Egyptian Fruit Bat
Fruit bats are in the “megabat” family. Unlike most megabats, the Egyptian fruit bats uses echo-location for navigating in darkness. They produce sounds with their tongues that resemble a series of clicks to the human ear.
About the Zoo
Bringing You Close Enough to Care
The mission of the Rosamond Gifford Zoo is to conserve, exhibit and interpret a living animal collection in order to promote public recreation, understanding of the relationship between animals and people, and action to sustain the environment we share.
History of the zoo
The Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park has had its own wild adventure of growth and improvements over the last century. Once just a small 4-acre facility, the zoo is now home to approximately 700 animals on 43 acres. Continuous improvements to the zoo's infrastructure and animal exhibits ensure that the Rosamond Gifford Zoo will remain a treasured attraction in Central New York.
| 1914 | Zoo opens on a four-acre site in Burnet Park, managed by the City of Syracuse Parks & Recreation Department. |
| 1916 | Capital construction begins with the building of stone exhibits for bears and a waterfowl pond. |
| 1933 | Zoo is enlarged to eight acres and a main building is built at a cost of $50,000. |
| 1955 | Children's Zoo and Monkey Island are constructed. |
| 1960s - 1970s | Zoo falls into a state of disrepair due to shrinking city tax base and subsequent decrease in financial support. |
| 1970 | Friends of the Burnet Park Zoo is founded. |
| 1974 | A teen and a friend break into the zoo, killing and injuring approximately 40 animals, fueling public debate over the future of the zoo. |
| 1978 | City of Syracuse receives funding to complete a project to enlarge the zoo to 18 acres and construct a new perimeter fence, a boardwalk, the western plains and other outdoor exhibits. |
| 1979 | Onondaga County Parks takes over the management of the Burnet Park Zoo; County Parks staff prepares a 40-page report on plans to renovate the zoo. |
| 1981 | A master plan for zoo renovation is sent to and approved by the Onondaga County legislature; included in the $10 million plan is approval for complete shut down of the "old" Burnet Park Zoo. |
| 1982 | The "old" Burnet Park Zoo shuts down in October. |
| 1983 | Capital project begins with a "building breaking" by then County Executive John Mulroy in December and the zoo embarks on a $13.1 million project, $2.5 million of which is raised by the Friends of the Burnet Park Zoo. |
| 1986 | The "new" Burnet Park Zoo opens its doors to the public on August 2. |
| 1987 | The Burnet Park Zoo receives its initial accreditation from the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA). |
| 1993 |
Zoo's mission statement is revised; updated communication and collection plans begin. |
| 1997 | Burnet Park Zoo is re-accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA). |
| 1998 | Capital campaign is initiated to fund a new conservation/education center, tiger, penguin and rainforest exhibits. The U.S.S. Antiquities exhibit is opened, representing completion of the first phase of the capital campaign. |
| 1999 | Burnet Park Zoo receives $2 million endowment from the Rosamond Gifford Charitable Corporation and becomes the Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park. The new Amur tiger/Carrol's Tiger Trail opens. |
| 2000 | The Niagara Mohawk Rainforest Exhibit opens in the Social Animal Building. Groundbreaking takes place for the contruction of the Carrier Conservation Education Center. |
| 2001 | Three lion cubs from the Baton Rouge Zoo go on exhibit, marking the first time in more than 10 years the exhibit had housed lions that were not geriatric. The Zoo to You education outreach program is launched. |
| 2003 | Penguin project approved and construction contracts are drawn up. |
| 2004 | Construction begins on the Humboldt penguin exhibit. The zoo celebrates its 90th anniversary. |
| 2005 | Zoo's Penguin Coast Exhibit opens to the public on June 29 with 18 Humboldt penguins. Zoo opens spectacled bears exhibit. |
| 2006 | The leadership role of the zoo splits into two; Chuck Doyle is promoted to Zoo Director and Janet Agostini is hired as Executive Director of Friends of the Zoo. Four penguins hatch. |
| 2007 | Ocelot exhibit opens in June. Zoo celebrates Siri the elephant's 40th birthday. More than 9,000 people visit in 3 days to honor the matriarch of the zoo's Asian elephant herd. Rosamond Gifford Zoo becomes one of 11 zoos in North America to house a fossa, an endangered carnivore from Madagascar. |
| 2008 | Rosamond Gifford Zoo celebrates "Year of the Frog" to increase awareness of frog/amphibian conservation. Sand cat exhibit opens in zoo. Zoo celebrates birth of elephant, "Little Chuck," to Mali, one of the zoo's elephants on loan to the African Lion Safari in Canada. Success of penguin exhibit continues with the hatching of three chicks. |
| 2009 |
Zoo celebrates the hatching of Zephyr, a white-crested laughing thrush. The new chick is one of just three hatched in captivity worldwide over the past year. First penguin chick hatches on main exhibit at Penguin Coast. Ashley Redhead wins first ever penguin chick community naming contest and the female chick is named "Marisol," which means "sea and sun" when loosely translated to English. |
| 2010 |
Nine Humboldt penguin chicks hatch -- more than any other year. For the first time in 16 years, a baby sloth is born at the zoo. It is the 43rd sloth baby born at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo. |
| 2011 |
A female patas monkey is born on January 7. She is named "DJ" after long time zoo employee, Doris Johnson. Another baby is born on August 23 and is named "Kibibi" via a naming contest. Henry "Ted" Fox is named zoo director after Charles "Chuck" Doyle retires. |
The Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, a distinction earned by fewer than 220 institutions. AZA accreditation is your guarantee that the Rosamond Gifford Zoo meets the highest standards of animal care and guest experience.
A Word from our Zoo Director
I hope that you fully enjoy your visit to the Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park. We are especially proud of our zoo, from its focus on animal welfare, to its “green building” status, to its interactive capabilities.
The Rosamond Gifford Zoo prides itself on being an Association of Zoos and Aquariums accredited zoo since 1987. We are among the top 10 percent of zoos in the country and we adhere to a high standard of animal care and conservation responsibility.
The Rosamond Gifford Zoo is also a breeding zoo, which works closely with other AZA institutions to help ensure the survival of threatened and endangered species around the world.
Take your time, look at the animals, look at the plants, enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and help us make the world a better place for animals and people. Thank you for your support!
Biographical Information for Ted Fox
Ted Fox has worked at the zoo since 1991. A graduate of Cornell University, he has a bachelor's degree in animal science. 
Fox sits on the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) passerine Taxon Advisory Group (TAG). In this role, he collaborates with zoo experts across the country to examine the conservation needs of the entire taxa, and to develop recommendations for population management and conservation based upon the needs of the species and the facilities that house them.
Among his many achievements, Fox was instrumental in the development of the zoo's Humboldt penguin exhibit, which opened in 2005. Though industry experts forecasted that it would take five years for the penguin pairs to become established and produce chicks, the first chicks hatched just one year after the exhibit opened. To date, 29 chicks have hatched in Syracuse, an accomplishment for which the zoo is nationally recognized. Fox regularly consults with zoological institutions around the country in preparation for new exhibit openings and about penguin management, especially as it pertains to breeding.
He was also instrumental in raising the first Andean condor chick to be used for conservation education in Venezuela by the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo in conjunction with Bioandina Foundation and Inparques, the Venezuelan National Park Service, through a program that funds various components of a conservation program, the goal of which is the establishment of a viable population of Andean condors in Venezuela. To date, the bird has met thousands of people and spread the word about the importance of protecting the species, which is threatened in the wild.
