Lake Superior Zoo, Zoo in West Duluth, Duluth, United States
Lake Superior Zoo covers about 19 acres in Duluth's Fairmount neighborhood, at the base of Spirit Mountain, and houses more than 400 animals of over 140 species. Kingsbury Creek, a designated trout stream, runs through the grounds, which include more than a mile of paved walking trails. Its zones include Bear Country, with a year-round pool for brown bears Tundra and Banks, and the Griggs Learning Center.
The zoo was founded in 1923 by West Duluth businessman Bert Onsgard, who built a pen in Fairmount Park for his rescued white-tailed deer, Billy, with permission from Mayor Samuel Frisby Snively. The Pittsburgh Steel Company donated a rail car of fencing, and schoolchildren raised money for the first pair of lion cubs. The Arrowhead Zoological Society ran it until 1959, when it became city-owned; it was renamed the Lake Superior Zoo in the mid-1980s.
The zoo runs educational programs where visitors learn about animal conservation and interact with different species through hands-on activities. These programs help people understand how wildlife protection connects to their daily lives.
Visitors will find paths through different zones that are easy to navigate, with rest areas located throughout the grounds. The facility accommodates people with varying mobility needs.
Kingsbury Creek, a Minnesota DNR–designated trout stream, flows through the zoo grounds, which hold more than a mile of paved walking trails. During the June 20, 2012 flood, about nine inches of rain made the creek overflow; a polar bear named Berlin and two harbor seals escaped and were recovered, and one seal was photographed swimming along Grand Avenue.
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