Film, Motion Picture

Detroit Zoological Park: A Zoo for All Seasons

Color 16mm film reel containing "Detroit Zoological Park: A Zoo for All Seasons," produced by the Detroit Zoological Society's Education Division. The film consists of a tour of the offerings of the Detroit Zoo arranged thematically, and by season. The film also encompasses the Detroit Zoological Society's other sites--the Belle Isle Aquarium, and the Children's Zoo--as well. Television weatherman Sonny Eliot narrates over a score provided by the rock band Pendragon.

Following a brief general introduction about the park, the film begins with the zoo's Bird House. Several varieties of birds are shown including the cocks-of-the-rock, and the roadrunner. Next the zoo's Penguinarium is featured. This segment includes shots of the birds in their habitat, the mural showing the many different varieties of penguins, a zoo keeper feeding the penguins, and the building's control room.

Next, the Woodland Stream area is briefly mentioned, before the Australian Plain area receives more in depth coverage. Among the animals featured in this segment are the emu, black swan, camel, kangaroo, and wallaby. Several adjacent habitats are shown next, including that of the hyena, Formosan sika deer, the European buffalo, water fowl, a beaver, and the East African reticulated giraffe. The Indian elephants are filmed next inside their enclosure, where they eat, get bathed by zookeepers, and play with a tire. Next the rhino, hippopotamus, and pygmy hippopotamus are shown in their habitats.

The next portion of the film focuses on the Belle Isle Aquarium. The piranha, the blue demoiselle, the striped reef fish, trigger fish, Australian lungfish, Osteoglossum, freshwater skate, alligator snapping turtle, lionfish, seahorse, horseshoe crab, and starfish.

The Children's Zoo on Belle Isle is the subject of the next set of scenes that showcase both its animals and it's fairy tale and children’s literature-themed habitats. A macaw in a Treasure Island-themed exhibit, and the Three Little Pigs are both shown, as a fawn in the nursery area, a souvenir stand, the "Litter Critter" garbage can, the seals, a cheetah, and rabbits and snakes shown in the hands-on Pet Ring.

The film then returns to the Detroit Zoo for a fall-themed segment. The section highlights the flowers of the dahlia gardens, a moose, prairie dogs, reindeer, flamingos, the changing colors of the leaves, the dorcas gazelles, cranes in the African Swamp exhibit, a peacock and a peachick, and the bear dens containing five different species including the Kodiak bear and the polar bear.

The bear segment acts as a transition to the winter portion of the film, as the bears are shown reacting to snowfall, and the polar bears are featured beside their ice-covered pond. The winter section also highlight’s the park’s snow-clearing efforts, migrating ducks and geese wintering at the zoo’s ponds, otters, the endangered Siberian tiger, and enclosed refreshment stands.

Next, the film spotlights the zoo’s indoor attractions, beginning with the Great Ape Exhibit. The segment features the white-handed gibbon, orangutans, "retired" chimpanzee show star Jo Mendi II, and Max the gorilla.

In a brief return to the winter-y outdoors, the seal is shown in his insulted pool, and children are shown looking at the Himalayan tahr.

The film then returns to the indoor attraction theme with a quick spotlight on the baboon house, then a more detailed tour of the animals in the Holden Museum of Living Reptiles. These include the eastern diamondback rattlesnake, the sidewinder, the golden cobra, the reticulated python, the Gaboon vipers, the green mamba, the blue racer, the coral snake, the sea turtle, the rhinoceros and green iguanas, the blue-tongued skink, the fat-tailed gecko, the horned lizard, the gila monster, the bullfrog, and the salamanders.

Activity behind the scenes at night is at the center of the next section of the film.
Footage of a lion at sleep, and of lion cubs in indoor enclosures follows.

For the film’s brief conclusion, it returns to the seasonal theme with the arrival of spring and a shot of a baby bear. The film’s credits are accompanied by illustrations of zoo animals, and inter-cut with additional shots of animals.