PHILADELPHIA – It was Day 7 with 90-plus degree temperatures in Philadelphia, and a lot of the animals were moving a bit more languidly, but Shareef Parker's sons, Michael and Dallas, ages 4 and 5 respectively, didn't seem to mind. "Snakes," answered Michael when asked his favorite animal. "And monkeys.
" Dallas, Parker said, was partial to the lions and other big cats. With eight children ranging in age from 1 to 15, Parker said his family's membership at the Philadelphia Zoo, this month, comes in handy often: He can pick up and take whichever kids want to go, make a quick drive from their home in nearby Montgomery County and stay as long as the kids want; the family does so at least a few times a year. Tony Vickers' 2-year-old daughter, Noelle, sat in her stroller, watching a red-footed tortoise, one of the zoo's "ambassador animals," make its way (slowly, of course) toward a water dish.
"We're members," said Vickers, a Kentucky native who lives in Philadelphia. "We practically live here. Sometimes we come twice a week.
It's close to home, it's easy to get in and out, and the staff is always friendly." America's first zoo, which opened its doors to the public on July 1, 1874, has endured through two world wars, the Great Depression, political and social upheaval and not one but two global pandemics. But as it marks a century and a half, the Philadelphia Zoo − like others across the nation − has been finding unique ways to engage visitors and adapt to evolving demograph.