Editing Charles Paddock Zoo (section)

==History==

The Charles Paddock Zoo was started by Charles "Chuck" Paddock, a county park ranger, in the county animal shelter in 1955. Paddock would nurse wild animals back to health, and by 1959 his menagerie contained over 125 birds and mammals. In 1963 the animals were moved to the current location adjacent to the Atascadero Lake Park, just off [[State Route 41 (California)|State Route 41]], and the new zoo was named '''Atascadero Children's Zoo'''.<ref name="zoo_history"/>

In 1979, the City of Atascadero took over management of the zoo after it was incorporated. The name was changed to '''Charles Paddock Zoo''' in honor of its founder in 1980.<ref name="zoo_history"/>

In 2010, while the zoo was under review for re-accreditation, it started a series of renovations and maintenance updates including new roofs, repaving, new public fencing, and a long list of other smaller projects.<ref name="sanluisobispo1"/> A new entrance to the zoo was opened on 9 November 2010. In April 2019, the zoo opened the Thelma Vetter Red Panda Experience, home to [[red panda]]s, [[Ptyas mucosa|Asian ratsnakes]], and various birds.<ref>Strickland,T (2019, April 1). Thela Vetter Red Panda Experience opens at Charles Paddock Zoo. Retrieved 2019-05-23 from https://pasomagazine.com/feature/thelma-vetter-red-panda-experience-opens-at-charles-paddock-zoo/</ref>