Zoos in Louisiana

Louisiana's zoos range from a major New Orleans institution to privately run parks scattered across bayou country. Audubon Zoo, on Magazine Street along the Mississippi River in Uptown New Orleans, opened in 1914, covers 58 acres and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, as is Baton Rouge Zoo, a BREC park that opened in 1970. Alexandria Zoological Park in central Louisiana opened in 1926 and covers about 33 acres, though it is not currently AZA accredited. Farther afield, Zoosiana in Broussard, in the Lafayette area, is privately owned and lists more than 1,000 animals, while Gator and Friends-Alligator Park and Exotic Zoo in Greenwood, about 10 miles from Shreveport, advertises an estimated 150 alligators alongside exotic animals.