Zollman Zoo

About Zollman Zoo

The Dr. Paul E. Zollman Zoo is a small, free zoo inside Oxbow Park, a 624-acre Olmsted County park in the Zumbro River Valley north of Byron, Minnesota, about 4.5 miles west of Rochester. The park and zoo are run by Olmsted County, not a private nonprofit society, and the zoo itself houses more than 30 species of animals, all of them native to Minnesota. Unlike most zoo collections, Zollman Zoo's animals are almost entirely there out of necessity rather than curation: most have permanent injuries, or arrived as surplus from other facilities, that would prevent them from surviving if released into the wild.

The park takes its name from an oxbow, a bend in the Zumbro River shaped like the yoke used on oxen, that has been preserved through bank stabilization and now surrounds the main picnic area. The zoo is named for Dr. Paul E. Zollman, honored for his dedication to Olmsted County parks and his role in caring for the animals. It is not AZA accredited, and Olmsted County does not publish acreage, animal counts, or attendance figures specific to the zoo itself, only to the surrounding park.

Zollman Zoo functions as the centerpiece of Oxbow Park's environmental education program. Thousands of students visit each year for lessons run by park staff and volunteers, and public programs continue on weekends and evenings throughout the year, with topics that change by season. The zoo's popular animals, according to the county, include a wolf, a bald eagle, white-tailed deer, coyotes, a bobcat, river otters, bison, and a cougar.

History

Olmsted County began assembling land for a new park in the Zumbro River Valley in the 1960s, driven by the county park board and area residents who saw recreational potential in the river valley. The initial 465 acres were purchased in 1967. A zoo followed two years later: in 1969, John Gilbertson, then the regional game warden, donated native Minnesota animals that became the founding collection, and the zoo has been an integral part of park activities ever since.

The park continued to grow after the zoo's founding. In 1974, the county purchased an additional 107 acres north of the park to protect it from future development, bringing the park closer to its current footprint. In 1998, longtime park advocate Dr. David Donald donated a further 52 acres, bringing Oxbow Park's total size to 624 acres. A nature center, completed in December 1981 near the zoo, expanded the park's programming and exhibit space and remains a hub for park activities today.

Exhibits and habitats

The zoo proper houses the bulk of the collection: native Minnesota mammals, birds of prey, and reptiles, most of them permanently injured or transferred in as surplus from other facilities. Across the road from the main zoo lies the Gordon Yeager Memorial Area, which holds the zoo's larger hoofed stock, including bison, elk, and white-tailed deer. The Yeager area also includes a restored prairie, a pioneer home, and an antique farm implement display, giving visitors a look at the region's agricultural past alongside the animals.

Beyond the zoo grounds, Oxbow Park itself includes four picnic areas and six picnic shelters, each with electrical outlets, a fire ring, and a nearby vault toilet, available on a first-come, first-served basis with no reservation or rental fee. A two-acre natural playground and roughly eight miles of marked hiking trails wind through the park's prairies and wooded hills, with trailhead maps posted around the park and available at the nature center.

Animal highlights

Zollman Zoo houses at least 30 species listed by Olmsted County, all native to Minnesota, spanning mammals, birds of prey, and reptiles. The county singles out a wolf, a bald eagle, white-tailed deer, coyotes, a bobcat, river otters, bison, and a cougar as the zoo's most popular residents, with bison, elk, and white-tailed deer specifically housed in the Gordon Yeager Memorial Area across the road from the main zoo. What sets the collection apart from a typical municipal zoo is its purpose: most of the animals are permanently injured or are surplus from other wildlife facilities and can never be released back into the wild, which is why the zoo frames its role as environmental education rather than display for its own sake.

Conservation and programs

Oxbow provides an environmental education program built around the zoo's native species, reaching thousands of students annually through lessons led by park staff and volunteers. Public programs continue on weekends and evenings year-round, with seasonal topics and activities aimed at helping nature lovers learn more about the natural world. The zoo's very existence as a home for non-releasable native wildlife functions as a form of conservation in itself, keeping injured and surplus animals cared for rather than euthanized.

Planning your visit

The Oxbow Park Nature Center, next to the zoo, is open to the public daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., as listed on the county's website; entrance to Zollman Zoo itself is free. A network of nearly eight miles of hiking trails, plus four picnic areas and six shelters, surrounds the zoo within the larger park.

Accessibility accommodations include an all-terrain wheelchair, available 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily and reservable in advance or on a first-come basis at the nature center desk; two folding wheelchairs and a walker for indoor or outdoor use; and a sensory kit with headphones, fidget tools, and other calming items that can be checked out free at the nature center front desk. Three companion care restrooms are available, and an American Sign Language interpreter can be requested for public programming with at least two weeks' notice. Pets, including comfort and emotional support animals, are not allowed in the zoo or park buildings, though trained service animals are welcome. As always, confirm current hours, programs, and accessibility offerings on Olmsted County's official website before you go.