San Francisco Zoo & Gardens sits in the city’s southwestern corner, tucked between Lake Merced and the Pacific Ocean along the Great Highway. Founded by philanthropist Herbert Fleishhacker in 1929 and built out through the 1930s as a Works Progress Administration project, the zoo was originally known as the Herbert Fleishhacker Zoo before officially becoming the San Francisco Zoological Gardens in 1941 at its founder’s own suggestion.
Today the zoo spans about 100 acres and is home to more than 2,000 animals representing over 250 species, from endangered big cats to rescued wildlife and native and exotic plants throughout its gardens. It’s perhaps best known as the birthplace of Koko the gorilla, and it made headlines in 2024 when San Francisco’s mayor announced that giant pandas from China would be coming to the facility.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: San Francisco, California
- Opened: 1929 (major construction completed 1940)
- Size: About 100 acres
- Species/animal count: Over 250 species, 2,000+ animals
- Annual visitors: Roughly 600,000 (recent years)
- Famous for: Birthplace of Koko the gorilla; home of Elly, once North America’s oldest black rhino
A WPA-Era Landmark
Herbert Fleishhacker founded the zoo in 1929, choosing a site along the city’s western edge that grew from an initial parcel to roughly 100 acres. Much of the zoo as it’s recognized today, including the Pachyderm and Lion Houses, a large aviary, sea lion pool, and bear grottos, was completed in 1940 as part of a Works Progress Administration project costing around $3.5 million at the time.
The San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department has owned the zoo throughout its history, while the nonprofit San Francisco Zoological Society has managed daily operations under a public-private partnership formed in 1993.
Animals, Incidents, and Milestones
The zoo has been the site of notable animal history, including the birth of Koko the gorilla, famous for her sign-language communication, and decades-long home to Elly, a black rhinoceros who lived there from 1974 to 2016 and was once considered the oldest of her species in North America.
The zoo also endured a well-known tragedy on Christmas Day 2007, when a Siberian tiger named Tatiana escaped her enclosure, killing one visitor and injuring two others, an incident the Association of Zoos and Aquariums described as the first fatal visitor attack at a member zoo. Despite that setback, the zoo has continued to modernize, earning recognition in 2025 as one of the top zoos in the country.
Explore more: Explore more Zoos & Aquariums.
San Francisco Zoo FAQs
When did the San Francisco Zoo open?
It was founded in 1929 by Herbert Fleishhacker, with most of its original WPA-built structures completed by 1940.
How big is the San Francisco Zoo?
The zoo covers about 100 acres in the southwestern corner of San Francisco, between Lake Merced and the Pacific Ocean.
Who runs the San Francisco Zoo?
The city’s Recreation & Parks Department owns the zoo, while the nonprofit San Francisco Zoological Society has managed its operations since 1993.
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Photo: Daderot / CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.