ZOOAMERICA in Hershey, PA was not always the huge public attraction it is today. The origin of ZOOAMERICA started in back in 1899 with Franz and Louise Zinner, who owned some prairie dogs and a bear cub but had no place to keep them. They went to see Milton Hershey, who was in the process of building a park and spoke to them about keeping the animals there as an attraction for the public. They came to an agreement and, together, they built a zoo called Hershey Zoo.
Most of the animals came from personal friends and donations. Their variety of animals expanded into monkeys, peacocks, deer, possum, zebus, birds, etc. By the time they acquired their first lion in 1914, the zoo had grown so big, many called it the Hershey Zoological Garden. Through the years, it was made larger with the addition of more tropical and exotic animals, buildings and forty acres. Some of the more popular attractions were the Reptile House, Bird House, baby elephants and orangutans. In the 1940s, their annual attendance of visitors was over 30,000. The admission in that time was ten cents.
The zoo closed during World War II, reopened in 1950 and stayed open for twenty more years until it was closed because plans to build a new HERSHEYPARK were underway. The new park included an Animal Garden and helped to redevelop and open the old zoo as a themed zoological park, which they called ZOOAMERICA. A bridge that was built across Park Boulevard, HERSHEYPARK joined the zoo to the park.
ZOOAMERICA today has many different animals and is much more than a zoo, but more of a children's amusement park as well. They host birthday parts, have group rates, snack bars and tours. In 1982, ZOOAMERICA received acknowledgement by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association.
