Almost a year to the day after a tree branch fell and killed their 6-month-old daughter in Central Park as they were having their picture taken, the couple is suing the city, the Central Park Conservancy, the zoo's management company, and the tree experts who were supposed to perform tree work in the park. Michael Ricciutti, the father of Gianna, whose death was called a "tragic" accident by Mayor Bloomberg, told the Post, "We hope and pray that the city takes responsibility for the dangerous conditions it created in its parks and in its zoos. We just hope that it doesn't happen to anybody else's family." more ›

If you look on the Central Park Zoo's website, they'll tell you that it costs $12 for general admission and $18 for the "Total Experience," which includes admission to their "4-D" theater. But apparently those who visit the zoo's ticket kiosk don't get the same courtesy. Visitors tell the Post that box-office workers never mention the regular admission, and while the box-office sign reads "Zoo admission only, also available," it doesn't list the lower price. "The teller didn't even mention the $12 option," said one visitor. "It's a brilliant sales tactic. I can't imagine how many naive out-of-towners have been duped." more ›

The city has come a long way from the time when cows roamed the city's underground tunnels looking for an angry fix. Now, the only cow left in Manhattan is named Othello, and lives on a diet of hay and pellets at the Central Park Zoo. The 14-year-old Dexter cow is also probably the luckiest cow in the country, and not just because he's living on some prime real estate. “Pretty much anything over a year would be abnormal for this kind of cow, because most would be slaughtered long before now,” New York City zoos director Jeff Sailer told the Wall Street Journal (paywall). more ›

After a baby was killed by a fallen tree branch near the Central Park Zoo on Saturday and her mother was seriously injured, the baby's father is readying a lawsuit against the city and other agencies. According to the NY Post, "Michael Ricciutti's lawyer filed papers in Manhattan Supreme Court seeking a court order demanding the city preserve all the evidence of Saturday's tragedy, including the branch that killed 6-month-old Gianna." more ›

Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe says the tree branch which fell and killed a 6-month-old baby and left her mother in the hospital on Saturday came from a healthy tree. "The tree limb that fell was in full leaf. There was no evidence to the naked eye looking up at it that it was in any danger of falling," he told WCBS, noting that the tree had been inspected within the last six months. more ›

Yesterday, a 6-month-old baby died after being struck by a falling branch near the sea lion exhibit at the Central Park Zoo. Baby Gianna Riccuitti died almost instantly while her mother Karla DelGallo, who was also struck and hospitalized, is now in stable condition. Witness Trung Tran said he heard a crack, and watched as the branch fell about 40 feet while DelGallo attempted to run away. He told the Daily News, "I heard someone say, 'Watch out!' I heard the branch cracking." more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] A mother and her infant child have reportedly been rushed to Cornell Hospital after being struck by a falling branch in the Central Park Zoo. Reports of the incident came in around 2 p.m., but a police spokesman said they don't have details at this time. This has been the third incident of injuries caused by a falling branch in the park this year. Just last month, three people were injured in Central Park by falling branches near the Boathouse, and in February a man was killed by a branch that fell from a reportedly healthy tree. more ›

The Central Park Zoo has some new residents: Will, Robert, Lyle and Slappy! The four Texas-born King penguins have just arrived, and are acquainting themselves with the Chinstrap and Gentoo penguins who already call Central Park home. more ›

Usually any goat news we hear about has to do with one of the animals wandering around the streets of New York. But today the NY Post reports that the Central Park Zoo has just welcomed a cute new baby goat to its family. more ›

Who can't use a little cute animal "news" on a Monday? Prospect Park Zoo recently introduced "a trio of new yellow footed rock wallabies in the Australian Walkabout on Discovery Trail," and they sent us this photo of one of them with a pumpkin! Since the WCS loves giving its animals pumpkin treats around Halloween, even the snow leopard had some fun with one at Central Park Zoo recently: more ›

Some public school kids were treated to the first look at Central Park Zoo's new snow leopards yesterday, the first of their kind to have a Manhattan zip code. Some of the kids talked to the Daily News, giving their initial thoughts on the uncertain future of the animals as a species. One 8-year-old named Conway told them, "I'm inspired. In the winter, I will spend all the time helping endangered animals by not wasting paper, and I will try not to litter, which I already do." What about the other three seasons Conway? more ›

