Discover the Wilds of Africa at the Dallas Zoo

Nov 06, 2025 0

The Dallas Zoo, also called the Dallas Zoological Park, is a sprawling 106-acre (43 ha) zoo located just 3 miles (5 km) south of downtown Dallas, Texas, in Marsalis Park. Established in 1888, it proudly holds the title of the oldest and largest zoological park in Texas.

Managed by the non-profit Dallas Zoological Society, the zoo has seen a surge in attendance in recent years, making it a must-visit destination for animal lovers of all ages.

A Journey Through Time

The zoo was established in 1888. The zoo's first purchase was two deer and two mountain lions for $60 from a private seller in Colorado City, Colorado. The animals were placed in pens and put on display in City Park.

In the 1890s, the Dallas City Council approved funding for the zoo and more animals were purchased and added to the zoo's collection. The zoo called City Park home until 1910, when it was relocated to Fair Park. In 1912, the zoo moved to 36 acres (15 ha) in Marsalis Park which the city had purchased in 1909, from which it has expanded to its current size.

Under the leadership of Zoo Commissioner William H. Atwell, the zoo acquired many more animals as well as exhibits. In the 1920s, a special Zoo Commission was created by the city and the collection was further developed with the acquisition of numerous specimens from game hunter and trapper Frank Buck.

By the 1960s, the zoo was a popular and profitable attraction. In 1966, the zoo displayed over five hundred species of animals. However, by the 1980s, attitudes began to change from the profit-driven display of animals towards scientific research and the humane treatment of animals strongly advocated by the AZA.

More emphasis was put on saving endangered species, partly by breeding animals in captivity. The Dallas Zoo cooperated with this program and was accredited in 1985. Around the same time, Zoo Director Warren J. Iliff proposed an addition to be known as the Wilds of Africa. Herbert W. Reimer, a New York architect, designed the Wilds of Africa with a "zoogeographic grouping" of African animals.

In addition to a nature trail, he further envisioned a slow moving monorail that visitors could ride and observe as if on safari. On June 14, 1996, rail and bus service arrived at the zoo.

Dallas Zoo station opened on the first phase of the Red Line. On September 3, 2008, the zoo announced it had received the largest gift in its 120-year history, a $5 million donation from Harold Simmons. On August 12, 2009, the Dallas City Council voted unanimously to turn the zoo over to private management.

Exploring the Dallas Zoo: ZooNorth and Wilds of Africa

The zoo is divided into two major regions: ZooNorth and Wilds of Africa. ZooNorth is the original and oldest section of the zoo. The Wilds of Africa region was constructed seventy-eight years after ZooNorth and is accessed from ZooNorth via a tunnel beneath Clarendon Drive.

Read also: Amazing Facts About Africa

It includes Giants of the Savanna, which was opened in 2010. Visitors can download the Dallas Zoo iPhone app to assist them in navigating the zoo. The zoo app is free and provides information about hours, admission, parking, directions, animals, membership, educational programs, and special events, as well as maps.

ZooNorth: The Original Zoo Section

ZooNorth is the original and oldest section of the zoo. It features a wide range of exhibits including the Otter Outpost, Galápagos tortoises, Lacerte Family Children's Zoo, and Bug U!.

Other habitats at ZooNorth include Wings of Wonder (featuring Ruppell’s Griffon Vulture, Andean Condor, King Vulture, African Fish Eagle, Harpy Eagle, Red-Legged Seriema,) Sumatran Tigers, Sloth, Toucan, Maned Wolf, Tamarin Treetops, Capybara, Clouded Leopard, Forest Tortoise and the Flamingo Pond.

The Hill, one of the original parts of the zoo, was closed as many of the animals there were moved to the new Giants of the Savanna exhibit. The Wildlife Amphitheater is home to SOAR! A Festival of Flight. Primate Place features monkeys, with species from Africa and South America. ZooNorth is also home to the Pierre A.

