ATLANTA — An Atlanta institution is celebrating a milestone birthday, Thursday.
Zoo Atlanta is marking its 130th anniversary, March 28.
On that date in 1889, the zoo said local businessman George Valentine Gress bought a group of animals from a bankrupt traveling menagerie and donated them to the City of Atlanta. That helped found Zoo Atlanta - now one of the nation's 10 oldest zoos in continuous operation.
Since then, the Zoo has evolved into one of the Southeast's top locations for wildlife. Through the years, the zoo has welcomed several new baby animals, including pandas, otters, gorillas and sloths.
It has also helped spearhead significant research in the name of conservation, and is home to more than 1,000 species of wildlife from around the world.
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