Remember when... the Atlanta zoo was a "national disgrace?"

In the early 1980s, Atlanta’s zoo was known as one of the country’s worst — a depressing and woefully managed city-owned-and-operated mess. Animals died or disappeared, when they weren't confined to cages with little to no shade and with no access to open-air environments. Terry Maple — then a Georgia Tech primatologist, now a member of the School of Psychology's emeritus faculty — was the one who called it "a national disgrace." Maple was appointed executive director after an investigation, and is given credit for turning around the zoo's fortunes. Maple rallied investments and donations. Now named Zoo Atlanta, the facility has grown in size, diversity of animals, and is one of Atlanta’s biggest draws.