Spotlight: Zoos

When people think about the Springfield Park District, they probably think golf courses and parks, but the Springfield Park District is also home to the Henson Robinson Zoo. While very small compared to other zoos around the Country, the zoo still provides a fun opportunity to see wild animals right here in Springfield. How long have zoos been around? A long time and animals brought to America that end up in zoos have been around even longer. The first elephant arrived in the United States 230 years ago, docking in New York on April 13, 1796.

The elephant arrived from Calcutta on the ship America after its Captain Jacob Crowninshield purchased her for $450 as a business venture.  In letters, the Captain describes “a fine young elephant two years old,” which was “almost as large as a very large ox.”  The journey while smooth, was a long one; the ship departed Calcutta on December 3, 1795.  Upon arriving in the U.S., Crowninshield sold the healthy young elephant for $10,000, making a nice profit.

By July 30, 1796, the elephant was being displayed in Philadelphia. Admission fees were 50 cents for adults and a quarter for children. According to the Papers of George Washington Project at the University of Virginia, on August 25, 1796, President Washington, who had a fascination with exotic animals, paid $1.75 for himself and members of his family to see the elephant.

Exotic animals in the U.S. were first generally associated with circuses.  Circuses in the United States emerged in the late 1700s. John Bill Ricketts opened a permanent circus building in Philadelphia in 1793, featuring equestrian acts, clowns, and acrobats. During the nineteenth century, circuses expanded rapidly as the country grew westward. This expansion relied on wagons and later railroad cars to reach both rural and urban audiences.

Traveling circuses such as P. T. Barnum’s American Museum and, later, the Barnum & Bailey Circus became major forms of mass entertainment, bringing performances and exotic animals to many Americans who had little access to theaters, zoos, or museums.

American circuses reached their peak in the twentieth century and then began a gradual decline as access to film, radio, and television entertainment increased.  Zoos had originated in the United States during the nineteenth century. Philadelphia again found itself at the forefront. The Philadelphia Zoo, the nation’s first, was founded in 1859 but, given delay related to the Civil War, it did not open to the public until 1874. Since that time, the Philadelphia Zoo has been a leader in a number of aspects, including accomplishing the first successful orangutan and chimpanzee births in the U.S., being the first zoo in the world to build an on-site animal care center, developing the first specially-formulated foods for zoo animals, and opening the first Children’s Zoo in the U.S.  Early zoos were primarily designed for public entertainment, often displaying animals in small, barred enclosures.  During the twentieth century, American zoos underwent transformation as scientific research, conservation, and animal welfare gained importance. Zoos proved better equipped than circuses to address concerns about animal welfare practices, and by the mid-1900s, the vast majority of zoos began to shift their missions toward education, species preservation, and habitat simulation.  

While you won’t see an elephant at the Henson Robinson Zoo in Springfield, you can see over 96 animal species, including penguins, a black bear, and spider monkeys. The Henson Robinson Zoo, which opened on August 29, 1970, represents the realization of a long-held vision by local resident Henson C. Robinson, who believed the community would benefit from a public zoological park focused on both education and recreation. Following a winter hiatus, the zoo reopens to the public on Saturday, April 11, 2026 and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $7.50 for adults and $5.50 for seniors (62+) and children (3-12 years old).  Children 2 years and under are free.