There’s something about walking in the woods and coming upon a wild animal undetected. For a moment, perhaps no more, one is a privileged visitor physically and spiritually in that animal’s world. And then it’s gone, the animal and the moment.

What Lincoln Park Zoo hopes to do is help millions of people experience that moment and many more. With the opening of the Pritzker Family Children’s Zoo it will be possible to take a walk in the woods every day of the year right here in the city. The exhibit will feature more than a dozen North American species, including the red wolf, the American black bear, the North American beaver and the river otter.

“We wanted an exhibit that would appeal to both children and adults. So we looked at our entire collection and asked ourselves, What are we lacking? The answer was North American animals,” says Robyn Barbiers, D.V.M., the zoo’s vice president of Collections.

“The most important thing about this exhibit is that it will educate children and adults about animals whose natural habitats are found throughout the area where we live and in other regions of North America we may visit. We truly hope to make people feel at home in the woods.”

Barbiers briefly explains why each of these four species is a valuable addition to the zoo’s overall collection:

“People can relate to wolves because we can see similar behavior in our domestic dogs. Wolves have gotten a bad rap. We’ve encroached on their territory. The problem of coexisting with wolves is really a man-made one. We need to look at the broader context rather than just killing them because they may be attacking livestock. “We decided to have black bears in the exhibit because we wanted people to see them as they should be seen, acting naturally in a natural setting, not as Yogi Bear or animals begging for food on the side of a road.

“Beavers are a great conservation success story. They were once nearly hunted out, but there are so many now that they’re considered pests in some areas. Otters too.

“Who couldn’t like otters? They’re always active and seem to exude fun. They put a smile on your face.”

Before meeting the wolves, bears, beavers and otters in the woods, it will help to know more about their history and behavior.

Click the photos at the left side of this page to read their stories.