Report Prepared by: Michelle Reid, Recreation Supervisor, Parks and Community Services
Title
SUBJECT: Report on Merced Applegate Zoo New Logo and Mural
REPORT IN BRIEF
Report on Merced Applegate Zoo's new logo and mural.
RECOMMENDATION
Recreation and Parks Commission - Information Only
Body
DISCUSSION
Applegate Park is the oldest park in Merced, dating back back to the bequest of Lewis H. Applegate in the 1920's. Animal exhibits have existed in Applegate Park for over 60 years.
The Applegate Park Zoo, now Merced Applegate Zoo, was established in its present location on the western edge of the park in 1961, and has since been a fundamental part of the City's Parks and Community Services Department. In 1989 the Zoo adopted a regional theme, exhibiting animals and plants that are native to the San Joaquin Valley and Sierra Nevada Mountains. The Zoo also houses native species of its sister cities, such as the capuchin monkeys currently residing at the facility. The Zoo is home to over 100 animals, most of which cannot be released into the wild due to injuries or other factors, such as human imprinting, making the animals' survival outside a zoo setting impossible.
In the past few years, staff has begun the process of creating a zoo logo in an effort to brand the small facility to attract more visitors and increase revenue. A slogan or tagline was established that serves as a reminder that the animals who reside at the zoo are there because of their story. The new tagline is, "Where Every Animal Has a Story". This motto provides Zoo staff the opportunity to introduce the public to an animal's journey and shed light on its care, ultimately increasing public education and interest in Zoo operations.
Parks and Community Services staff worked with Final Cut Media out of Modesto to create logos for the department and the zoo. The renderings before you are the work of zoo staff, and were chosen from dozens of options as those that best represent t...
Click here for full text