The ExxonMobil Endangered Tiger Habitat is a 2-acre (0.81 ha), $4.5 million habitat that opened on May 8, 1999, and resembles a forest in the process of regrowth after logging. A glass viewing area and pathways allow the visitor to observe Sumatran tigers and Malayan tigers.

Read also: Discover Thula Thula

The tigers' lush exhibits feature sun and shade, shallow pools with deep channels, running streams with hot rocks, perching rocks, and climbing/clawing trees. The observation area of the exhibit consists of two buildings; House of Tiger and House of Man, designed in the Thai pole house style.

The Lacerte Family Children's Zoo in ZooNorth is home to the Nature Exchange, the JC Penney Discovery House, the UnderZone, a petting zoo, and pony rides. An exhibit that teaches children about the zoo's extensive collection of invertebrates (i.e.

Wilds of Africa: A Safari Experience

The other half of the zoo is the Wilds of Africa. Opened in 1990, it was the first exhibit to feature all of the major habitats of Africa. Visitors can visit the rain forests, mountains, woodlands, rivers, deserts, and bush of Africa.

The Nature Trail takes visitors through the rain forest past two large, naturalistic gorilla habitats. Nile crocodiles, wattled cranes, and a few other animals are seen before the Forest Aviary. In the middle of the forest is the Kopje, home to klipspringers.

The rain forest/watering hole is also home to hippopotamus and okapi, which the zoo, in the case of the latter, is famous for in both its breeding and research. Penguin Cove is home to about a dozen African penguins.

The 19,000 sq ft (1,800 m2) Kimberly-Clark Chimpanzee Forest exhibit opened in 1997. Visitors can observe the chimpanzees from the open air viewing station or from the floor-to-ceiling observation windows. Chimpanzee Forest features a waterfall, stream, climbing structures, trees and rocks that are heated in the winter and cooled in the summer.

Another feature is an artificial termite mound where the chimpanzees can fish with long sticks for special treats, such as peanut butter and honey. Originally opened in 1990, the Gorilla Research Center is a 2-acre (0.81 ha) habitat featuring a lush naturalistic landscape.

The habitat was designed in a way that encourages the gorillas to roam freely in an environment that replicates, as closely as possible, their native equatorial forest habitat. The exhibit includes two areas, separated by a wall, which provide enough room for two gorilla troops.

The visitor's center is known as the Gorilla Research Station. It features high vantage points and floor-to-ceiling windows where visitors can view both troop habitats and have their questions answered by on site gorilla guides. The habitat is currently home to two troops of western gorillas; a bachelor troop and a family troop.

At Crocodile Isle, you can get a close-up view of Nile crocodiles through glass.

Phase II of the Wilds of Africa, Giants of the Savanna, opened on May 28, 2010. This is an 11-acre (4.5 ha) expansion to the current Wilds of Africa, and features six female and two male African bush elephants, a large herd of reticulated giraffes, African lions, South African cheetahs, impala, ostriches, vulturine guineafowl, Grant's zebras, black rhinos, warthogs, red river hogs and the newest attraction, African wild dogs.

Visitors have the opportunity to feed lettuce leaves and rye crackers to the herd of giraffe at the Giraffe Feeding Station. Five of the eleven acres are dedicated to the eight African bush elephants; Jenny, Gypsy, Kamba, Congo, Tendaji, Mlilo, Zola, and Okubili (Ajabu died in May 2023).

The elephants' facilities are state of the art with padded floors and a community room with seven feet of dirt that allows the pachyderms to indulge their natural inclination for digging. Also in the exhibit is a pride of four lions and an African painted dog pack.

On October 6, 2011, the zoo received special recognition from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums for the Giants of the Savanna Habitat.

