Dallas Zoo is a 106-acre (43 ha) zoo located 3 miles (5 km) south of downtown Dallas,
Texas in Marsalis Park. Established in 1888, it is the oldest and largest zoological park in Texas and is managed by the non-profit Dallas Zoological Society. The zoo is home to 1,800 animals representing 406 species. Another 375 species of marine and freshwater animals are represented in The Dallas Aquarium at
Fair Park, which is also managed by the Dallas Zoological Society. The Dallas Zoo is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), and is a member of the
World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA). 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 it's current size. The zoo is divided into two major regions: ZooNorth and Wilds of
Africa. Zoo North 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. It includes Giants of the
Savanna, which was opened in 2010. On October 6, 2011 the Dallas Zoo received special recognition from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums for the Giants of the Savanna Habitat. The $32.5 million habitat is the first in
North America, as well as one of the first on the planet, to combine a variety of large species in a single exhibit in order to re-create the landscape of the African savanna.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.
