LINCOLN PARK ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS

zoo in the city of Chicago noted for its excellent collection of great apes living together in family groups. The zoo houses about 2,400 specimens of more than 400 species of animals. The 14-hectare (35-acre) park is operated by the Chicago Park District with the aid of the Lincoln Park Zoological Society. Opened in 1874, the zoo is among the oldest in the United States and underwent an extensive modernization program in the second half of the 20th century. Major strengths of the zoo's collection are the cats, edentates ( e.g., sloths and anteaters), and South American primates.