Memphis Zoo facts for kids
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Entrance gate at the Memphis Zoo
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| Date opened | April 1906 |
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| Location | Memphis, Tennessee, United States |
| Land area | 76 acres (31 ha) |
| Coordinates | 35°09′00″N 89°59′39″W / 35.1500°N 89.9943°W |
| No. of animals | 3,500 |
| No. of species | 500 |
| Annual visitors | 1.2 million |
| Memberships | AZA |
| Major exhibits | 19 spread across 3 zones |
The Memphis Zoo is a fun place to visit in Midtown, Memphis, Tennessee. It is home to over 3,500 animals from more than 500 different species. The zoo opened in April 1906 and has been a big part of Overton Park for over 100 years. The zoo covers about 76 acres of land.
In 2008, TripAdvisor named the Memphis Zoo the "#1 Zoo in the U.S." This ranking was based on what visitors thought.
Since the early 1990s, the Memphis Zoo has spent a lot of money to make its exhibits even better. The zoo has 19 exhibits spread across three main areas. Some popular exhibits include Teton Trek, Northwest Passage, and China, which used to be home to giant pandas.
The Memphis Zoo is a proud member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). This means it meets high standards for animal care.
Zoo History
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Early Years (1900s)
The Memphis Zoo started on April 4, 1906. The Memphis Park Commission gave $1,200 to get it going. By August 1906, new cages and bear homes were built.
The first building at the zoo was Galloway Hall, finished in 1907. It was named after Col. Robert Galloway, who helped the zoo a lot. This building was later taken down to make space for newer exhibits.
In 1909, the Carnivora Building was built for the zoo's first big cats. Later, it became a restaurant called The Cat House Cafe. The Elephant House opened in 1910. Today, this building is used for the zoo's education programs. The elephants now live in the African Veldt exhibit.
The Botanical Display Building opened in 1916. It later became the Tropical Bird House. In 1923, the zoo got a round barn. It used to be a stable for police horses. Now, it houses different hoofed animals and birds.
The zoo's first monkey exhibit, Monkey Island, was built in 1936. It was replaced by Primate Canyon in 1995.
Mid-Century Changes (1950s-1960s)
The Aquarium was finished in 1959. It is one of the oldest exhibits at the zoo. It has many kinds of water animals from both fresh and salt water. It was updated in 1979.
The Herpetarium was built in 1960. It is home to the zoo's snakes, alligators, lizards, and frogs. Later that year, the Pachyderm/Elephant exhibit was finished. The elephants moved into their new, larger home.
Modern Era (1990s to Today)
The zoo updated its main entrance in 1990. It was designed to look like an ancient Egyptian "Avenue of the Animals." The entrance wall shows pictures of all the animals at the zoo. It also has the zoo's mission statement written in hieroglyphics.
Cat Country opened in 1993. This 3-acre outdoor exhibit shows both predators and prey from the cat world. Tigers and lions share space with smaller animals like fennec foxes. An Education Complex and the Elephant's Trunk Zoo Shop also opened then.
In 1995, three new exhibits opened:
- Animals of the Night: This exhibit lets you see nocturnal animals when they are most active. Their day and night cycles are flipped for visitors.
- Once Upon A Farm: This area looks like a farm from the early 1900s.
- Primate Canyon: This exhibit has natural outdoor areas for many types of monkeys and apes.
Dragon's Lair opened in 1998 for the zoo's three Komodo dragons. It has both outdoor and indoor areas to keep them warm in winter. A new animal hospital also opened in 1998. It has special areas for sick animals and new animals.
In April 2003, the Memphis Zoo became one of only four U.S. zoos to have giant pandas. A male panda, Le Le, and a female panda, Ya Ya, lived in the 3-acre China exhibit. This exhibit cost $16 million and was designed to look and sound like China. In 2023, Le Le passed away, and Ya Ya was sent back to China.
The Northwest Passage exhibit opened on March 1, 2006. It has underwater viewing areas for polar bears and sea lions. The sea lions often play with visitors. This exhibit celebrates the culture of the First Nations people in British Columbia. It also features six hand-carved totem poles. The Northwest Passage is also home to bald eagles.
