Mark’s Score 8.7
Given the small size of the city (34,000) it is remarkable that Salisbury even has a zoo. It does, and it is a marvelous little gem, and there is a fascinating story behind it.
The zoo sits on a marshy stretch of a tributary of the Wicomico River. In 1926 the city purchased 168 acres along the tributary to secure a source of fresh water and to create a public park.
The creation of the zoo was pure serendipity. During the 1950s someone released unwanted wild animals (a white-tail deer, and a black bear) into the park. Instead of removing the animals the public works employees began to feed and care for them. Throughout the early 50s the animal population grew, residents left skunks, raccoons, turkeys, owls, monkeys, an ocelot, and even a dingo. In 1954 the city hired a zoo keeper to care for the park animals. The animal population continued to grow and in 1967 the city realized it needed to provide for the animals’ care so the Salisbury Zoo Commission was created.
Over the next 40 years facilities and animal paddocks were built to house the animals and a proper zoo began to emerge from the haphazard collection. Today the zoo covers over 12 acres in the center of City Park and houses nearly 70 animals. In 2009 the Delmarva Zoological Society was established to help maintain the facilities and raise funds for facility improvements.
I recently had occasion to visit the zoo for their first Wild Vibe event. The Wild Vibe was billed as an “adult” fundraising event. Sadly, that is not as provocative as it sounds. The Zoo was closed for the day to children. You had to be over 21 to enter because vendors were invited to sell alcohol in the park. I worked the Bordeleau Winery booth for the event. Fortunately, I had plenty of time to wander the zoo before the event started.
I am not sure if it was by design or just happenstance, but when you wander through the zoo it is like walking through a forest with the animal paddocks randomly placed to the right and left of the single path that winds though the park. Though the animals in the paddocks are hardly indigenous it does give the zoo a natural feel.
The Wild Vibe event itself was a great deal of fun and a success, according to the park director. There were a number of the local craft beer and vineyards present. There were a number of craft booths and, strangely a shooting range booth. There was also live music on two stages, and an empanada food truck that served the best empanadas I have ever eaten. The purpose of the event was to raise money for a new coati exhibit (a South American mammal), and to also showcase the zoo to people who may not be regular visitors. Zoos are not just for children
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