Dakota Zoo
The Mission of the Dakota Zoo
Recreation
Most people come to Dakota Zoo for recreation. We intend to provide a fine environment for people to come and learn to appreciate what nature has to offer.
Just because people come to Dakota Zoo for recreation doesn't mean that they can't learn something while they are here. Teaching the public about the animals on display can promote more favorable attitudes toward wildlife and the facility itself. It has been shown that visitors are capable of and even willing to learn something during their "social outing". This is the duty of Dakota Zoo--to promote a good attitude and a certain responsibility to nature.
Conservation
This area has become one of the most important purposes of zoos. Zoos contribute to the conservation effort by helping people become interested in animals. Zoos can play an important role in developing a responsible attitude towards nature. Many times zoos have and do contribute to saving a species from extinction. Breeding programs are being developed for many types of endangered species with the ultimate goal of reintroducing animals back into the wild once safe retreats are established for them.
Science
The Dakota Zoo has been active the past several years in science projects which cover a whole range of areas and none of which do any harm to the animals which are on display.
About the Dakota Zoo
The Dakota Zoo began with the 67 acre Marc and Betty Christianson Farm located at what was then the north edge of Bismarck. Initially, the Christianson Farm operated as a kennel for the boarding of domesticated animals such as dogs, cats, horses and, at one point, was even used to raise mink for profit. However, over time, friends and neighbors who knew the Christiansons and knew of their love for animals began stopping at the farm to deliver stray and/or injured animals with the knowledge that they would receive the care they required.
As the number of animals increased and word got out about the farm and its collection of animals, curiosity also increased, drawing an ever increasing amount of visitors to view the animals. The number of visitors to the farm would peak on "skip day" each year when school buses would transport loads of school children to view the animals housed there.
Publicity by the Marshal Bill Show on KFYR played an important role in the formation of the Dakota Zoo. Petitions were signed by 780 people who supported the idea of a community zoo located in Bismarck. Marc Christianson took these signed petitions to the Bismarck Park Board to present his idea of a zoo. He pitched the concept as an entity which would be self-supporting and would require no funding from the City of Bismarck. The case presented by Marc to the Park Board was such that in 1958, with the support of the late George Schaumberg, then the Bismarck Parks and Recreation director, the Park Board made available to the zoo an 88 acre tract of Park District land in Sertoma Park.
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