Construction for the Teton Trek exhibit began in February 2008. This exhibit caused some debate because it meant clearing some old trees. Teton Trek opened on October 10, 2009.
The zoo had its busiest day ever on March 17, 2009, with over 20,450 visitors. In May 2009, the Birds and Bees exhibit opened. The zoo's second African exhibit, Zambezi River Hippo Camp, opened on April 29, 2016.
Explore the Exhibits
The Memphis Zoo has modern exhibits that look like the animals' natural homes. Some of these are Once Upon A Farm, Cat Country, Primate Canyon, Dragon's Lair, Animals of the Night, Tropical Bird House, Herpetarium, Aquarium, African Veldt, Zambezi River Hippo Camp, China, Northwest Passage, and Teton Trek.
Walking to see all the exhibits takes about 2 miles. Trams are available for a small fee to give guided tours or shuttle visitors. Other fun things at the zoo include a carousel, rides, a miniature train, and gift shops. There are also places to eat. A children's playground is near the Cat House Cafe. Camel rides and giraffe feeding are offered seasonally for a fee.
The zoo is divided into three zones with 19 different exhibits.
East Zone
Teton Trek
This 4-acre exhibit opened in October 2009. It brings the feel of Yellowstone National Park to the zoo. "Teton" refers to the Teton Range in Wyoming. The exhibit starts with a 25-foot tall copy of the Old Faithful Geyser. It also has a large building called the Great Lodge, which looks like the Old Faithful Inn.
Teton Trek is home to animals from the Yellowstone area. These include grizzly bears, elk, timber wolves, trumpeter swans, and North American porcupines. Visitors can see the bears swimming underwater in their fishing pond. There is also a high viewpoint that looks over a 25-foot copy of Yellowstone's Firehole Falls.
Northwest Passage
This $23 million exhibit opened on March 1, 2006. It is home to the zoo's polar bears and sea lions. You can watch the animals swim underwater. There is also a 500-seat outdoor theater for daily sea lion shows. The exhibit's design honors the First Nations culture of British Columbia. It also features animals and plants from the Pacific Northwest. Six hand-carved totem poles stand in the area. The Northwest Passage also has bald eagles.
African Veldt
This area is home to large African animals. You can see African elephants, white rhinos, and giraffes. Other animals here include zebras, Grant's gazelle, and ostriches. African cranes, bontebok, lechwe, bongo, and scimitar oryx also live here. The elephant exhibit was made larger in 2006. It now has a pool where the elephants can swim and bathe.
World of Waterfowl
This exhibit has two wooden bridges that take visitors through a wetland. It is home to about 30 Chilean flamingos. You can also see many other types of waterfowl here.
Birds and Bees
This exhibit opened in May 2009. It lets you see two honey bee hives up close. Displays explain how special bees are and how they help with agriculture. The indoor bee exhibit leads to an outdoor aviary. This aviary has about 500 budgies, also known as parakeets. You can even feed these colorful birds with millet seeds on sticks for a small fee.
Central Zone
China
This $16 million exhibit opened in April 2003. It was built when the Memphis Zoo became one of only four U.S. zoos to have giant pandas. Other animals from China in this exhibit include Sulawesi Black-crested macaques, Père David's deer, Red pandas, and François' langurs. You can also see colorful birds like the golden pheasant and red-crowned crane. The buildings and plants in this exhibit are designed to look and feel like China.
Primate Canyon
This exhibit opened in 1995. It has natural outdoor areas for western lowland gorillas, Sumatran orangutans, and siamang gibbons. Other animals in this area include lion-tailed macaques, black-and-white ruffed lemurs, Mona monkeys, red ruffed lemurs, and savanna baboons.
Commercial Appeal Cat Country
This 3-acre outdoor exhibit is home to many types of cats. You can see African lions, cheetahs, Amur leopards, caracals, cougars, Sumatran tigers, Bengal tigers, jaguars, and snow leopards. Other animals like Capybara, meerkats, and Bat-eared Foxs also live here. The exhibit uses building styles from the animals' home countries. The old building where the cats used to live is now the Cat House Café, the zoo's main restaurant.
Zambezi River Hippo Camp
This African exhibit opened in 2016. It is home to hippos and Nile crocodiles. You can also see okapi, yellow-backed duikers, Cape vultures, mandrills, and Chilean and lesser flamingos here.