Just in time for summer: the snow leopards are here! Coming straight from the Bronx, the big cats have been getting some spotlight regarding their move to the Central Park Zoo, who will open their new Allison Maher Stern Snow Leopard Exhibit tomorrow. more ›

To be a young harbor seal taking some time from swimming to sun! A young seal was seen hanging out at the 79th Street Boast Basin yesterday morning the Parks Department. more ›

As you shivered your way to work, you can at least be reassured that yesterday was the coldest August day since 1911 (when subways cost a nickel!). Yesterday's high was 59 degrees, taking the mantle of coldest August 21 ever. more ›

A bit of heat today and tomorrow, showers late Tuesday and early Wednesday, and very pleasant weather to welcome the summer solstice on Thursday are this week's weather highlights. Today and tomorrow's weather is being brought to us by a weak high pressure system. High pressure systems aren't usually associated with exciting weather so Gothamist has to dig into the subtleties. more ›

If you're cooped up in a stuffy apartment this muggy afternoon, consider visiting one of New York's many zoos. The cool customers pictured above are residents of the Central Park Zoo. There's also the Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium at Coney Island. If you can't make it to any of those, you can always settle for the Penguin Cam. more ›

An 18-year-old student who attends either a high school or college, depending on which paper you're reading, was stabbed yesterday morning on Manhattan's East Side. The motive for the attack is uncertain, but people are willing to speculate. In the Daily News (identifying the victim, Alton McCarthy, as a college freshman), McCarthy's mother paints a picture of her son cutting through Central Park to catch a train home, when he is set upon by a gang of Bloods, who stab him repeatedly in a vicious initiation ritual. She bemoans the fact that no one came to her son's rescue in the crowded daytime park. more ›

What's a polar bear to do when it is 72 in January? Well, if you're a member of the Coney Island Polar Bear Club, you stage a silent protest. The Times reports eight members of the club cancelled their Saturday swim, because the water was too warm. Perhaps more interestingly, the News reports it was nine members of the club and the Post says ten! According to Polar Bear Club treasurer Tom McGann, yesterday was the first time in more than a century that the club has cancelled a swim. Meanwhile, the News also reports that the real polar bears in the Central Park Zoo were largely unaffected by the warm weather. more ›

Even though Central Park's famous gay penguin couple Silo and Roy broke up (Silo, the Anne Heche of the penguin world, took to a lady penguin named Scrappy), they were immortalized in the adorable children's book, And Tango Makes Three. And Tango Makes Three recounts how Silo and Roy were given a fertilized egg to hatch, after they unsuccessfully tried to hatch a rock - and baby girl Tango was born. more ›

Today, a drunken man visiting the Beijing Zoo climbed into the panda habitat - and there was also "hugging" and biting. Reports say that 35 year old Zhang Xinyan had drunk "four draught beers" before heading to the zoo, where he was suddenly overcome with a desire to touch Gu Gu, a 6 year old male panda. Gu Gu freaked out and bit Zhang's, so then Zhang bit back. Zookeepers managed to get Gu Gu off Zhang by using a hose, and Zhang was taken to a hospital for stitches on his leg. The AP reports:

The Beijing Youth Daily quoted Zhang as saying that he had seen pandas on television and "they seemed to get along well with people." more ›

More Central Park Zoo events can be found here. more ›

Just because we are fans of Gus, the formerly depressed polar bear at the Central Park Zoo, we want to bring your attention to the Times story of how the zoo's polar bears were keeping cool in the heat. Unlike humans, they do not get upset when the subway's power is out or when the thunder and lighting prevent them from watching TV (thanks, satellites!). Instead, Gus and Ida cope with not living in their natural habitat by swimming, hanging out in air-conditioned areas and enjoying frozen treats ("ice pops with chunks of frozen salmon"). But much like humans, they LOVE whipped cream. It seems that there will be a cook-off between Rachael Ray and a zoo keeper to see who can prepare a better meal fit for a polar bear (think "Ursus Chef"), and the ingredients on hand include whipped cream and tilapia. But that doesn't mean you should bring Reddi-Wip with you the next time you're at the zoo. more ›

- This weekend the Central Park Zoo, which just got a new curator, had its 15 millionth visitor! more ›