Feature

AN OASIS IN THE CRESCENT CITY

By Judy Normand/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Monday, March 7, 2005 10:18 AM CST

NEW ORLEANS -- It's called the Crescent City -- that South Louisiana river town where the Vieux Carre snuggles up to the sleek, modern monoliths marching down Canal Street toward the bow-shaped banks of the Mississippi.

Warm Delta mornings in New Orleans give birth to sights, sounds and aromas found nowhere else on earth -- the rumble and screech of streetcars meandering along majestic St. Charles Avenue from Carrollton to Canal Street; merchants sweeping dooryards, readying their wares for the day's business; the smell of hot coffee laced with chicory. ... It's a veritable banquet for the senses.

For many, New Orleans immediately conjures up images of the French Quarter with its Spanish- and French-inspired architecture and old-world charm -- a "jewel" of a place with Jackson Square's St. Louis Cathedral set in its center.

Just a short walk from the cathedral, down narrow, rust-red brick streets, is the IMAX theatre and the Aquarium of the Americas, perched on the water's edge where every day the riverboats tie-up to receive thousands of passengers needing a break from the sometimes hectic ambiance of the Quarter or simply a bird's-eye view of the New Orleans skyline.

One such riverboat is the John James Audubon, which makes at least four daily "zoo cruises" up and down the waterway from the Riverwalk to the Audubon Nature Institute's Audubon Zoo, a sprawling 58-acre oasis in the uptown area of New Orleans -- a branch of a "family tree," which has grown into dozens of facilities celebrating and preserving the "wonders of nature."

The zoo's origins are in Audubon Park and date to the 1800s, when the land was home to Native Americans and New Orleans' first mayor, Etienne de Bore, who founded the nation's first commercial sugar plantation on the site, thanks to Norbert Rillieux, a local free man of color who invented a process to develop granulated sugar. In 1866, it was also the activation site for the 9th Cavalry -- the "Buffalo Soldiers."

The city purchased the land in 1871 and in 1886, the city planners changed the park's name from Upper City Park to Audubon Park in honor of artist and naturalist, John James Audubon, a free man of color who painted many of his "Birds of America" in Louisiana.

Under the direction of the newly-established Audubon Commission, a flight cage was added in 1916. The attraction prompted development of a full-scale zoo and the first elephant arrived in 1924. By 1929, hundreds of animals inhabited the space. Private donations funded other zoo attractions until the Depression of the 1930s when these types of donations all but disappeared.

The zoo was kept alive, however, by the work of the Works Progress Administration. A current exhibit, the Treehouse at Monkey Hill, was constructed on a popular mound of dirt piled up by the WPA in the 1930s. Visitors and residents alike delight in the story of the hill built to "show the children of New Orleans what a hill looks like."

In 1938, a $50,000 bequest from Valentine Merz, a local benefactor, made possible the opening of the Merz Memorial Zoo. However, in 1958, with donations dwindling and public interest waning, the zoo was labeled an "animal ghetto," forcing the Humane Society, in 1970, to order the place (now called Audubon Zoo) either cleaned up or shut down. Not wanting to give up on the attraction, the Audubon Commission spearheaded a special referendum that generated approximately $2 million for the zoo's restoration.

Through the Audubon Commission, devoted volunteers (Friends of the Zoo, now the Audubon Nature Institute) and the vision of Ron Forman, city hall liaison for Audubon Park, a grand master plan was developed that allowed for a "natural" wild environment for the animals. In 1981, the zoo was accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association.

"That's our governing body," said Trudy Dorand, staff manager for the animal department at the zoo. "There are strict guidelines about the animals and we must get approval from this organization for anything we do here."

Dorand mentioned that the zoo had species survival plans dictated by the association, which include very "complex and complicated" directives requiring extensive research on all the animals. "We have to make sure the bloodlines are kept pure and some of our animals have birth control implants. There are some surprises but most of the births here are planned," she said.

As home to thousands of species, the tropical grounds of the Audubon Zoo invite visitors to experience the excitement of exotic animals in areas as close to their natural habitats as possible. Giant live oaks spread their branches, making canopies over walkways through the zoo, traveled by humans and animals alike.

On any given day, a peacock may strut through the zoo, fan spread and screeching; a tortoise may be out for a stroll under a zoo keeper's watchful eye; a child may get his or her first ride on an elephant; Malayan sun bears, jaguars and Bengal tigers may be seen lounging in the Delta sun; gorillas, like the fierce-looking, 22-year-old Casey, the only male gorilla at the zoo, cavort among the trees or simply stare at fascinated visitors; the two white tigers, brothers named Rex and Zulu in honor of Mardi Gras, often leap, pounce and chase each other around their exhibit; Komodo dragons, six to nine feet long and 200 pounds, may be seen moving along the ground of their exhibit at up to 15 miles per hour; and children and adults may experience the hands-on Discovery Walk and the Embraceable Zoo with a variety of wildlife and domestic animals.

Special programs and entertainment abound, restaurants and meeting places are scattered throughout the grounds and the Audubon Marketplace is stuffed full of anything "Audubon" -- from gourmet food to toys and books. There's also an Endangered Species Carousel and a Safari Simulator Ride within the zoo.

Sarah Burnett handles public relations for the Audubon Nature Institute. While the zoo and its many activities are definitely a main attraction, she said, it isn't all the organization has to offer. Included under the umbrella of the institute is: Audubon Park, Woldenberg Riverfront Park, Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center, Entergy IMAX Theatre, Audubon Louisiana Nature Center, Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species, Audubon Wilderness Park, Audubon Insectarium and Audubon Nature Institute Foundation.

Dorand, an employee for 15 years, said she wouldn't work anywhere else. The animal department itself has at least 54 employees, she said, including veterinarians, managers, veterinary technicians, commissary workers, zookeepers and curators -- just a few of the dedicated folks in charge of keeping Audubon's animals -- big and small -- in top shape.

"There's constant change here with all the animals," Dorand said, "but it's always a great place to be. I love it."

The Audubon Zoo is now rated one of the nation's top zoological parks and has inspired support for future developments to benefit the city both culturally and economically, according to information provided by the Audubon Nature Institute.

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