Little Rock Zoo
The Little Rock Zoo has a rich history in providing the citizens of Arkansas with a quality recreational experience that educates children of all ages about the importance of wildlife conservation. Through natural animal exhibition and educational programming, the Zoo serves as a hands-on classroom where learning is fun. The Zoo is a proud department of the City of Little Rock and is committed to providing the highest quality care for its animals while striving to make every guest experience special. As one of Arkansas' most attended attractions, the Zoo also serves as a driving force for economic development. That's why the citizens of our community support its state's largest and only accredited Zoo.
The Little Rock Zoo brought wildlife to the citizens of Arkansas in 1926 with just two animals: an abandoned timber wolf and a circus-trained bear. Today the Little Rock Zoo boasts more than 725 animals representing more than 200 different species, many being endangered.
The Little Rock Zoo's first buildings were made of native Arkansan stone and built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). These buildings housed primates, reptiles, birds, and big cats. Today these buildings are still in use and the cat house has been transformed into Café Africa, a one-of-a-kind restaurant with the feel of an African style lodge. The Zoo is committed to the historic preservation of these beautiful buildings and guests will see many future renovations.
The Zoo's big cat exhibit was built in the 1980's along with exhibits for the Zoo's alligators and great apes. The great ape exhibit is one of the few ape exhibits in the world with all three species of great apes: orangutans, chimpanzees, and gorillas.
In the 1990's the Little Rock Zoo added many different attractions such its annual Boo at the Zoo event which is the largest Halloween Festival in the state. Lemur Island also opened and thanks to a generous gift from Metropolitan National Bank the Little Rock Zoo added an African Lion exhibit that now holds two female lions. In the late 1990's the Little Rock Civitan Club provided funding to create the Civitan Pavilion for special events and the Civitan Amphitheater for educational programming.
The Zoo then acquired a new Children's Farm with an interactive contact yard and train station. The Zoo's Board of Governors approved the Zoo Master Plan of improvements in 2001 including a new African Veldt Exhibit and new main entrance.
The mission of the Little Rock Zoo is to provide engaging experiences that inspire people to value and conserve our natural world.
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