On August 2nd 1986, the new Burnet Park Zoo opened its doors to the public with Romani the elephant officially breaking through the ceremonial ribbon. The opening drew a crowd of over 12,000 people for the weekend. Onondaga County had taken over management from the City of Syracuse in 1979 and, by 1982, had come up with a renovation plan that was approved by the county legislature. Over the next few years almost $3 million was raised by the Friends of Burnet Park Zoo and the county contributed another $10 million to the project. This year, the Rosamond Gifford Zoo, originally opened as the Burnet Park Zoo in 1914, celebrates its 105th anniversary. The park has come a long way it has come from just a barn on four acres of land in the early 20th century to one of the best mid-sized zoos in the country.