The Maryland Zoo which was formerly known as the Baltimore Zoo was made due to an act of Maryland legislation on April 7, 1876. Recently, the Maryland Zoo opened up the historical portion of the zoo called the Main Valley.

The Main Valley features many old animal enclosures and educates visitors on the areas the animals resided in. At the beginning of the zoo’s history it was a small park with a few random animals.  

The animals were given to the Park Superintendent by local citizens. People enjoyed visiting the park so much that the Maryland General Assembly decided to officially make it a zoo.

The old cages are now considered outdated and no animals spend time in them. One of the most notable enclosures would be the large elephant building. It is made of stone, tall, and has a large brick roof with a nice yard to the right of the building. 

Students from Lower Dauphin have visited the zoo and enjoyed the Main Valley, freshman Ava Arndt says, “I have been to the zoo and I really liked the Main Valley, I thought it was cool how their history has been acknowledged.”

The expansion to the new enclosures has been extremely beneficial for the zoo as bringing more revenue in and keeping it more interesting for visitors. The park is currently 135 plus acres. Freshman Isa Medlin says, “I have never been to the zoo but I really want to visit, it seems like a great place.”