Hi, I’m Rebecca Amrick, Falvey’s newest Cat in the Stax! I’ll be writing articles covering a broad range of topics, from academics to hobbies to random events. All the while highlighting how Falvey Library can enhance your Villanova experience!

First, I would like to welcome everybody back to campus (or simply welcome you to Villanova if this is your first year)! I hope your first week of classes went well and that you’re excited to begin this new semester.

Seeing as how tomorrow is National Zoo Day, I thought I would talk about America’s oldest zoo: The Philadelphia Zoo.

A little history lesson for you: the Philadelphia Zoo opened to the public on July 1, 1874, 15 years after its charter was signed. The opening of the zoo was greatly delayed due to the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861.

The Philadelphia Zoo is one of many firsts: not only was it the first zoo in the United States, but it was also the first zoo in the world to build an on-site animal care center. It is the site of America’s first successful orangutan and chimpanzee births. It is also opened the country’s first Children’s Zoo.

The zoo’s website shows their commitment to wildlife conservation, as it houses over 1,700 endangered animals. Additionally, the Philadelphia Zoo is AZA Accredited. This means that the zoo has been evaluated by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and was determined to meet the highest standards of animal care and welfare.

If you’re passionate about animal rights and wildlife conservation, you can learn more by checking out Falvey’s Environmental Science Subject Guide. The Library has many resources on all aspects of this subject, from wildlife management to the moral and ethical aspects of zoos.

Here are a few such texts:

• Zoo Ethics: The Challenges of Compassionate Conservation by Jenny Gray
• Wildlife Conservation and Management by Ashok Kumar Bishoyi
• Wildlife: Perceptions, Threats and Conservation by Cheryl Ward
• Wildlife at the Zoo–Documentary Series

Rebecca Amrick is a first year graduate student in the English Department and a Graduate Assistant at Falvey Library.