25 Oldest Zoos in the World Still Operating (2026)

This list ranks the 25 oldest zoos in the world that are still operating as of August 2026 — ranked by the year each institution first opened its gates to visitors as a zoo. Charter dates and royal menageries that never became public zoos don’t count, and zoos that closed for good are out, no matter how historic.

That rule matters more here than on any other ranking we publish, because this category is full of traps: several zoos widely ranked among the world’s oldest either no longer exist or never opened when the listicles claim they did.

The Ranking

#	Zoo	location	opened
1	Tiergarten Schönbrunn	Vienna, Austria	1752
2	Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes	Paris, France	1794
3	London Zoo	London, UK	1828
4	Dublin Zoo	Dublin, Ireland	1831
5	Artis (Natura Artis Magistra)	Amsterdam, Netherlands	1838
6	Antwerp Zoo	Antwerp, Belgium	1843
7	Berlin Zoological Garden	Berlin, Germany	1844
8	Diergaarde Blijdorp	Rotterdam, Netherlands	1857
9	Frankfurt Zoo	Frankfurt, Germany	1858
10	Copenhagen Zoo	Copenhagen, Denmark	1859
11	Thiruvananthapuram Zoo	Thiruvananthapuram, India	1859
12	Cologne Zoo	Cologne, Germany	1860
13	Dresden Zoo	Dresden, Germany	1861
14	Melbourne Zoo	Melbourne, Australia	1862
15	Moscow Zoo	Moscow, Russia	1864
16	Central Park Zoo	New York City, USA	1864
17	Hanover Zoo	Hanover, Germany	1865
18	Wrocław Zoo	Wrocław, Poland	1865
19	Leningrad Zoo	St. Petersburg, Russia	1865
20	Karlsruhe Zoo	Karlsruhe, Germany	1865
21	Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden	Budapest, Hungary	1866
22	Mulhouse Zoological & Botanical Park	Mulhouse, France	1868
23	Lincoln Park Zoo	Chicago, USA	1868
24	Roger Williams Park Zoo	Providence, USA	1872
25	Lahore Zoo	Lahore, Pakistan	1872

The Empress’s Menagerie That Started It All

Tiergarten Schönbrunn in Vienna has been open since 1752 — a baroque imperial menagerie in the gardens of the Habsburg summer palace, and the uncontested oldest zoo on Earth. Paris’s Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes (1794) was born of the French Revolution, stocked partly with animals seized from Versailles. London Zoo (1828) launched the scientific era — the world’s first reptile house, first public aquarium, and first insect house all opened inside Regent’s Park.

The Traps Other Lists Fall Into

Bristol Zoo (1836) would rank fifth — but the historic Clifton site closed permanently in 2022, and its successor project is a different attraction. Kazan’s claimed 1806 founding actually refers to a university botanical garden; the zoo came in 1931. Madrid’s 1770 menagerie closed in 1972 and today’s Zoo Aquarium de Madrid is a separate facility. And Hamburg’s famous Hagenbeck park — inventor of the cageless, moated enclosure — opened in 1907, not 1863 as often claimed.

Near Misses

Philadelphia Zoo — America’s first chartered zoo (1859) — opened in 1874, which leaves it just outside the 25 behind Central Park (1864), Lincoln Park (1868), and Roger Williams Park (1872). Also just past the cutoff: Zoo Basel (1874), Cincinnati (1875), Kolkata’s Alipore Zoo (1876), Ueno Zoo — Japan’s oldest (1882) — and Beijing Zoo, China’s oldest (opened to the public in 1908).

FAQ

What is the oldest zoo in the world?

Tiergarten Schönbrunn in Vienna, Austria — open since 1752 as the Habsburg imperial menagerie, and still operating today, making it more than 270 years old.

What is the oldest zoo in the United States?

By opening date, Central Park Zoo’s site has hosted a public menagerie since 1864 — ahead of Lincoln Park Zoo (1868) and Roger Williams Park Zoo (1872). Philadelphia Zoo holds the oldest charter (1859) but didn’t open until 1874.

Why isn’t Bristol Zoo on the list?

The historic 1836 Bristol Zoo closed permanently in September 2022. Its parent society continues at the newer Bristol Zoo Project site, but that’s a successor attraction — the original zoo is gone.

Photo: Aconcagua via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)