106 NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



ZOOLOGICAL PARK OPENED NOV. 9, 1899. 



1900 ^^^^_» 525,928 



1901 ^^^^^ 527,145 



1902 _^^^_^^_ 731,515 



1903 .^_^_^^««^^^ 1,164,146 



1904 ^_^^^^^^^^_ 1,104,616 



1905 ■^^^_^_^-^^^_ 1,233,528 



1906 ^.^^^^^.^.^^^^ 1,321,917 



1907 _^.^^^^^«„»„^_ 1,276,041 



1908 .^^■^_^__«^_«^_ 1,413,739 



1909 i^^^^.^^—^^— ^^^_^ 1,614,953 



Total.. 10,913,528 



ATTENDANCE OF VISITORS AT THE ZOOLOGICAL PARK. 



and utilization on August 11th, 1898, in the erection of the 

 Aquatic Bird House. On August 29th, the City of New York 

 began work on the ponds, walks, roads, water and drainage, for 

 which the very modest sum of $125,000 had been appropriated. 

 The making of the Wild-Fowl Pond was the first work begun by 

 the City. 



It was not until the early spring of 1899 that improvement 

 work reached its maximum speed. During that year about 30 

 contracts were proceeding simultaneously, and the Park swarmed 

 with workmen. The grounds were for several months in a state 

 of chaos. 



Steps were taken to form a permanent staff of officers and 

 miscellaneous employees; to begin the gathering of mammals, 

 birds and reptiles with which to stock the installations that were 

 being prepared; to establish a financial system on entirely new 

 lines; to formulate a code of rules and regulations, and in gen- 

 eral make ready for a formal opening in the autumn. There 

 are not more than a dozen persons who know the extent to 

 which the animal installations of the Park, the policies, the rules 

 and the precedents for the future were hammered out of the raw 

 materials, and tried here for the first time. But for the fact 



