by Christine Lorraine Morgan ~ January 17, 2023

Since 1927 the Erie Zoo has been an enchanting place for people to catch a glimpse of animals they might not ever see up close otherwise. As a child, the zoo stimulated all of my youthful senses – watching Eva the Elephant suck peanuts into her giant trunk, smelling the powerful aroma of the various animals, hearing the lion roar, tasting the hot dogs and ice cream, and touching the rough fur on the mountain goats all added up to an amazing experience.

This collection of still pictures originated on June 8, 2019.

The front of this Erie Zoo building takes me right back to some of my earliest childhood memories when my dad took me to see Eva, the friendly elephant. Back then we were permitted to feed her peanuts, which she would suck up into her trunk like a vacuum cleaner. The Erie Zoo opened in 1927, and moved to its present location near Glenwood Park Avenue in 1930.

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Dasa is the Erie Zoo’s female orangutan. She is about 30 years old. Sadly, she lost her companion Joe last year.

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This great big American Alligator catches a nap in the summer sun.

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While winding through the zoo, this mini-train travels across a 200-foot concrete bridge/trestle twice. On the second crossing, on the way back to the station, the trestle comes into full view. The trestle was originally constructed as a bridge across the mighty Mill Creek, which flooded the City of Erie in 1915, killing over 30 people, including the fire chief. The bridge, which also serves as a drift catcher to prevent further flooding, was constructed in 1916 and updated in 2010. It was adapted for use as a mini-train trestle in the mid 20th century.

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This beautiful lioness, Nala, wears a regal expression while she relaxes at the Erie Zoo in 2019. Unfortunately, she passed away in 2022 at age 24. In the photo below, Nala snoozes in the summer sunlight.

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Standing in line to ride the Zoo train! Thanks to my husband, Michael, for capturing my big happy smile. What a great day we had.

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Folks are anticipating their ride as they wait at the Zoo train depot.

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An artist’s-eye view looking at the train engine.

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Nigel, the Erie Zoo’s giraffe, was transferred to a different zoo in 2020, a year after this 2019 photo was taken. It’s amazing how long their necks are – we watched Nigel munch on tree leaves in a manner that the dinosaurs probably did.

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Not sure what species this beautiful red bird is, but its bright colors certainly are captivating.

This green bird might be a parrot – the spectrum of colors in the bird world is amazing! Can you imagine a green dog or cat? Or for that matter, a dog or cat that can talk like a bird can?

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Two marsupials chill in soft green vegetation.

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