Wildlife World Zoo

About Wildlife World Zoo

Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium and Safari Park covers 215 acres in Litchfield Park, Arizona, just west of Phoenix. It opened to the public in 1984 and operates today as a private, USDA-licensed facility rather than a city-run or nonprofit institution. Its accreditations come from the Zoological Association of America (ZAA) and the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks & Aquariums (AMMPA), and the zoo notes that it receives zero taxpayer funding — it has always been supported by admissions, food and gift sales, and donations. The property is described as home to more than 600 species, which the zoo calls Arizona's largest collection of exotic animals.

The grounds are organized into distinct areas rather than one continuous path. A Safari Park section covers 15 acres with an African lion habitat, African birds, and a tram or walking route through the exhibits. Wildlife World Adventureland, which opened in February 2016, focuses on North and South American species alongside ride attractions and a Mexican restaurant. Dragon World gathers large reptiles and other ectotherms, and since 2008 the zoo has also operated an aquarium with a total tank volume of 180,000 gallons — Arizona's first public aquarium. A 0.6-mile "safari train," a boat ride through the Australian habitat, and a tram through part of the African habitat give visitors several ways to move through the property beyond walking.

The zoo grew out of a bird-breeding operation started by Mickey Ollson, who bought land in Litchfield Park in 1973 and spent more than a decade building the collection before opening to the public. That founding story still shapes how the zoo describes itself: less a single master-planned facility than a property that expanded section by section as its founder acquired more land and more animals.

History

Mickey Ollson began raising and selling exotic birds on a small property in Glendale, Arizona, after years of keeping unconventional animals as a teacher with a lifelong interest in wildlife. In 1973 he purchased 30 acres in what was then a remote part of the West Valley, using money earned from selling birds to Walt Disney World's Discovery Island to fund the purchase. He spent the next several years running it as a breeding operation, growing the collection by breeding and trading animals with other zoos, and doing much of the physical construction — plumbing, planting, building — himself when he couldn't afford contractors.

The zoo opened to the public in 1984 and continued to expand as Ollson purchased surrounding land. Sources differ slightly on the exact year, but an indoor aquarium with sharks, alligators, and stingrays was added around 2008–2009. The Safari Park section opened in 2014, and in 2016 the zoo completed a $4 million expansion, Wildlife World Adventureland, adding a Mexican restaurant and amusement rides including a roller coaster.

Mickey Ollson remained on site overseeing daily operations until he died of cancer in January 2022. The zoo states that his family has continued to run the property since, with a stated goal of continuing improvements across what is now described as a roughly 100-acre developed footprint within the larger 215-acre site.

Exhibits and habitats

The Safari Park is a 15-acre section built around an African lion habitat and African bird exhibits, with springbok, sable antelope, ostrich, warthog, olive baboon, red river hog, ring-tailed lemur, spotted hyena, spider monkey, macaw, capuchin, and Fischer's lovebird also listed among its species. Visitors can walk through or take a tram.

Wildlife World Adventureland, the newest section, opened in February 2016 with several ride attractions — a roller coaster, a zip line, and swings — alongside a Mexican restaurant. Its animal exhibits include llamas, American bison, spider monkeys, bears, ocelots, and an indoor exhibit built around North American species. The zoo's visitor materials add mountain lions and tapirs to the animals found in this area.

Dragon World is built around large ectotherms: the zoo names sailfin dragon, reticulated python, dwarf crocodile, Gila monster, green iguana, and green anaconda as species on view there.

The Wildlife World Aquarium, opened in 2008, is described as Arizona's first public aquarium, with a total tank volume of 180,000 gallons across more than 80 exhibits. It holds both salt- and fresh-water species, including sea lions and several penguin species, and the zoo highlights a 60,000-gallon shark tank next to its Dillon's restaurant, where guests can eat beside the sharks or on a patio that overlooks a flamingo exhibit.

Animal highlights

The zoo states that it houses more than 600 separate species, which puts it well above the floor typically drawn from a published species list — at least 600 species listed on the zoo's website. Individual animals named across its sections include African lion, spotted hyena, olive baboon, ring-tailed lemur, sable antelope, warthog, springbok, American bison, ocelot, llama, spider monkey, reticulated python, dwarf crocodile, Gila monster, green anaconda, sea lion, and multiple penguin varieties. The zoo also runs a baby animal nursery, noting that the specific young animals on view change from week to week depending on recent births across the collection. Cheetahs, described by the zoo as the fastest land mammal on earth, are named among the animals visitors can see.

Conservation and programs

Wildlife World describes conservation as central to its mission, arguing that close encounters with animals build the kind of personal connection that motivates people to protect their wild counterparts. Over roughly four decades, the zoo says it has contributed tens of thousands of dollars in direct funding, plus additional in-kind support and staff expertise, to conservation organizations working on habitat restoration and species recovery. It issues Conservation Awards of $1,000 to $10,000 to recognize work in field conservation, public display, education, and research, and it lists past recipients including the Peninsular Pronghorn Recovery Program, the Zoological Association of America's Cheetah Conservation Fund, the International Crane Foundation, the Gibbon Conservation Center, the International Rhino Foundation, the Audubon Nature Institute's Tapir Project, and the Conservation Breeding Specialist Group.

One specific example the zoo highlights: alongside the Kimmerle family at Sanderson Ford, Wildlife World presented the Peninsular Pronghorn Recovery Program with a pickup truck to support its fieldwork protecting an endangered subspecies whose wild population the zoo describes as having fallen to around 150 individuals before recovering.

Planning your visit

Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium and Safari Park is open 365 days a year, including holidays, at 16501 West Northern Avenue in Litchfield Park. As listed on the zoo's website, general zoo hours run 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., with last zoo admission at 4:30 p.m.; the aquarium keeps slightly longer hours, 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. A same-day re-entry hand stamp is available from the gift shop, though tickets are otherwise valid for one day only.

The zoo offers several discounts as listed on its site: $6.00 off per person for groups of ten or more paying in a single transaction, $6.00 off with a valid military ID, $6.00 off with an AAA card for the named cardholder, and $6.00 off every Tuesday for seniors. A 4% fee applies to credit or debit card payments. Free parking and gift shops are available on-site.

Dining options span Dillon's sit-down restaurant next to the shark tank, plus counter-service stands offering Mexican food, burgers, chicken tenders, salads, pizza, and snacks. Outside food and coolers are not permitted, though guests may bring their own drinks. The zoo recommends four to five hours to see the zoo and aquarium in full. Accessibility features include accessible parking, free wheelchair ramps in place of stairs, accessible restrooms, and accessible seating on most rides, though the zoo notes its supply of loaner wheelchairs is limited. As with any listed hours, prices, or policies, check the zoo's official website before you go.