Tucked inside Prentice Park in Santa Ana, California, the Santa Ana Zoo is a compact 20-acre zoo with an unusually specific origin story. When local rancher Joseph Prentice donated the land in 1949, he required the city to keep at least fifty monkeys on the grounds. That stipulation shaped the zoo from the day it opened on March 8, 1952, and its primate collection remains the thing most visitors remember, even though the city and the Prentice family formally modified the deed in 2023 to strike the fifty-monkey mandate and give zoo managers more flexibility over the primate collection.
Centered on the plants and animals of Central and South America, the zoo pairs its primate-heavy roots with exhibits like Tierra de las Pampas, River’s Edge, the Colors of the Amazon Aviary, and the Crean Family Farm. Kids gravitate toward the Zoofari Express train, whose locomotive dates back to 1954 and once ran at the long-closed Santa’s Village park in the San Bernardino Mountains. Owned and operated by the City of Santa Ana, the zoo welcomes roughly 270,000 guests a year.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Santa Ana, California
- Opened: March 8, 1952
- Size: 20 acres (8.1 hectares)
- Animal count: About 250 animals
- Annual visitors: About 270,000
- Famous for: A founder’s 1949 land-gift condition tied to keeping monkeys on site, since modified
A Zoo Rooted in a Monkey Mandate
Few zoos exist because of a legal condition tied to its wildlife collection, but that’s effectively how the Santa Ana Zoo came to be. Joseph Prentice’s land donation came with the unusual requirement that the city maintain at least fifty monkeys on the property, and the condition shaped the collection for more than seventy years. In 2023, the Santa Ana City Council modified the deed, with the Prentice family’s support, to remove the fixed fifty-monkey requirement, citing modern animal husbandry standards and the zoo’s long-range master plan. The zoo has nonetheless leaned into that legacy, building a primate lineup spanning more than a dozen species sourced from Central America, South America, Africa, and Asia.
The focus on Latin American wildlife extends beyond the primates, with exhibits dedicated to the farmland, grassland, and rainforest habitats found from Mexico down through South America. The Colors of the Amazon Aviary and the ocelot habitat reflect that same regional theme, giving the small park a more cohesive identity than its modest footprint might suggest.
Rides, Recovery, and a City-Run Legacy
The zoo’s Zoofari Express train has its own backstory: its 1954 locomotive, built by the Hurlbut Amusement Company, originally ran at Santa’s Village in Sky Forest, California, operating there for 44 years before that park closed in 1998. The nonprofit Friends of Santa Ana Zoo purchased the train and its original track, and volunteers restored it for a new home circling the zoo’s farm and grassland areas, with the ride opening in spring 1999.
Owned and operated by the City of Santa Ana since 1952, the zoo first earned accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums in 1983 but lost it in 2017 after inspectors flagged outdated monkey habitats. Following facility upgrades, including new primate habitats, the zoo regained its AZA accreditation in 2025, restoring its standing among the country’s professionally vetted zoological parks.
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Santa Ana Zoo FAQs
Why does the Santa Ana Zoo have so many monkeys?
When Joseph Prentice donated the land that became the zoo in 1949, he required the city to keep at least fifty monkeys on the site. That founding condition shaped the zoo’s collection for decades, though in 2023 the city and the Prentice family modified the deed to remove the fixed fifty-monkey requirement.
Does the Santa Ana Zoo still have to keep 50 monkeys?
No. The original 1949 deed required at least fifty monkeys on site, but in 2023 the Santa Ana City Council modified the deed, with the Prentice family’s support, to strike that specific requirement so the zoo can manage its primate collection according to current animal welfare standards.
How big is the Santa Ana Zoo?
The zoo covers about 20 acres (8.1 hectares) within Prentice Park in Santa Ana, California.
Is the Santa Ana Zoo accredited?
Yes. It first earned Association of Zoos and Aquariums accreditation in 1983, lost it in 2017 over outdated monkey enclosures, and regained accreditation in 2025 after facility upgrades.
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Photo: Just chaos / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.