Como Zoowas the first zoo established in Minnesota. Founded in 1897, the zoo is located withinComo Park, in Saint Paul, Minnesota,when the city of Saint Paul received a donation of three deer and provided a simple fenced in pasture for the animals. Since then, the zoo collection grew up with local species and arriving today to hold 1700 animals of about 66 species, including polar bears, zebras, giraffes, tigers or snow leopards. This zoo is acredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The first gorilla at Como Zoo was a male named Casey, who arrived in May 1959 and left the zoo in 1968 for Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo. As up to date, the first good breeding group was stablished at Como Zoo in 2012 with the arriving of three females to make a family with Schroeder, which is the reason because no gorillas were born here yet.
The gorilla facility is called Gorilla Forest, it was completely renewed in 2013 and is the largest all-mesh gorilla enclosure in North America. The outdoor enclosure has a total of 1200 m² and was designed to give the gorillas ample room to play, climb, forage and display their social dynamics. The indoor facilities, including the behind-the-scenes areas, provides plenty of natural light and two stories for the animals with view windows and perches so the gorillas can see out.
