Dr. Lester Fisher, former director of Lincoln Park Zoo, dead at 100

Dr. Lester Fisher, former director of Lincoln Park Zoo died Thursday. He was 100 years old. | Chicago Sun Times

Dr. Lester Fisher, the former director of Lincoln Park Zoo who helped transform the once aging facility into a renowned institution centered around education and animal welfare, has died.

He was 100 years old.

Fisher “laid the foundation for the institution Lincoln Park Zoo is today,” said C. John Mostofi, chairman of the board of trustees of Lincoln Park Zoo. “As zoo director, Dr. Fisher transformed the zoo from an old-fashioned facility into a center of care and conservation. He built the first Great Ape House with exhibits designed to mimic natural habitats, and today his name graces the Dr. Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, one of the world’s leading ape behavior and science centers.”

Fisher worked at Lincoln Park Zoo for nearly 45 years from first joining as a veterinarian in 1947 and later serving as the zoo’s director from 1962 until he retired in 1992. He was the zoo’s first veterinarian.

Dr. Lester Fisher, with two baby gorillas, in 1974.

Fisher is credited for transforming the Lincoln Park Zoo into a “state-of-the-art institution” by improving animal buildings and habitats, improving education around the animals and conservation efforts.

He was particularly known for his affinity for gorillas, which he spent time studying in Africa. In 1976, the zoo opened the Lester E. Fisher Great Ape House, where it continues its work today with lowland gorillas. During Fisher’s leadership, Lincoln Park Zoo “was home to the largest gorilla population in North America.”

It was replaced by the Regenstein Center for African Apes in 2004.

“Thanks to Dr. Fisher’s initial efforts, Lincoln Park Zoo’s great ape state-of-the-art facility remains one of the best of its kind and is known worldwide,” a zoo spokesperson said. “Dr. Fisher also built the first farm with domesticated animals in a zoo in the country, bringing agriculture to a large urban population. Farm-in-the-Zoo is still beloved by adult Chicagoans and youngsters alike.”

Lincoln Park Zoo hosted a 90th birthday celebration for Dr. Lester E. Fisher, former zoo director, on February 24, 2011 at Lincoln Park Zoo, where the gorillas were treated to cake, peanuts, popcorn and other goodies for the celebration.