Conservation and Sustainability Efforts

The zoo is highly proactive in species preservation and conservation efforts and participates in over 40 Species Survival Plans (SSP) with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

The zoo supports many conservation projects including Okapi Conservation - Epulu Research Station, Zaire, International Rhino Foundation, Chimp Haven, Bushmeat Crisis Task Force, Gray's Monitor Lizard In The Philippines, Taxon Advisory Groups (Tag), Bowling For Rhinos, and the Thailand Hornbill Project - Adopt A Hornbill Nest.

In addition to conservation, sustainability efforts by the zoo include growing bamboo and cabbage to function as part of the landscape aesthetic throughout the zoo. The zoo collects and recycles cell phones through a program called ECO-CELL.

The objective of both the zoo and ECO-CELL is to reduce coltan mining. Coltan is a raw material used in the manufacturing process of cell phones and it is mined almost exclusively in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The mining results in a loss of habitat for gorillas, elephants, okapi and many others.

Special Events and Attractions

Zoo To Do is the zoo's annual fundraising gala. Dollar Day at the zoo is held one day in July and one day in November. The zoo shows its appreciation to the community for its support with $1 admission all day. Zoo Lights is the zoo's Christmas celebration event. Visitors can drive through a one-mile long trail that has over one million lights.

In Spring 2017, hippos returned to the zoo for the first time since the death of their last hippo 15 years back with the opening of Simmons Hippo Outpost. In February 2016 ground was broken on the $13.5 million, 3.5 acre immersive habitat that houses four Nile hippos; one male (Gus) and three females (Boipelo, Addy, and Kalo).

The Dallas Zoo Conservation Education & Science Center is a proposed 70,400 sq ft (6,540 m2) facility that will be located adjacent to ZooNorth. The facility will be a teaching laboratory for conservation of the world ecology systems and will be LEED certified silver level category.

It will include research, teaching and interpretive facilities, and will become the new entrance to the zoo. The nearest DART station is Dallas Zoo on the Red Line.

Visitor Information

Open year-round, the Dallas Zoo offers various amenities including dining options, gift shops, and a children’s zoo.

The Dallas Zoo is conveniently situated at 650 South R.L. Thornton Freeway, just minutes from downtown Dallas.

Welcome to every young animal lover's paradise! This interactive zone transforms children from observers into explorers. Little ones can follow stroller-friendly paths to meet gentle Nigerian dwarf goats, learn about native Texas wildlife, and participate in daily animal encounters.

The Nature Exchange turns your kids into citizen scientists, allowing them to trade natural items like feathers and rocks for points while learning about each specimen. Plan for at least 45 minutes here, though many families spend much longer exploring all the hands-on activities.

The zoo comes alive with special programming throughout the year. The dazzling Dallas Zoo Lights (mid-November through early January) transform evening visits into magical experiences with over one million synchronized lights, animated displays, and seasonal treats.

Walking paths are stroller and wheelchair accessible, with dedicated viewing areas for families. Zoo members enjoy unlimited visits, exclusive morning hours, and special event discounts throughout the year.

Not a zoo member? No problem! Dallas CityPASS® tickets provide significant savings on zoo admission, plus other popular Dallas attractions. All restaurants offer healthy options and accommodate common dietary restrictions.

Backstage Safari Experience

Groups: The maximum group size is 10. The minimum group size for the tour to operate is two.

Accessibility: Backstage Safari will require participants to use stairs and steps and to walk, bend and stoop for portions of the experience.

Cancellation Policy: The Dallas Zoo’s Backstage Safari is a very popular program with limited availability. It is an outdoor, all-weather event, and the Dallas Zoo reserves the right to cancel or modify the program for any reason, including inclement weather, animal health, and/or safety concerns.

In the event of a weather cancellation, the Dallas Zoo will notify participants as early as possible, but no later than two hours prior to their scheduled program. Every effort will be made to reschedule your Backstage Safari for a later date. Participants canceling more than seven days from their scheduled program will be refunded their full payment, minus a $25 cancellation fee per person.