On Shop Road just south of Commissary Road, on the left when traveling north.
For over four decades in the early twentieth century, Druid Hill Park functioned under a policy of racial segregation. The park was heavily used during these years and African-American park users have vivid memories of the tennis courts, . . . — — Map (db m212291) HM
From 1909 to 1951, in the days of an unwritten "Jim Crow" segregation policy, the Parks Commission of Baltimore maintained "separate but equal" facilities. Druid Hill became the sole park city-wide where the African-American community felt . . . — — Map (db m7599) HM
Near Safari Place north of Beechwood Drive, on the right when traveling north.
Over the years, the Round Cage housed bears and, later, hyenas. The animals were kept as if in a fishbowl, on a concrete slab with no shelter or privacy. The Round Cage has long since been abandoned as suitable housing for any species. . . . — — Map (db m189039) HM
On Silver Spring Drive just east of Elephant Landing, on the right when traveling east.
Because elephants are so big, they take little notice of fences. They either step over them or walk right through them.
In 2009, the dry Boteti River began flowing again. It forms the western boundary of the Makgadikgadi Pans National . . . — — Map (db m189092) HM
On Elephant Landing west of Elephant Overlook, on the right when traveling west.
Elephants, giraffes, and many other animals at the Zoo regard tree branches the way you might regard a salada delectable dose of plant-based nutrition. These herbivores, or plant eaters, browse branches, eat leaves, and chew soft . . . — — Map (db m212312) HM
On African Journey at Buffalo Yard Road, on the right when traveling east on African Journey.
One of the greatest health challenges facing African penguins in Baltimore and in other places where mosquitoes thrive is avian malaria, a disease similar to human malaria that affects only birds. Avian malaria is transmitted by mosquitoes. . . . — — Map (db m189075) HM
On Polar Bear Watch west of Buffalo Yard Road, on the left when traveling west.
Midway through the 20th century, bald eagles were on the brink of extinction in the lower United States. Today, they are seen throughout the country. Their recovery is a conservation triumph.
Bald eagles were nearly wiped out by hunting, . . . — — Map (db m212307) HM
On Penguin Coast east of Buffalo Yard Road, on the right when traveling east.
All birds lay eggs and incubate them until they hatch. For penguins, sitting on a nest keeping eggs warm and dry is problematic because to do so, they must temporarily leave the ocean. African penguins gather in breeding colonies on rocky, . . . — — Map (db m212303) HM
On Historic Main Valley, on the right when traveling north.
An 1880 inventory of the Zoo's animal collection also mentioned a flock of sheep, although technically they were employed by the City of Baltimore. Oden Bowie, the newly elected governor of Maryland, gifted the park its first flock of sheep from . . . — — Map (db m212300) HM
On Pimlico Drive, on the left when traveling south.
Separate but Equal policy July 11, 1948 Participants James Robertson, Maceo Howard, Morris Kalish, James Gross, Albert Blank, Jeanette Fine, Gloria Stewart, Mary Coffee, Mitzy Freishtat, Irvin Winkler, Stanley Askin, Louis Pinkney, Leonard Collidge, . . . — — Map (db m11223) HM
On Buffalo Yard Road just south of African Journey, on the right when traveling north.
On June 23, 2000, the Treasure, a large iron-ore tanker, sank in rough waters off the coast of South Africa, dumping over 1,300 tons of oil and diesel fuel into the ocean. More African penguins were impacted by this oil spill than by any other in . . . — — Map (db m189063) HM
On Maryland Wilderness north of Buffalo Yard Road, on the right when traveling east.
Many animals in the Zoo's Farmyard exhibit represent rare livestock breeds. Modern food production now favors the use of a few highly specialized breeds. As a result, some livestock breeds are becoming increasingly rare. . . . — — Map (db m212311) HM
On Swann Drive at Druid Park Lake Drive, on the right when traveling north on Swann Drive. Reported missing.
