Zoo Atlanta

About Zoo Atlanta

Zoo Atlanta is an AZA-accredited zoo located at 800 Cherokee Avenue SE in Atlanta, Georgia, occupying the same Grant Park site it has held since 1889. The zoo lists at least 64 species on its website, spanning mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and birds, and is run today as a nonprofit organization, Atlanta Fulton County Zoo Inc., under president and CEO Raymond B. King. The zoo traces its founding to businessman George V. Gress, who purchased the animals of a bankrupt traveling circus and donated them to the city, which chose to house the new collection in Grant Park, where it remains.

The zoo organizes its collection largely by geography and conservation focus, from an African Savanna habitat to dedicated reptile, amphibian, and primate complexes, alongside a historic events venue restored from the zoo's early twentieth-century past. Zoo Atlanta states its mission as saving wildlife and habitats "through conservation, research, education, and engaging experiences," and in 2018 it was named a Top 10 Research Zoo for its contributions to peer-reviewed scientific research.

History

Zoo Atlanta's origin traces to 1889, when George V. Gress bought the animals of a bankrupt traveling circus and gave them to the city of Atlanta. City leaders settled the new collection in Grant Park, the zoo's location ever since. The original residents included a black bear, a raccoon, a jaguar, a hyena, a gazelle, a Mexican hog, lionesses, monkeys, and camels. The collection grew substantially in the 1930s when Asa G. Candler, Jr. personally donated his private menagerie.

The 1950s and 1960s brought renovation and construction, but by the early 1970s many exhibits had fallen into disrepair. In 1970, a group of concerned citizens founded the Atlanta Zoological Society to raise funds and awareness for the struggling institution. Decline continued through the mid-1980s until 1985, when the zoo was privatized under a new nonprofit, Atlanta Fulton County Zoo Inc., and renamed Zoo Atlanta. A twenty-year period of aggressive restoration followed, including the opening of The Ford African Rain Forest in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Dr. Terry Maple took over management of zoo operations in 1985, retiring in 2003 and later serving as Zoo Director Emeritus until his death in 2023; Dennis W. Kelly led the zoo as president and CEO from 2003 to 2009, and Atlanta native Raymond B. King has held that role since 2010.

A pair of giant pandas, Lun Lun and Yang Yang, arrived at Zoo Atlanta in 1999 and made their public debut that same year, beginning a 25-year run as one of only four U.S. institutions housing giant pandas. In 2019, the zoo opened its African Savanna as part of a larger Grand New View transformation, and in April 2026 Zoo Atlanta announced a new agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association to bring two pandas, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, to Atlanta, with further details still to come.

Exhibits and habitats

The African Savanna, opened in 2019, recreates the grasslands and desert of Africa and houses African elephants, lions, giraffes, plains zebras, ostriches, warthogs, meerkats, white rhinos, kori bustards, and a bontebok. Scaly Slimy Spectacular: The Amphibian and Reptile Experience, opened in 2015, was the world's first LEED Gold-certified amphibian and reptile complex and replaced the zoo's former World of Reptiles; it holds more than 200 animals across more than 70 species and has recorded reproductive successes with critically endangered Arakan forest turtles, a rare Guatemalan beaded lizard hatched in March 2012, and a critically endangered bog turtle that hatched in 2022, the zoo's first in 30 years.

From 1999 until 2024, the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation Giant Panda Conservation Center was home to Zoo Atlanta's giant pandas, Lun Lun and Yang Yang, and their seven cubs, including Mei Lun and Mei Huan, the first twin pandas born in the U.S. since 1987. The Ford African Rain Forest, opened in 1988, has seen twenty-four western lowland gorillas born there, including twins Kali and Kazi in 2005, and remains home to descendants of the zoo's best-known gorilla, Willie B., along with famous residents Ivan and Ozzie. The adjoining Living Treehouse, completed in 2004, houses an aviary of African birds along with black-and-white ruffed lemurs, ring-tailed lemurs, Angolan colobus monkeys, drills, and Schmidt's and Wolf's guenons.

