tz
/ August 24, 2026
Zoo Knoxville sits just east of downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, tracing its roots back to a small municipal zoo that opened in 1951 before being reorganized and expanded into the modern nonprofit zoo in 1971. Today the AZA-accredited facility covers 53 acres and is home to…
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tz
/ August 24, 2026
Riverbanks Zoo and Garden opened on April 25, 1974, along the banks of the Saluda River in Columbia and West Columbia, South Carolina. What began as a state-supported project in the early 1960s took years to plan, partly because archaeologists had to survey four historic…
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tz
/ August 24, 2026
Sedgwick County Zoo opened on August 25, 1971, in Wichita, Kansas, and has grown into one of the largest zoos in the country by both size and collection. Spread across 247 acres, with 115 acres currently developed for exhibits, the AZA-accredited zoo is regularly cited…
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tz
/ August 23, 2026
The Toledo Zoo & Aquarium began in 1900 with a single donated woodchuck housed at Walbridge Park in Toledo, Ohio. From that modest start, it grew into one of the country’s most respected zoos, known for its Depression-era architecture and long history of animal care…
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tz
/ August 22, 2026
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium sits inside Point Defiance Park in Tacoma, Washington, where it has grown from a small city menagerie founded in 1905 into a full-scale AZA-accredited zoo and aquarium. Operated by Metro Parks Tacoma, it is recognized as the only combined zoo…
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tz
/ August 6, 2026
The Calgary Zoo opened on January 9, 1929, and has grown into one of Canada’s premier wildlife attractions, spread across 125 acres on St. George’s Island in the Bow River in the Bridgeland neighborhood of Calgary, Alberta. Operated by the Wilder Institute, the zoo is…
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tz
/ August 6, 2026
The Toronto Zoo opened on August 15, 1974, in Scarborough, Ontario, replacing the much smaller Riverdale Zoo that had served the city since the 1890s. Spread across roughly 710 acres (287 hectares) along the Rouge River valley, it is Canada’s largest zoo by area and…
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tz
/ August 5, 2026
Taronga Zoo overlooks Sydney Harbour from the suburb of Mosman, offering one of the most scenic zoo settings in the world. Opened at its current harbourside site on October 7, 1916, after relocating from an earlier home at Moore Park, the zoo takes its name…
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tz
/ August 5, 2026
Auckland Zoo has welcomed visitors to Western Springs since December 16, 1922, when it opened with animals purchased from a private collector’s shuttered menagerie. Run today by Auckland Council through Auckland Unlimited, the 16.35-hectare (40-acre) park has grown from a modest municipal collection into New…
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tz
/ August 5, 2026
Melbourne Zoo opened on 6 October 1862 in Royal Park, Parkville, about 4 kilometers north of Melbourne’s city center, making it the oldest zoo in Australia. It was modeled after London Zoo and originally served as an acclimatisation station for domestic animals arriving from long…
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tz
/ August 4, 2026
Beijing Zoo is the oldest zoological garden in China, tracing its roots to 1906 when it was established as a menagerie and botanical garden during the late Qing dynasty. It formally opened its gates to the public on June 16, 1908, for an admission price…
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tz
/ August 3, 2026
Prague Zoo opened its gates on 28 September 1931 in the Troja district along the Vltava River, founded under director Jiří Janda. Nearly a century later, it has grown into one of the most respected zoos in the world, prized for its hilly, naturalistic terrain…
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tz
/ August 3, 2026
Tiergarten Schönbrunn, known internationally as Vienna Zoo, opened on July 31, 1752, on the grounds of Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Francis Stephen of Lorraine as an imperial menagerie for the Habsburg court, it holds the distinction of being the world’s oldest zoo…
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tz
/ August 3, 2026
Berlin Zoo, formally the Zoologischer Garten Berlin, opened in 1844 in the city’s Tiergarten park, making it the oldest surviving zoo in Germany. Over nearly two centuries it grew into the most species-diverse zoo in the world, a record it has held for decades, while…
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tz
/ August 2, 2026
Whipsnade Zoo opened on 23 May 1931 as a bold experiment by the Zoological Society of London: an open-air park where animals could roam expansive paddocks instead of cramped city enclosures. Set in the Chiltern Hills near Dunstable, Bedfordshire, it became the first zoo in…
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tz
/ August 1, 2026
Singapore Zoo opened its gates on June 27, 1973, in the Mandai forest area of Singapore, introducing what became known as the “open concept” zoo design. Rather than caging animals, the zoo used moats, hidden barriers, and glass panels to create naturalistic habitats, letting visitors…
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tz
/ July 31, 2026
Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park began as a small bird-breeding operation on just 5 acres in Glendale, Arizona, started by teacher Mickey Ollson. In 1973, Ollson purchased 25 acres in nearby Litchfield Park, and the zoo opened to the public there in 1984…
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tz
/ July 29, 2026
The San Diego Zoo Safari Park opened on May 10, 1972, in the San Pasqual Valley near Escondido, California, as an extension of the San Diego Zoo focused on breeding and displaying animals in expansive, naturalistic habitats rather than traditional enclosures. Operated by the nonprofit…
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tz
/ July 29, 2026
Roger Williams Park Zoo sits inside the historic Roger Williams Park in Providence, Rhode Island, and traces its roots back to 1872, making it the third-oldest zoo in the United States. What began as a small collection of animals has grown into a 40-acre facility…
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tz
/ July 28, 2026
Franklin Park Zoo has welcomed visitors to the Dorchester section of Boston since it first opened on October 4, 1912, making it one of the oldest zoos in the United States still in operation today. Set within the northeastern portion of Franklin Park, a landscape…
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