Audubon Zoo

About Audubon Zoo

Audubon Zoo is located at 6500 Magazine Street in the Uptown neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana, along the Mississippi River. Wikipedia gives its size as 58 acres and reports a collection of more than 2,000 animals. The zoo's own animal list includes western lowland gorillas, African painted dogs, Amur leopards, Asian elephants, Malayan tigers, California sea lions, green sea turtles and Linne's two-toed sloths.

The zoo is one of the facilities run by Audubon Nature Institute, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that describes its purpose as celebrating the wonders of nature. The institute's website lists its other facilities as Audubon Park and Riverview, Goldring Woldenberg Riverfront Park, Audubon Aquarium, the Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center, Audubon Louisiana Nature Center, the Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species, Audubon Wilderness Park and Audubon Insectarium. The zoo is named for John James Audubon, the artist and naturalist who lived in New Orleans beginning in 1821, according to Wikipedia.

Audubon Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The institute's website states that the zoo received the AZA Quarter Century Award in December 2015 for 25 years of continuous accreditation.

History

According to Wikipedia, the zoo opened in 1914 on a site that had housed animal exhibits since the World Cotton Centennial exposition of 1884. A flight cage was added in 1916, and a sea lion pool in an art nouveau style was built in 1928; that pool is still standing.

During the Great Depression, the Works Progress Administration carried out an expansion of the zoo. That period also produced Monkey Hill, an artificial hill built as a children's attraction, along with cages built of brick and steel bars. Wikipedia reports that the zoo deteriorated significantly by the early 1970s. A study suggested closing the zoo unless the city committed to upgrading it; in 1975 the city's voters approved a measure to finance its rebuilding, and the grounds grew from 14 acres to 50 acres.

In 1987 an alligator nest was discovered with 18 hatchlings with white hides, a natural mutation called leucism, and the white alligator became a symbol of the zoo, according to Wikipedia. Some of the white alligators were transferred to the Audubon Aquarium when it opened in the Central Business District in 1990.

Wikipedia also documents the zoo's experience during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Staff sheltered in the reptile house, which sits on high ground atop an old natural levee, and the article reports that three animals died and that damage was limited mostly to downed trees. The zoo reopened over Thanksgiving weekend in 2005 on weekends only, and moved to a Wednesday-through-Sunday schedule on March 1, 2006.

Monkey Hill was renovated in the early 2000s with a waterfall, a rope web and a safari outpost. In 2017, two California sea lions named Ayah and Jolee arrived from the Marine Mammal Care Center in Los Angeles; both are rescued animals with previous injuries. A nocturnal house called Criaturas de la Noche was added to the jaguar area in 2019.

Exhibits and habitats

The zoo's website lists its major exhibits as the Louisiana Swamp, Jaguar Jungle, Monkey Hill and Twiga Terrace in the African Savanna. The Reptile Encounter and Wings of the World exhibits are closed during construction in the Odenheimer area of the zoo; the website says the project is scheduled for completion in early 2027.

Twiga Terrace holds the zoo's giraffes, and the zoo has announced three Hartmann's mountain zebras there, two females and a male, which it describes as the first of their kind ever housed at the zoo. The zoo's animal list also names white rhinoceros, wildebeest, Speke's gazelle and red river hogs, animals Wikipedia places in the African Savanna. Wikipedia describes a petting area at the front of the Savanna, Watoto Walk, with donkeys, miniature zebu, goats and sheep.

Wikipedia describes the Asian Domain as the home of the zoo's Asian elephants, Sumatran orangutans, Amur leopards, sun bears, babirusa and Malayan tigers; the zoo's own list names Asian elephants, Amur leopards, Malayan sun bears, babirusa and Malayan tigers, and it offers an Orangutan Family Fun encounter. The zoo's list also names western lowland gorillas, East African colobus monkeys, golden lion tamarins and black-and-white ruffed lemurs, primates Wikipedia places in the World of Primates area.

Jaguar Jungle is themed as a ruined Mayan temple. The zoo's list names giant anteaters, spider monkeys and macaws, and Wikipedia adds jaguars and ocelots. A nocturnal house named Criaturas de la Noche opened in the area in 2019, according to Wikipedia. The South American Pampas area, per Wikipedia, begins with the maned wolf enclosure and continues along a boardwalk past Caribbean flamingos and a yard with capybaras, both species on the zoo's list.

The Louisiana Swamp is primarily an outdoor exhibit of animals native to southern Louisiana. The zoo's list names Louisiana black bears, bobcats, North American river otters, barred owls, red-tailed hawks, Louisiana pine snakes and white alligators; one of the zoo's two gift shops is inside the exhibit. Wikipedia notes that after Hurricane Katrina the exhibit was decorated to mimic scenes from around the city. California sea lions live in a large lagoon at the Sea Lion Theater. The zoo's list also names African penguins, Aldabra tortoises, green sea turtles, whooping cranes and Linne's two-toed sloths.

Conservation and programs

Audubon Nature Institute lists several conservation programs on its website, including Gulf United For Lasting Fisheries, the Audubon Coastal Wildlife Network, lion conservation initiatives and Audubon Aquarium Rescue. Wikipedia lists the zoo as a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums as well as the AZA.

Visitor programs listed on the zoo's website include Wild Encounters, bookable animal experiences such as the Orangutan Family Fun Encounter and Butterfly First Flight, whose ticket packages include zoo admission, along with summer and holiday camps, birthday parties and private catered events. The site lists Boo at the Zoo, a Halloween event scheduled for October 16 to 18, 2026, and the Audubon Wonders of Nature Express train, which has a separate fare.

Planning your visit

As listed on the zoo's website, the zoo is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the last ticket sold at 4 p.m. and last entry at 4:30 p.m. The site lists closures on Mardi Gras, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Ticket details, including any online pricing and discounts, are on the zoo's website.

The website states that the grounds, restrooms and exhibits are ADA-compliant and lists wheelchair and stroller rentals, two gift shops, nursing spaces and sensory accommodations such as weighted lap pads, sensory bags and quiet zones. Service animals, limited to dogs and miniature horses, are allowed. The zoo lists parking as available. It states that it is fully cashless as of October 1, 2026, accepting credit and debit cards, with cash-to-card kiosks that issue prepaid cards.