What began in a small downtown park in Montgomery, Alabama has now grown, expanded and become a premiere American zoological facility. The Montgomery Zoo started with humble beginnings as a small children’s zoo as a part of a local community park in the 1920s. While at Oak Park, the zoo housed alligators, monkeys, bears, and assorted other animals. There was a small train and carousel for the children.

As the years passed and dreams grew, in 1972 the Montgomery Zoo relocated to the quickly expanding north section of town, and still its current location. The Zoo began with six acres, a small petting zoo for the children, assorted monkeys, a flight cage designed after the 1906 St. Louis World’s Fair and chimpanzee named Benji.

In 1976, the Montgomery Zoo hosted its first fundraising event entitled Zoo Day. This initial event grew to become an annual event and even take on a new name: Zoo Weekend. Today, an average Zoo Weekend will play host to over 18,000 guests. In 1989, ground-breaking took place expanding the Zoo to 40 acres.

After two years of hard labor, the community welcomed a new Zoo in 1991. Barrier-free and multi-species exhibits highlighted the expansion, as well as, the Zoo being divided into five continental realms: Africa, Australia, Asia, North America and South America.

Since then the Zoo has continued to grow and expand. In 1992, the cougar and lynx exhibit was opened in North American realm, the Reptile House, jaguar, and ocelot exhibit were completed in South America, as well as, the new chimpanzee and siamang exhibits opened in the Africa realm. In 1993, the bengal tiger exhibit opened in the Asian realm with one white and one orange tiger. In 1995, the bald eagle exhibit opened in North American realm and Monkey Island was completely renovated in South America.

In 1996 , the new American black bear exhibit opened and our first baby cheetah was born. A few years later in 1998, the maned wolf and Indian rhino exhibit opened. In 1999, the new front gate entrance and gift shop opened. In 2003, the Mann Wildlife Learning Museum was completed and opened on Zoo property. In 2004, probably our largest undertaking began: the building of our African elephant exhibit.

After a year of hard work and sweat, the exhibit opened housing three female elephants. And almost two years to the date of opening the exhibit, our first African elephant was born. This is the first African elephant born in the State of Alabama. In the same year (2007), we also experienced the first Indian rhino to be born at the Montgomery Zoo: a male calf. In March of 2008, the North American River Otter exhibit opened featuring two river otters and an addition habitat for a North American Alligator Snapping Turtle.

In June 2010, the Zoo opened the Giraffe Encounter and feeding stations at the river otters and koi fish ponds. The following year, the both Parakeet Cove and Horse Trail Rides were added to our list of animal encounters. In August 2012, the Zoofari Skylift Ride set sail atop the Zoo providing guests with spectacular views of the many exhibits and animals below.

Zoo Timeline