Blank Park Zoo

About Blank Park Zoo

Blank Park Zoo is a 49-acre zoological park on the south side of Des Moines, Iowa, near historic Fort Des Moines. It is a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and is the only AZA-accredited zoo in Iowa. The zoo grew out of a children's zoo funded by a 1963 donation from Des Moines businessman Abraham Harry Blank, and it is today operated by the nonprofit Blank Park Zoo Foundation under a management agreement with the City of Des Moines. Its stated mission is to inspire an appreciation of the natural world through conservation, education, research, and recreation.

The zoo is organized around a series of named, geography-based exhibit areas rather than a single continuous path: the fully enclosed Myron and Jackie Blank Discovery Center moves visitors through mountain, cave, rainforest, and aquarium environments; Jamaa Kwa: Connection to Africa is built around an African boardwalk; the David Kruidenier Australia Adventure recreates the outback; and Kids' Kingdom is a contact-animal playground. A large capital campaign called Expand the Impact, launched publicly in the 2020s, is in the process of adding a new lion habitat and a native-Iowa wildlife area called Wild Iowa.

Attendance figures published by the zoo show growth from an average of about 98,000 visitors a year during its children's-zoo era to an average of 214,525 a year between 1986 and 2001, the period following its 1986 reopening as Blank Park Zoo.

History

The Des Moines Children's Zoo, built on decommissioned Fort Des Moines property, opened May 8, 1966, funded initially by a $150,000 donation from Abraham Harry Blank and designed around nursery-rhyme themes, with a castle and moat, a replica of Noah's Ark, a petting zoo, and a miniature railroad. Attendance declined steadily through the 1970s, and by 1981 the zoo was close to closing. That year, a group of civic and business leaders formed the Blank Park Zoo Foundation, which negotiated a $1.8 million bond referendum with the city plus an additional $1.4 million in community funds. The zoo closed at the end of 1982 for renovation and reopened on May 17, 1986, as Blank Park Zoo, now built around geographic-themed, naturally landscaped exhibits. It received AZA accreditation the following year.

In 1995, the Foundation purchased 25.3 additional acres of historic Fort Des Moines property, along with nine historic buildings, to support future expansion, and launched a capital campaign for a new great cats exhibit and a 30,000-square-foot indoor Discovery Center. The Tom and Jo Ghrist Great Cats exhibit opened May 1, 1999, and the Myron and Jackie Blank Discovery Center opened September 1, 2001. On July 1, 2003, the City of Des Moines transferred zoo operations and management to the Foundation under a new agreement, and Terry Rich was hired as the zoo's first chief executive officer. The David Kruidenier Australia Adventure was completed in July 2011, and the Jaama Kwa Africa expansion opened in spring 2013 at a cost of $4.1 million, adding eastern black rhinoceros, common eland, okapi, nyala, and red river hogs to the collection alongside species already present on the boardwalk, including reticulated giraffe and Hartmann's mountain zebra.

More recently, the zoo weathered a closure during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, reopening to members on May 22 and to the public on May 24 of that year. Anne Shimerdla was named President and CEO, and the zoo has since opened the Holmes Foster Event Center, introduced the Wild Lights Asian lantern festival, and opened GoGo Plaza in May 2022. In 2025 the zoo announced its $18 million Expand the Impact campaign, breaking ground on the Marjorie A. Foster Lion Conservation Center and the Ruan Foundation Wild Iowa exhibit, and celebrated a 60th Diamond Jubilee beginning in November 2025.

Exhibits and habitats

The Myron and Jackie Blank Discovery Center is an enclosed, climate-controlled building that visitors encounter first, moving them through the Meredith Alpine Exhibit, home to a pair of red pandas; The Cave, housing nocturnal animals and enclosed reptile exhibits; the Free Range Tropical Aviary, home to species including the pink pigeon, Victoria crowned pigeon, and Gouldian finch alongside enclosed green iguana and golden-headed lion tamarin exhibits; and an aquarium section with an Amazon River pool and a coral reef exhibit featuring clownfish and yellow tang.

Jaama Kwa: Connection to Africa combines the original African Boardwalk, home to reticulated giraffe, Hartmann's mountain zebra, addax, and grey crowned cranes, with the 2013 expansion housing eastern black rhinoceros, common eland, okapi, and red river hogs. The zoo's eastern black rhinos, Ayana and Kiano, had their first calf, Tumani, in 2016, and a second calf, Kamara, in 2019. The David Kruidenier Australia Adventure features an Australian-themed barn with double-wattled cassowary, laughing kookaburra, red-necked wallaby, and a rainbow lorikeet aviary. Kids' Kingdom, built in 2007 with volunteer labor, includes playground features alongside contact animals such as Nigerian dwarf goats, llamas, miniature donkeys, and dromedary camels. The Tom and Jo Ghrist Big Cat Complex has held snow leopards, Amur tigers, and African lions since 1999, with lions set to move to the new Marjorie A. Foster Lion Conservation Center. The Hub Harbor Pinniped Pavilion, reopened in 2012, holds California sea lions and harbor seals with both high-rise and underwater viewing.

Animal highlights

Blank Park Zoo does not publish a current species count or animal total on the pages reviewed for this profile; what can be said is that the collection spans mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish across its themed exhibit areas. Notable named residents and species include red pandas, eastern black rhinoceros, okapi, reticulated giraffe, Hartmann's mountain zebra, double-wattled cassowary, Amur tiger, snow leopard, African lion, California sea lion, and Pacific harbor seal, along with an Aldabra tortoise named Barnaby, who has lived at the zoo since it opened in 1966, and two non-releasable bald eagles, Spirit and Freedom, who are set to move into the new Wild Iowa exhibit.

Conservation and programs

Since 1997, the Blank Park Zoo Conservation Committee has raised money for international conservation projects tied to the zoo's own collection, funded through activities such as children's face painting, raffles, and coin donation buckets. Projects the committee has supported include the International Snow Leopard Trust, the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, the Greater Prairie Chicken Project to restore Iowa's native prairie chicken population, and a Panamanian Golden Frog release program. The zoo also participates in AZA Species Survival Plans, which govern breeding recommendations such as the 2012 arrival of its black rhinoceros pair.

Planning your visit

As listed on the zoo's website, hours are 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., though the zoo's FAQ page separately lists 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with final admission 30 minutes before closing; confirm current hours before visiting. Listed general admission is $15.00 for children ages 2–12, $20.00 for adults ages 13–64, and $19.00 for seniors 65 and older, with children one year and under admitted free; discounted rates apply to groups of 15 or more booked at least 24 hours in advance.

Parking at the zoo is free, and the zoo is located on SW 9th Street, about 1.5 miles north of the Highway 5 Bypass. All pathways are ADA accessible, and wheelchairs, strollers, and electric convenience vehicles can be rented at the admissions building or an outdoor rental stand near the eagle exhibit, with a driver's license required. Quiet Zones and Headphone Zones are marked on the zoo map as part of a Sensory Inclusive Zoo Initiative developed with Kulture City, and sensory bags, weighted lap pads, and braille maps are available to check out at Admissions. Outside food is not allowed inside the gates, but a shaded picnic shelter near the main entrance allows guests to leave and re-enter. Snacks are available at the Wild Things Gift Shop and GoGo Plaza, with seasonal meal service at the Safari Grill.

Because hours, prices, and exhibit access change seasonally, always check the official Blank Park Zoo website before your visit.