St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Missouri, May 28, 1908

Wikipedia says that:

The zoo initially held 51 deer and antelope, 11 buffaloes, a sacred cow, a sandhill crane, 20 prairie dogs, a dromedary camel, eagles, ducks, elk, foxes, geese, swans, rabbits, a raccoon, a China sheep, opossums, a buzzard, owls, peafowl, among other animals.

By 1921 they had begun to build bear pits, a reptile house and a primate house. Big Cat Country was added in 1976.

Today the St Louis Zoo does have lions, tigers and hippos! The park commissioner would be proud.