Zoo Atlanta

Built in 1889, Zoo Atlanta is one of the oldest established recreational facilities in Atlanta. It bears the distinction of having achieved 110 years of continuous operation in the same facility. Each year, nearly one million visitors pass through the gates of Zoo Atlanta making it the most visited nonprofit attraction in the city. In 1985, almost one hundred years later, the Authority entered into an agreement with the City of Atlanta and Fulton County to equip, maintain, and operate the Zoo. The agreement also positioned the Authority to make additions, deletions, and modifications to the lease agreement and to issue revenue bonds to finance improvements.

The year 2005 proved to be exciting for Zoo Atlanta. On April 16, 2005, the Zoo opened a new indoor exhibit called the Living Treehouse. This open-air aviary is home to drill monkeys, Mona monkeys, lemurs and 15 species of colorful birds. The exhibit helps to increase awareness about the role of trees in the environment. In late 2005, the Zoo experienced the birth of three Western lowland gorillas, including a rare set of twins and the late Willie B.’s second generation offspring.

Notable Facts about Zoo Atlanta:

The fifth United States giant panda cub birth occurred at
Zoo Atlanta in 2006;
It is one of only four zoos in the United States to house
and study pandas;
It is home to the only successful breeding group of drill monkeys in the nation with nine mother-reared offspring;
It is a Zoo in which the one million visitors per year attendance mark was surpassed in the year 2000.