Philadelphia Zoo celebrates 150th anniversary
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — The Philadelphia Zoo is celebrating 150 years since they first opened their gates on July 1, 1874. And the zoo has a day of festivities planned on Monday for the big anniversary.
A brass band welcomed guests in during the morning, which also happened on the day they opened a century-and-a-half ago.
"We are recreating that moment," Dani Hogan, Philadelphia Zoo's director of mission integration, said. "We have welcomed over 150 million guests since that time, and we are so ready to welcome thousands more today and in the future."
The first 150 guests received a commemorative pin to mark the day.
Throughout the day, zoo-goers can look forward to a Wawa Welcome America pep rally at 1 p.m. and $1.50 hot dogs all day.
As the years go by, Hogan said she is proud of the never-changing legacy of the zoo.
"We are 100% dedicated to the well-being of our animals and saving them out in the wild and teaching everybody that comes to the zoo what they can do to make the world a better place."
The Philadelphia Zoo is home to more than 1,700 species of rare and endangered animals. They were the first zoo in the U.S. to open an on-site animal care center, as well as the first to develop food formulas for zoo animals.
If you're looking to join the celebrations, the zoo will have free admission starting at 3 p.m. until they close at 5 p.m.
CBS News Philadelphia intern Moira Vaughan contributed to this report.