- Bonobos
Six bonobos live in this exhibit, which has both indoor and outdoor areas. The bonobo is an endangered animal. It is found only in the wild in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Animals of the Night
This exhibit lets you see nocturnal animals when they are most active. The zoo reverses their day and night cycles. The exhibit has a central area where you can see bats flying and eating up close. You can also see many other animals here, from aardvarks to wombats. This exhibit also has the Bear cuscus, which is found in very few other zoos.
West Zone
Dragon's Lair
This exhibit was built just for the Komodo dragon, the biggest lizard in the world. The zoo's three dragons have special outdoor and indoor areas. This keeps them warm during cooler months. Keepers often do feeding shows for the Komodo dragons on Saturdays.
Tropical Bird House
You can see many colorful birds from around the world in this building. Some birds include the pygmy falcon, Burrowing owl, Bali myna, Toco toucan, and white-tailed trogon. The exhibit has a walk-through area where you can get close to many birds, especially during feeding times.
Aquarium
The Aquarium is one of the zoo's oldest exhibits. It has aquatic life from both fresh and salt water. Some cool animals here are Fly River turtles, electric eels, red bellied piranhas, green moray eels, and Volitan lionfish. The electric eel exhibit has a special feature that turns the eel's electric pulses into sounds and lights!
Penguin Rock
Over 30 African penguins live at Penguin Rock, across from the zoo's rides area. American white pelicans are also nearby.
Once Upon A Farm
This exhibit looks like a farm from the early 1900s. It is home to Caspian horses, domestic goats, prairie dogs, chickens, Babydoll sheep, miniature cows, and miniature donkeys. You can also see a vegetable garden, a cotton patch, and rows of corn. This shows what a southern farm was like long ago.
Herpetarium
The herpetarium is home to the zoo's snakes, American alligators, lizards, and frogs. Some animals here include the Burmese python, Prehensile-tailed skink, and azure poison dart frog. It also has rare snakes like the Louisiana pinesnake and some of the world's most venomous snakes. You can also see an alligator snapping turtle and Galápagos tortoises. The exhibit also has different kinds of Crocodiles.
Round Barn
The Round Barn is home to gerenuks, which have very long necks. Keepers put tall bamboo in their exhibit to encourage them to reach for food. This exhibit also has Abyssinian ground-hornbills, warthogs, red river hogs, Grey crowned cranes, and dama gazelles.
Other Fun Things at the Zoo
Beautiful Landscaping
The zoo's design uses lots of plants and water features. You can see ponds, waterfalls, fountains, and streams. There are also fake rock formations that blend in with the animal enclosures. The landscaping includes many different trees, shrubs, and seasonal plants.
Many of the big trees are native to the area, like sweetgum and sycamore. Some exhibits have plants that match their theme. For example, the China Exhibit has Chinese fringetrees. The Northwest Passage and Teton Trek Exhibits have western conifers.
The zoo also has several special gardens where the plants are the main attraction. During summer, tropical plants like banana plants and hibiscuses are grown in many areas.
Special Events
The Memphis Zoo hosts many special events throughout the year. There is "Always Something To Do!" Some events include:
- Horticultural Tours (at different times)
- Plant Sale (in April)
- Zoo Boo with its Haunted Forest (in October)
- Zoo Lights with over 1 million holiday lights (in November/December)
- Zoo Rendezvous (in September)
- Zoo Snooze (at different times)
There are also many educational activities for school-aged children all year long.
Zoo Magazine
Exzoobrance is a magazine published every two months by the Memphis Zoological Society. It keeps visitors updated on zoo activities. Each issue has a calendar of events, news about education and conservation, and information about the animals. It also has a fun activity page for kids. You can find old copies of the magazine online.
Future Plans
The Memphis Zoo has some exciting plans for the future. They are working to get money for these projects.
- A new big attraction is planned to be finished by spring 2022. This project will update the Hippo Barn Enclosure and other parts of the zoo. It will also create many new jobs.
- An indoor coffee shop is expected to be built by summer 2021. It will be near the front entrance of the zoo and will sell coffee and pastries.
See also
In Spanish: Zoológico de Memphis para niños
