Follow along the zoo’s journey dating back to 1900! The zoo has undergone multiple ownership over the years, housed various animals, but one thing remains constant: providing a happy healthy home for our animals, and engaging and inspiring our community to understand and preserve wildlife.

1937

A permanent zoo in Warner Park is established with the construction of 4’x6’ cage for two Rhesus Monkeys.

1940's

By 1942, increased animal acquisitions make the Zoo one of Chattanooga's favorite attractions. The collection includes lions, buffalo, alligators, and bobcats. The primary objective of the Zoo in this era is entertainment.

1960's

After thirty years without significant change, plans are made to shift the Zoo's focus to a petting zoo environment. Zooville opens in spring 1969 featuring goats, sheep, and other domestic farm animals.

1970's

Conditions begin to rapidly deteriorate at the aging facility. On a national scale, zoos begin to shift toward natural habitat exhibits and conservation education.

1980's

Public opinion is strongly voiced about the conditions that the animals are being housed in. There is a consensus that the Zoo should either be improved or closed. A support group is formed called Friends of the Zoo (FOZ) and private donations are sought to help with improvements. The zoo staff is increased, and for the first time, professionalism is stressed. There is also a movement toward attaining accreditation with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Facility renovations begin and educational programming is initiated.

1990's

The Zoo’s Master Plan is revitalized towards more education opportunities in 1993, a new jaguar exhibit opened in 1996, and the Zoo received its accreditation with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) for the first time in 1998. The completion of a new exhibit for Spider Monkeys followed soon after.

2000-2005

The Zoo Master Plan underwent a comprehensive update to expand the Zoo from 5 acres to 12 acres. Phase 1 construction began in the fall of 2000. The $1.9 million Gombe Forest chimpanzee exhibit opened to great acclaim in 2001. In 2002, the African Aviary and Misunderstood Marvels exhibits are completed and opened. The Zoo received accreditation with the AZA again for a new five-year term in 2003 and the Warner Park Ranch exhibit opened. The Himalayan Passage, the largest indoor Red Panda facility in the country, opened in August of 2004. In 2005, the Cougar Express was built to house two confiscated Cougars and Friends of the Zoo celebrated 20 years of progress and growth.

2006-2010

In 2006, the second phase of Himalayan Passage was completed with new exhibits for Snow Leopards and Hanuman Langurs. Later in the year, a fire destroyed the Zoo Education Center and the rebuild took place a year later. In 2007, work began on the Zoo's new entrance complex on Holtzclaw Avenue. A new $4.2 million entrance complex opened on the eastern boundary of Warner Park in 2008 featuring a new gift shop, ticketing area, concessions pavilion, a hand-carved endangered animal carousel, and solid steel chimpanzee sculptures were placed in the front entrance pavilion through partnerships with the Benwood Foundation and the Chattanooga Public Arts Initiative. The Zoo expanded its overall property by 35% and received AZA accreditation for a third time in 2008. In 2009, a bronze sculpture installation of a life-size Cougar is placed in the Zoo’s front entrance pavilion and in 2010, the Corcovado Jungle exhibit opened and Chattanooga is introduced to Jaguar brothers, Phil and Gene.

2011-2012

In 2011, Chattanooga’s beloved chimpanzee, Hank, passed away and was honored a year later with a sculpture placed in Gombe Forest. Snow Leopard parents Czar and Kasimir gave birth to a girl cub, Renji, in 2011 and to twins Maliha and Everest in 2012. In 2012, the Chattanooga Zoo celebrated its 75th Anniversary, opened the new Deserts of the World exhibit, opened up a new camel ride attraction offering rides to zoo visitors and announced the exciting discovery of a subspecies turtle never before documented in the state of Tennessee, the Gulf Coast Spiny Softshell turtle.

2013-2015

In 2013, the Zoo acquired many new animals including 5-month old cougar cubs, black-crested managbeys, red pandas, and more, opened the Forests of the World exhibit building, partnered with Lee University and the Nashville Zoo to host the 6th Biennial Hellbender Symposium, and was once again received its accreditation from the AZA. In 2014, the Zoo partnered with students and faculty at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga’s Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and College of Engineering to renovate the Zoo’s existing Prairie Dog exhibit. In 2015, the zoo continued to acquire more animals including a group of seven new chimpanzees donated from the Yerkes National Primate Research Center at Emory University. 2015 was a record breaking year for the Zoo with an annual attendance of 200,352 visitors, making it the most visitors in the Zoo’s 78-year history.

2016

In 2016, the Zoo announced the continued growth of its animal collection and offerings to the community, and acquired numerous animals to develop the zoo’s animal ambassador program including six domestic chicks, multiple species of tortoises, and more. In addition to the growth of its animal collection, the Zoo renovated and expanded its Naked Mole Rat exhibit. To help offset the additional expenses of an expanding animal collection and staff, the Zoo announced increased admission and membership pricing beginning June 1, 2016. That summer, the Zoo proudly presented its inaugural kid’s summer event, the Ice Cream Safari and announced the first time birth of two male red panda cubs at the Chattanooga Zoo. At the end of the year, the Zoo announced it has surpassed its all-time annual attendance and in 2016, the Zoo attracted a total of 249,928 visitors.

