Zoos in Mississippi

Mississippi has a compact set of animal attractions, clustered around Jackson and Hattiesburg with a few outliers to the north. Hattiesburg Zoo sits in Kamper Park, occupies about 12 acres, and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Jackson Zoo, established in 1919, lies within the historic 110-acre Livingston Park and exhibits more than 120 species. Also in Jackson, the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science at LeFleur's Bluff State Park is a natural history museum with live animal exhibits rather than a traditional zoo. Tupelo Buffalo Park and Zoo spreads across 210 acres and began as a cattle ranch that added buffalo starting in 1997, and Wild Acres Hands on Animal Experience in McHenry organizes its visits around ticketed animal encounter tours.