The Sacramento Zoo opened on June 2, 1927, inside William Land Park in Sacramento, California, making it one of the older zoological institutions on the West Coast. What began as a small municipal animal collection has grown into an AZA-accredited zoo known for its compact, walkable layout and long-running education programs, which the zoo says have been in place since 1958, among the earliest such programs at any U.S. zoo.
Today the zoo sits on roughly 14 acres and is home to more than 300 animals representing over 90 species, from giraffes and river otters to a variety of endangered and native California wildlife. Popular exhibits include the penguin habitat that opened in 2007 and the ‘Tall Wonders’ giraffe habitat added in 2010. After a proposed relocation to Elk Grove was cancelled in 2025, the City of Sacramento approved plans to expand the zoo at its current William Land Park site instead.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: William Land Park, Sacramento, California
- Opened: June 2, 1927
- Size: About 14 acres
- Species/Animal Count: Over 90 species, 300+ animals
- Annual Visitors: About 500,000
- Famous For: AZA-accredited giraffe habitat and long-standing education programs
A Century in William Land Park
The Sacramento Zoo has occupied the same corner of William Land Park since 1927, giving it nearly a century of history in one of the city’s most visited green spaces. Early additions like Sue the elephant, who arrived in 1949 and was named through a public naming contest, and her companion Winky, added in 1955, helped build the zoo’s local following in the mid-20th century.
The zoo expanded steadily through the decades, adding its first grizzly bear and two orangutans in 1965 and later developing modern habitats such as the 2007 penguin exhibit and the 2010 giraffe pavilion known as ‘Tall Wonders.’ A 2011 river otter exhibit and a 2014 African small-mammal exhibit rounded out recent additions before the city shifted focus toward expanding the existing site rather than relocating.
Conservation and Education Focus
Since gaining AZA accreditation in 1979, the Sacramento Zoo has emphasized conservation breeding and public education alongside its animal exhibits. The nonprofit Sacramento Zoological Society, formed in 1957, has managed the zoo’s daily operations since taking over from the city in 1997.
The zoo’s education programs reach tens of thousands of schoolchildren from a 24-county region each year, and more than 10,500 households hold zoo memberships. With plans for on-site expansion now approved after the cancelled Elk Grove relocation, the Sacramento Zoo intends to keep growing its exhibits within William Land Park for years to come.
Explore more: Explore more Zoos & Aquariums.
Sacramento Zoo FAQs
When did the Sacramento Zoo open?
The Sacramento Zoo opened on June 2, 1927, in William Land Park, where it remains today.
How many animals live at the Sacramento Zoo?
The zoo is home to more than 300 animals representing over 90 species, according to the zoo’s official figures.
Is the Sacramento Zoo moving to Elk Grove?
No. A proposed relocation to Elk Grove was cancelled in April 2025, and the Sacramento City Council instead approved a plan to expand the zoo at its current William Land Park location.
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Photo: L Wade Brown (Grubbycup) / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.