2017

The Zoo kicked off 2017 with the announcement of the Kits and Cubs Program, which is a unique early childhood learning program designed specifically for the youngest of animal lovers. The Zoo partnered with Service Systems Associates (SSA), a national leader in culinary and retail management in cultural attractions, as its exclusive culinary and retail provider in order to boost guest experience. In addition, the Zoo announced the first birth of critically endangered pied tamarins in May, and broke ground to expand the Corcovado Jungle exhibit adding six new outdoor and six new indoor exhibits to house small South American monkeys and mammals in June. The La Selva Amazonica exhibit opening is set for Fall 2017. The Zoo also launched the first annual Beastly Feast which is an after-hours event dedicated to animal enrichment. Guests are provided an opportunity to enjoy the Zoo’s animals displaying their naturalistic behaviors while enjoying select beer and wine. To close out 2017 the Zoo was awarded the green|light certification from local nonprofit green|spaces. The certification is awarded to organizations that have taken sustainability measures and environmental stewardship initiatives like recycling, energy conservation, purchasing and cost savings, and more!

2018

The Zoo kicked off 2018 with record breaking attendance both during a single day and during an event weekend. Hug A Bunny March 30th and 31st hosted a whopping 11,712 guests; as well as Saturday, March 31st welcomed 6,856 visitors in one day! In July the Zoo welcomed a new Golden Lion Tamarin infant born to first time parents Fuego and Caliente. With as few as 500 Golden Lion Tamarins left in the wild, this was a huge success for GLT conservation. Summer of 2018 the Zoo opened a new komodo dragon breeding facility and additional outdoor exhibit space. The Zoo’s komodo dragons were matched as an ideal breeding pair by the Species Survival Plan (SSP), so this expansion provides a safe haven for breeding, a place for the expectant mother to nest, and the potential offspring to be monitored by zookeepers and veterinarians. The Zoo closed out 2018 by breaking ground on a new expansion to the Corcovado Jungle, and welcomed its first Giant Anteater February or 2019.

2019

In addition to welcoming Betsy the Giant Anteater in February, the Zoo broke ground for the new Africa expansion in March of 2019. Phase I of the African Expansion is set to include the construction of a guest-friendly state of the art giraffe barn and an approximately 4,000 square foot outdoor giraffe lawn. With weather permitting, Phase I of this expansion is set to open in late 2019. In April of 2019 the Zoo became certified by KultureCity to be sensory inclusive by providing sensory bags, built a sensory room for guests to have a moment of quiet, and posted signage for possible overly-sensory areas around the Zoo. In April the Zoo also announced the opening of Nature Play, an outdoor playground for visitors to enjoy physical activity while connecting to nature and wildlife. On August 4th the Zoo announced the successful hatching of three baby komodo dragons. Through a process called parthenogenesis, our female komodo dragon Charlie was able to produce the offspring without fertilization from Kadal. This is a rare process, but has been reported to occur by other zoological institutions. In September the Zoo introduced its newest reZOOdents, white-cheeked gibbons Mason and Julius! The bonded pair reside in the Himalayan Passage, and quickly swung into the hearts of Zoo staff and guests alike.

2020

2020 provided the Chattanooga Zoo with a fair share of challenges and triumphs. In February, the Zoo announced the birth of two meerkat pups to proud mother Flower. They were named Kgalagadi (hah-luh-hah-dee) and Mokala (moh-kah-lah) after two South African national parks. On March 18th, the Zoo closed its gates for COVID-19 and re-opened May 9th with a limited amount of reservable timed tickets, a one-way route, limited access to closed spaces and high-contact areas, as well as mask and social distancing requirements. May was a busy month for the Zoo, welcoming a second round of meerkat pups - Oleander and Dahlia. Proud mother Flower can be seen with her meerkat mob everyday in the Deserts of the World Building! Shortly thereafter, the Zoo welcomed three male giraffes to the Makazi ya Twiga expansion. George, Porter, and Hardee Star have quickly become Zoo celebrities with feeding opportunities every weekend (weather permitting). In addition to the three giraffe bulls, Makazi ya Twiga has added two adorable blue duikers (Poppy and Branch) as well as two beautiful violet turacos, two incredible superb starlings, and a stunning blue-bellied roller. The Zoo also launched ZooCare, a unique educational program for those participating in virtual learning for the 2020-2021 school year. During September and October the Zoo offered Safari Nights, a fun opportunity for guests to enjoy the Zoo a little longer by extended hours every Thursday and offering select beers and giraffe feedings. To close out 2020, the Zoo launched the Red Panda Rising campaign - an initiative focused on renovating the outdoor red panda exhibit in 2021.

2021

After just a year at the Chattanooga Zoo, our giraffes George, Porter and Hardee star continue to flourish and grow. The Hiwassee Hellbender Research and Education Facility opened in an effort to continue the Zoo's conservation efforts. Eagle Scouts constructed platforms for our cougars and snow leopards as well as a new outdoor area for our Bali mynahs.

2022

The Red Panda Rising exhibit opened in early winter - perfect timing to see Avi and Willa slowly venture outside to explore their larger, elevated space. Hank's Heroes legacy program was established as a way to honor donors who contribute to this special fund. Lots more is on the horizon for this year!