Van Saun County Park is located in Paramus, New Jersey. The Park is home to the Bergen County Zoological Park. In addition, the park features picnic areas, a baseball field, a softball field, basketball and tennis courts, a soccerfield, a playground, a carousel (added in 2001), and pony rides. The zoo also features a train ride.
The zoo opened in 1960. In 1990, during the park's 30th anniversary, a mother was not watching her child and the child climbed over the fence and was scratched by an ocelot at the zoo.[1] The carousel has been controversial since almost all the money earned was kept by the contract owner.[2][3]
The railroad in Van Saun was first built in 1963 and the 388 train, which is light blue, was first purchased to go on the rails. 5 years later, in 1968, the 389 train, which is red and black, and the funnel is black, was also added to the train lineup. Finally, the 520 was the last train added to the lineup in 1971 which it is red and black, just like it's sister train, the 389, except the funnel is red and black. The train is open from Tuesday- Sunday. It is closed Mondays because of maintenance, unless that Monday is fallen on a Holiday. During the train ride, riders can view many different attractions in the zoo while going through railroad crossings and a tunnel. The tunnel in Van Saun has changed. When the railroad was first established, there were murals of men working inside the tunnel. But in 2009, those murals were eliminated and replaced with lanterns. The train models were Iron Horse S-24 24 inch gauge trains by the Allan Herschell Company
The carousel was built in 2001, during when the park built a new train station, a new entrance, and a discovery center for animals. The carousel has horses on it, a seat for handicapped people, and other zoo animals to ride on such as a panda bear, a rooster, a camel, a giraffe, a wild pig, deer, a dragon, an ape, an ostrich, a tiger, and even a lion. The carousel runs Wednesday- Monday since Tuesdays are when the carousel has maintenance. As described, the carousel was controversial since all the money earned was kept by the contract owner. As of 2011, this is the carousel's 10th anniversary.
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