Corridor to Change, focused on species affected by international wildlife trade, houses sun bears and Sumatran tigers, with an adjacent Complex Carnivores area for clouded leopards and binturongs. The Asian Forest holds giant otters, a Komodo dragon, a red panda, and Bornean and Sumatran orangutans, including the Orangutan Learning Tree Project, launched in 2007, which lets orangutans use in-habitat touch screens for puzzles and games while visitors watch on a linked monitor. The Orkin Children's Zoo's Outback Station petting zoo hosts goats, sheep, and kunekune pigs, and the zoo's aviaries collectively house more than 50 bird species, including Bali mynas, king vultures, blue-throated macaws, wattled cranes, and a flock of Chilean flamingos that has bred and nested near the entrance since 2001.

Savanna Hall, built in 1921, was for decades the home of the Atlanta Cyclorama painting "The Battle of Atlanta" before the painting moved to the Atlanta History Center. Zoo Atlanta took stewardship of the building in 2014 and restored it while preserving its original granite facade, terra cotta walls, and painting rail system; it reopened as a special events destination, now the Michael and Thalia Carlos Ballroom, in 2019.

Animal highlights

Zoo Atlanta lists at least 64 species on its website, ranging from African elephants, giraffes, lions, and western lowland gorillas to Sumatran tigers, clouded leopards, red pandas, and giant otters. Its primate collection includes Bornean and Sumatran orangutans, Angolan colobus monkeys, drills, and multiple lemur species, while its reptile and amphibian holdings include Komodo dragons, radiated tortoises, Guatemalan beaded lizards, and several native species such as eastern indigo snakes and diamondback terrapins. Bird species span king vultures, southern ground hornbills, Bali mynas, and a long-running flock of Chilean flamingos. Notable individual animals have included the zoo's giant pandas Lun Lun and Yang Yang, resident from 1999 to 2024, and gorilla Willie B., whose descendants remain at the zoo today.

Conservation and programs

Zoo Atlanta participates in AZA Species Survival Plans and supports conservation work for species including giant pandas, African elephants, golden lion tamarins, western lowland gorillas, Panamanian golden frogs, red pandas, clouded leopards, giant otters, Bornean orangutans, and vulture and reptile species native to Africa and the American Southeast. It has been involved in golden lion tamarin conservation for nearly 30 years as a partner of the Golden Lion Tamarin Association, and it provides pro-bono space and support for the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International. Staff from Zoo Atlanta and the Atlanta Botanical Garden maintain captive assurance colonies of Panamanian frogs threatened by chytrid fungus, and the zoo takes part in international efforts addressing the Asian Turtle Crisis and global amphibian decline. In 2018, the zoo was named a Top 10 Research Zoo for its scientific contributions.

Planning your visit

Zoo Atlanta is open year-round except for Thanksgiving and Christmas, with hours listed as 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on most days and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on select days, last entry 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. respectively, as listed on the zoo's website. Daytime admission pricing varies by date, with tickets expiring April 30, 2027; general admission is free for children under 3, and discounts are available for military members, veterans, and college students with valid ID at Zoo Admissions. Guests planning multiple visits may find an annual membership worthwhile, since it includes unlimited free daytime admission, no reservation requirement, and discounts at other AZA-accredited institutions nationwide.

Stroller and wheelchair rentals are available at Safari Outfitters, and Zoo Atlanta states it works to keep pathways, habitats, and facilities accessible to all guests. Nourish Café offers seasonal menu items including burgers, flatbreads, salads, and sandwiches, with mobile ordering available. Prohibited items include weapons (except as permitted by law), alcoholic beverages, balloons, scooters, and skateboards. As with any zoo, prices and hours listed here reflect a point in time, so confirm current admission, hours, and any special event schedules on Zoo Atlanta's official website before visiting.