F I R S TP R E V214NEXTLAST

San Francisco Zoo, The Great Highway
In the southwest corner of the city sits the San Francisco Zoo. Opened in 1929 the zoo's 70 acres house about 1,000 animals including 130 on the Endangered Species List. Along with its famed Gorilla World, the zoo is also one of the few in the country to feature koalas. In 1955, the zoo acquired an elephant, Penny when local children donated their pennies, nickels, and dimes to help the zoo purchase her. Penny lived at the zoo for 40 years. In 1987, a homeless man named Skippy kidnapped a penguin from the zoo. The police caught up with the pair at nearby Ocean Beach. While they were handcuffing Skippy the police got a murder call and had to go to the Richmond District. Skippy escaped during the investigation, the penguin however remained in the police car, watching the investigation for a few hours before being returned to the zoo.
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