Greece woman publishes first comprehensive history of Seneca Park Zoo

In April, Greece resident Maureen Whalen published the first and only comprehensive history of the Seneca Park Zoo. Her book, A History of Seneca Park Zoo, traces the zoo’s history from its beginnings around Trout Lake in the lower park in 1894, through 2013. She discusses the many changes over time, from its many years as a menagerie zoo emphasizing the entertainment value of animals to its current role as a leader in species conservation and habitat preservation. “Today,” she likes to say, paraphrasing a vintage Oldsmobile commercial, “this is not your father’s zoo.”

She writes, too, of the animals who have been favorites of zoo-goers over its twelve and a half decades. Included are Jimmy, the chimp, the most famous resident of the zoo; Sally, the elephant who was responsible for the darkest day in the zoo’s history; favorite polar bear pairs Penny and Nickels and Aurora and Yukon; the only orangutans that have ever resided in a zoo in New York State – Gambar and Tanora and Kumang and her three mates and offspring; and the first and only African elephants in a New York State zoo, Genny C and Lilac.

Whalen, who has been a docent at the Seneca Park Zoo since 2006, spent eight years searching through old newspaper accounts and annual reports, conducting interviews, and writing the history. The book retails for $25.

Since retiring as the Branch Manager of the Charlotte Branch of the Rochester Public Library, Maureen Whalen has pursued her interests in researching local history. She co-wrote a history of the Rochester Public Library, One Hundred Years of Service. She is a volunteer at the Greece Historical Society and Museum, where she has curated exhibits on topics ranging from the Underground Railroad to Prohibition. She also performs a one-woman show, Blanche Stuart Scott, America’s First Aviatrix.

For information, contact Maureen Whalen at 581-9164.

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