Within a year of the April 1861 Baltimore Riots, the first of several U.S. Army camps and fortifications began encircling Druid Hill, and important location high above the city and adjacent to the Northern Central Railroad. The 114th and 150th . . . — — Map (db m7594) HM
On Gwynns Falls Parkway at Beechwood Drive, on the right when traveling north on Gwynns Falls Parkway.
The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore
Explore wildlife in the heart of Druid Hill Park. The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore is the third oldest Zoo in America, founded in 1876, and is home to more than 1,500 wild animals and over 200 unique species. . . . — — Map (db m189018) HM
On Beechwood Drive, 0.2 miles west of Gwynns Falls Parkway, on the right when traveling west.
The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore
Explore wildlife in the heart of Druid Hill Park. The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore is the third oldest Zoo in America, founded in 1876, and is home to more than 1,500 wild animals and over 200 unique species. . . . — — Map (db m212298) HM
On Historic Main Valley just south of Buffalo Yard Road, on the left when traveling north.
Shortly after sunrise on October 17 1985, keepers walked three African elephants from the Main Valley to their new home on the far side of the Zoo. But this was not the first time that Zoo elephants had made that trek.
Bill Walters was . . . — — Map (db m212302) HM
Great American Poet, Philosopher
Founder of Aesthetic Realism
Quiet and green was the grass of the field,
The sky was whole in brightness,
And O, a bird was flying, high, there in the sky,
So gently, so carelessly and fairly.
There . . . — — Map (db m7595) HM
On Elephant Landing east of Silver Spring Drive, on the right when traveling east.
The matriarch leads
Elephants follow the matriarch, who is often, but not always, the oldest female in the herd. Female elephants stay with their daughters, sisters, and other related females for life and share child-rearing duties. . . . — — Map (db m189104) HM
On Lemur Lane east of African Journey, on the left when traveling east.
In Latin, lemur means "ghost."
In Malagasky folklore, lemurs appear as sacred spirits never to be harmed.
In reality, lemurs are wide-eyed prosimian primates facing an uncertain future.
Lemurs inhabit the . . . — — Map (db m212313) HM
On Polar Bear Watch just west of Buffalo Yard Road, in the median.
Grizzly bears do not encounter polar bears in the wild. But for these two grizzlies, life took an unexpected turn.
A Story of Two Sisters
The Maryland Zoo supports wildlife in many different ways, and this sometimes means acting on . . . — — Map (db m189073) HM
On Buffalo Yard Road just south of African Journey, on the right when traveling north.
Among the volunteers were two top African penguin experts from The Maryland Zoo who made the trip from Baltimore to Cape Town. Both had worked with African penguins for years, knew how to handle the birds, and were able to lead others especially . . . — — Map (db m189066) HM
On Polar Bear Watch west of Buffalo Yard Road, on the right when traveling east.
In their thousands of years of existence, grizzlies never faced a competitor as relentless, hostile, and lethal as the American pioneer.
Competition has always been a reality for American grizzlies. They competed with much larger Ice Age . . . — — Map (db m212310) HM
On African Journey, 0.2 miles Buffalo Yard Road, on the right when traveling east.
Living and hunting where they do, cheetahs often come into conflict with farmers. Over generations, African farmers have come to view any cheetahs as a menace that can and will kill livestock. Can people and cheetahs live together and . . . — — Map (db m189087) HM
On Silver Spring Drive east of Elephant Landing, on the right when traveling east.
"Projects such as chili pepper fences or beehive fences are in my opinion the answer to human-elephant conflict. Empowering the community so that they feel they can live alongside wildlife can change attitudes in an instant." . . . — — Map (db m189099) HM
Near Safari Place north of Beechwood Drive, on the right when traveling north.
For several decades, this is where Nile hippos swam in their outdoor pool. The hippos eventually moved, the pool was filled in, and the site became a Raptor Garden featuring birds of prey.
Mary Ann, the Zoo's first elephant, moved into this . . . — — Map (db m189045) HM
Near Safari Place north of Beechwood Drive, on the right when traveling north.
