Nay Aug Park

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Nay Aug Park is the largest park in Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States. An amusement park on the site closed in the 1990s, but a small amusement area still operates near the swimming pool complex. The park also houses the Nay Aug Gorge, the Everhart Museum, and two Olympic-sized swimming pools. At one time it also had a zoo.ParkThe gorgeThe Nay Aug Gorge was created at the end of the most recent ice age and is a popular (though dangerous and illegal, where violators are slapped with heavy fines) swimming spot. In 2007 the David Wenzel Tree House opened with views overlooking the gorge and surrounding area. The tree house is designed to be fully handicapped accessible, and is the first of its kind in the area. A footbridge with views of Roaring Brook also opened in 2007. In June, 2017 access to the tree house was closed indefinitely due to structural concerns.The zooThe Zoo at Nay Aug once hosted the famous Tilly the elephant and Joshua the donkey. The zoo closed in 1988, and in 1989, the newest elephant, Toni, was shipped to the National Zoo in Washington D.C.. The zoo remained closed until the summer of 2003, when it reopened as the Genesis Wildlife Center. A 2008 Time Magazine article rated it the 4th most abusive zoo in America. In 2009 the zoo once again closed, due to public outcry over conditions, and Lackawanna College announced plans to turn it into a natural research center. These plans fell through, and the Scranton Recreation Authority started plans in 2012 to redevelop it as part of the park, removing cages but preserving the 70-year-old main zoo building. It was announced on August 27, 2014 that the zoo will be leased for $1 per year for the next 5 years by a local non-profit called "Street Cats" to spay and neuter the feral cat population in the city of Scranton.