West Orange, NJ - Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. congratulated 5-year-old Rachel Eelman of North Haledon for being the 200,000th visitor to Essex County's Turtle Back Zoo in 2005. With the Black Bear Exhibit, Essex Farm Petting Zoo and South American Animal Exhibit opening this summer, Turtle Back Zoo is enjoying its highest attendance totals in 20 years.

 "This was a break out year for Turtle Back Zoo. There was a lot of excitement this summer when we welcomed Jelly and Jam into our brand new Black Bear Exhibit and reopened the Essex Farm Petting Zoo after a complete overhaul," DiVincenzo said. "We are making Turtle Back Zoo a first-class facility that people of all ages can enjoy. Welcoming our 200,000th visitor is an important milestone in Turtle Back Zoo's history. It is gratifying, especially after all the work we did," he added.

 "Congratulations to 5-year-old Rachel Eelman and her family. I am proud that Turtle Back Zoo is one of her favorite places to visit and I hope being our 200,000th visitor is a lasting memory for her and her family," the Executive said.

 Rachel Eelman is a frequent visitor to Turtle Back Zoo and became the Zoo's 200,000th visitor in 2005 when she came on November 1st with her grandparents, Bill and Mary Egan. Rachel also was accompanied by her 2-year-old brother, Christopher.

 Rachel said it's "fun" to be the 200,000th visitor to the zoo. "I like going to the zoo and watching the animals. While Essex opened three new animal exhibits this year, Rachel said her favorite are the penguins. "They're funny. I like to watch them walk and swim," she said.

 Rachel's mother, Jennifer, said the family is excited about Rachel being the 200,000th visitor. Rachel's grandparents "have taken my children to Turtle Back Zoo at least three times this year. The kids really enjoy the animals and it's not that far from where we live," Jennifer said. "There are a lot of different animals to see, but it's not so big that the kids get tired," she added.

 During the first 11 months of 2005 (from January 1st to December 2nd), attendance at Turtle Back Zoo was 210,073. This represents about a 35 percent increase over last year when about 180,000 visitors came to the Zoo. Turtle Back Zoo's attendance record was set with 211,044 visitors in 1986. Attendance dropped to an all-time low in 1995 when 119,995 people passed through the Zoo's gates. Since then, attendance has hovered around 160,000 for the past few years.

 "Turtle Back Zoo is a wonderful and exciting place for children and adults. With our new Black Bear Exhibit, Animal Barn and South American Exhibit &endash; along with all 80 animal species in residence &endash; we continue to build new enthusiasm and support for Turtle Back Zoo and this is directly seen in the increased attendance," Dr. Jeremy Goodman, Director of Turtle Back Zoo, said. "Under the leadership of County Executive DiVincenzo, we are striving to obtain accreditation from the American Zoological and Aquarium Association and will continue to transform Turtle Back Zoo into a place that visitors will want to come back to again and again," he added.

 Since taking office in 2003, DiVincenzo's administration has been committed to revitalizing Turtle Back Zoo. The County Executive has worked cooperatively with the Zoological Society to apply for New Jersey Green Acres grants and has applied directly to the State for grants. Pathways and fencing for the exhibits have been upgraded to meet criteria established by the American Zoological and Aquarium Association.

 Opened this year are the 18,000-square-foot Black Bear Exhibit featuring Jelly and Jam, the 3,360-square-foot Essex Farm Petting Zoo, the 6,000-square-foot state-of-the-art Animal Hospital and the 15,000-square-foot South American Animal Exhibit that was constructed in cooperation with the West Orange Rotary Club. More than $2 million in grants have been used to fund these recent additions.

 Currently under construction is a 10,000-square-foot Reptile and Education Center. Funded with grants from the New Jersey Green Acres program, the building will create a new entrance to the zoo and contain a gift shop, classrooms, reptile exhibits, classrooms and office space.

 The Essex County Park System was created in 1895 and is the first county park system in the United States. It has been expanded to include about 6,000 acres of land. There are 17 parks, four reservations, a zoo, ice skating rink, roller skating rink, three public golf courses, golf driving range and miniature golf course. Turtle Back Zoo is located in Essex County's South Mountain Reservation and was opened to the public in 1963. There are 80 different species of native and exotic animals from five continents featured at Turtle Back Zoo.

During the winter, the Zoo is open from daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., weather permitting. It is located at 560 Northfield Avenue, West Orange. For more information about admission, group rates or hosting a party of event at the Zoo, please call 973-731-5800.