The Maryland Building was originally constructed in Philadelphia as Maryland's state exhibition hall for the 1876 Centennial Exhibition, the first World's Fair held in the United States.
After the fair, the building was disassembled, . . . — — Map (db m189048) HM
On Beechwood Drive just east of Safari Place, on the right when traveling west.
An 1865 inventory of the Baltimore Zoo listed "9 deer, 4 swans, 3 wild geese and 24 ewes." By the 1880s still more creatures, including bears were exhibited in ornate but small Victorian cages. In those days animals were seen as objects of . . . — — Map (db m189026) HM
On Beechwood Drive west of East Coast Greenway, on the right when traveling west.
First tree planted in U.S. in loving memory of all those who gave their lives in World War one for each state, one for Baltimore, one for our allies, and one for our war time President, Woodrow Wilson.
1917 - 1918 — — Map (db m212296) HM WM
On Beechwood Drive, 0.1 miles east of Gwynns Falls Parkway, on the right when traveling east.
On July 11, 1948, members of the Young Progressives of Maryland and members of the Baltimore Tennis Club staged the nationally famous interracial tennis match to protest two sad injustices: the park's "Jim Crow" regulations, which prohibited . . . — — Map (db m189108) HM
Near Safari Place north of Beechwood Drive, on the right when traveling north.
When the Zoo's polar bears moved into this exhibit in 1942, they swam for the first time. The pool in the old exhibit had been "no larger than a dining room table," according to John Farrell, then-chairman of the Zoological Society of Maryland. . . . — — Map (db m189044) HM
On East Coast Greenway south of East Drive, on the right when traveling south.
Water flowed throughout Druid Hill Park for many years. Within a few years of the park's opening, over a dozen springs were adorned with statues and architectural features, many of which were designed by park architect, George Frederick. Benches . . . — — Map (db m212294) HM
Near Safari Place north of Beechwood Drive, on the right when traveling north.
The Round Cage represents a chapter of Zoo history that is over. Instead of collecting animals, the Zoo now focuses on conserving species, excelling in animal care, and promoting respect for wildlife.
The Maryland Zoo is better positioned . . . — — Map (db m189040) HM
On Buffalo Yard Road west of Maryland Wilderness, on the left when traveling west.
To get back to the Zoo's entrance, you can walk this way through the Main Valley. This is the oldest part of the Zoo, and to many of you it will feel like a step back in time. Can you remember who used to live in the Main Valley? What were your . . . — — Map (db m189049) HM
Near Silver Spring Drive east of African Journey, on the left when traveling north.
It is difficult to know how many okapi are still living in Congolese rainforests, but by all estimates, their numbers are declining. To save okapi, we need to preserve and protect their shrinking habitat.
Okapi population decline
2000: . . . — — Map (db m189106) HM
On Buffalo Yard Road just south of African Journey, on the right.
The tremendous rescue operation was coordinated by SANCCOB (the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds). Staff and volunteers worked around the clock for weeks. They rescued and rehabilitated more . . . — — Map (db m189065) HM
Near Safari Place north of Beechwood Drive, on the right when traveling north.
In 2009, the Zoo's prairie dog colony moved from this location to their current home near the Zoo's Main Gate. Before there were prairie dogs here, though, there were sea lions.
The first sea lion in Druid Hill Park arrived in 1884 by train . . . — — Map (db m189042) HM
On Buffalo Yard Road just south of African Journey, on the right when traveling north.
Survival in the Wild
When fish are scarce, African penguins must keep on swimming.
There are not as many fish in the Benguela Current as there used to be, due in large part to years of unregulated commercial fishing. Food . . . — — Map (db m189062) HM
On Historic Main Valley, on the right when traveling north.
This building has a long history of protecting and housing a range of species, most notably, endangered cranes.
Erected in 1919, this building replaced an earlier structure that was destroyed by fire, both of which housed hoofed animals. . . . — — Map (db m212299) HM
On Historic Main Valley, on the right when traveling north.
