
Dara and Poppy are two of the four orangutans that live at the zoo, experiencing a healthier experience than Chuck and Judy. Both lived in a 15-square-foot metal cage that exposed them to an unhealthy diet provided by passersby. Back in the '70s and '80s, Chuck was even known for slinging poop as folks passed.
Wayne Millen, a zoo volunteer in the ’80s, remembers folks handing Chuck cigarettes and cigars and tossing junk food in the cage (both were relocated to a Texas reserve in 1986). Widespread signage reminds visitors not to feed any of the animals. Smoking and vaping are prohibited on the zoo’s 53 acres.
A comprehensive wellness campus invites visitors to watch animals get well visits and surgeries with veterinarians often miked during procedures. The kitchen, where fresh food is prepared daily, is also fully visible. Chef Yohn Sutton delights in preparing special foods, such as “Porcupizza," fruit and veggies on what resembles dough, for the porcupines.
People food at the zoo has also evolved. While hot dogs and popcorn are on the Beastro menu, so are grilled wraps, sweet potato fries, artisan canned water and craft beer. Gluten-free options are available.
The original reptile house from 1974 was reimagined and expanded, the most recent updates in 2018. Barnyard animals remain in a petting area with fresh-looking red barns and a 7,000-gallon cistern to collect rainwater for the vegetable gardens.
The zoo earned national accreditation in 1987 and mishaps have been rare. After the new Africa exhibit opened, a giraffe and lion died, though a federal investigation found no wrongdoing. In 2005, several prairie dogs were killed when their exhibit collapsed.
“Where the bar might have been in the past has been raised,” Jenkins said.
Construction is ongoing, he said; the goal of every master plan is growth, but improvement so the animals are doing what they were bred to do.
Some of the training focuses on encouraging animals to participate in their own healthcare by teaching them to open their mouths for dental needs or lean against a barrier for an injection rather than staff relying on the dart method.
“We’re always learning what we can do better,” Jenkins said. “Animals were largely managed through force and coercion in the past. Now it’s a much bigger partner relationship.”
The zoo plans to seek community input as it expands.
While the zoo is marking its anniversary all year, a major event on Aug. 29 includes burying a time capsule that will be opened in 2051.