[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 39 (Thursday, March 5, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E560]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING AMERICA'S ZOO: THE PHILADELPHIA ZOO CELEBRATES ITS 150TH 
                              ANNIVERSARY

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                           HON. CHAKA FATTAH

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 5, 2009

  Mr. FATTAH. Madam Speaker, I join with fellow members of the 
Philadelphia delegation in recognizing a milestone that is approaching 
for a Philadelphia institution that has brought joy and wonder to 
millions of the young and young at heart who have entered its storied 
gates while it provides a platform for education, conservation and 
world changing scientific research.
  On March 21, 1859, Dr. William Camac, a legendary Philadelphia 
physician, led a concerned community of citizens, educators and 
scientists to charter the Zoological Society of Philadelphia--America's 
First Zoo--and house it on a bucolic, 44-acre property in Fairmount 
Park along the West Bank of the Schuylkill River.
  Over the past century and a half, the Philadelphia Zoo has emerged as 
a national and global treasure. The Zoo is recognized as one of 
Philadelphia's most cherished, enduring and significant educational, 
scientific and conservation institutions and cultural attractions.
  The Philadelphia Zoo was the site for breakthrough research that led 
to the award of the 1976 Nobel Prize for Medicine. From its inception, 
the Zoo has acted consistently and successfully to protect, promote, 
and preserve through its myriad research and curatorial activities 
numerous rare and endangered wildlife.
  It is a venerable institution that has remained ever fresh and vital, 
constantly opening new and groundbreaking exhibits, acquiring and 
exhibiting exotic wildlife and pioneering conservation efforts that are 
the marvel of the zoological world. The Philadelphia Zoo has welcomed 
more than 100 million visitors--including millions of school children 
from the greater Philadelphia community over generations--since its 
landmark gates opened to the public.
  Now, 150 years young, the Philadelphia Zoo embarks upon the 
celebration of its sesquicentennial -- an achievement of historic 
proportions for Philadelphia, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the 
nation and the world conservation community. In fact March 21, 2009, 
has been officially designated in my home town as Philadelphia Zoo Day.
  As the Congressman who is honored to include America's First Zoo 
within my constituency, and as someone who has enjoyed numerous visits 
as a child, a father and a caregiver, I congratulate the Philadelphia 
Zoo and extend best wishes for continued success upon the occasion of 
its sesquicentennial.

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