When Mary Ann, our first elephant, arrived in 1925 she needed a place to live so this building was created for her.
Beginning in 1920, a group of Baltimore schoolchildren helped collect the funds to buy MaryAnn. This building, . . . — — Map (db m212301) HM
On East Coast Greenway west of East Drive, on the right when traveling west.
For 150 years, the estate at Druid Hill was owned by just two families, the Rogers and the Buchanans. The Mansion House, built in 1801, is the third residence to be constructed on the site. The second home, built by Nicholas Rogers in the late . . . — — Map (db m212293) HM
On Polar Bear Watch west of Buffalo Yard Road, on the right when traveling east.
People tend to fear what might happen if they were to cross paths with a grizzly bear. The truth is, now as then, the encounter is more likely to end badly for the bear than for the human. This truth hist especially close to home for the Zoo's . . . — — Map (db m212308) HM
On Silver Spring Drive, 0.1 miles east of Shop Road, on the right when traveling east.
African elephants have suffered tremendous losses over the past century due to poaching. In some regions, though, elephant populations are finally rebounding. How can we continue to tip the balance in their favor?
Why are elephants . . . — — Map (db m189090) HM
On Buffalo Yard Road south of African Journey, on the right when traveling north.
On the islands and shorelines where African penguins breed, they face tough environmental conditions. For thousands of years, the penguins escaped sun, wind, rain, and predators inside cave-like nests that they constructed from guano poop from . . . — — Map (db m189051) HM
On Polar Bear Watch west of Buffalo Yard Road, on the right when traveling south.
"Vega" was a young bald eagle when she arrived at the Maryland Zoo in 2014. At five years old, she had the markings of a juvenile and the experience of a survivor.
Vega was first rescued in North Carolina in 2009 as a fledgling, barely . . . — — Map (db m212305) HM
Near Safari Place, 0.2 miles north of Beechwood Drive, on the right when traveling north.
The iron-barred cages and stone dens in the Main Valley were constructed during the 1930s through President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Work Progress Administration (WPA). They are relics of the Victorian era of zoo-going when the goal was to . . . — — Map (db m189036) HM
First prize Awarded to The United Singers of Baltimore at the 19th Nat'l Sangerfest Brooklyn N.Y. 1900. Presented to the City of Baltimore. — — Map (db m7600) HM
Near Safari Place, 0.2 miles north of Beechwood Drive, on the right when traveling north.
The Main Valley is the oldest section of the Maryland Zoo, formerly known as the Baltimore Zoo. Now antiquated, overgrown, and mostly vacant, it is where the small, informal zoo at the center of Druid Hill Park began in the mid-19th century. . . . — — Map (db m189032) HM
On African Journey just east of Buffalo Yard Road, on the left when traveling east.
Would you know a penguin if you saw one? 🐧
Yes, you would. And you might think of it as cute, waddling around on land. But what if you were to see the same bird underwater, speeding through the open ocean? Would you think of it . . . — — Map (db m189081) HM
On Buffalo Yard Road at Penguin Coast, on the right when traveling south on Buffalo Yard Road.
"There are birds as big as ducks but they cannot fly and they bray like asses."
This description of African penguins the earliest known was written in 1497 by a crew member accompanying the famed Portuguese . . . — — Map (db m212304) HM
On Safari Place, 0.1 miles north of Beechwood Drive, on the right when traveling east.
"I steered my course through the wide and level plains which have somewhat the appearance of an ocean, not a tree nor a shrub to be seen," wrote Meriwether Lewis in 1806.
Crossing these westward prairies, the explorer met "a little animal" . . . — — Map (db m189030) HM
On Swann Drive, on the right when traveling north.
"Guardian of Scotland" Scottish Wars of Independence Presented to the people of Baltimore by William Wallace Spence November 30, 1893 Re-dedicated on August 22, 1993 by the St. Andrew's Society of Baltimore
"It is in truth not for glory, nor . . . — — Map (db m7596) HM
