Minnesota Zoo

Minnesota Zoo
Map
44°46′07″N 93°11′56″W / 44.76861°N 93.19889°W / 44.76861; -93.19889
Date openedMay 22, 1978[1]
LocationApple Valley, Minnesota, United States
Land area485 acres (196 ha)
No. of animals4,509 (2019)[2]
No. of species505 (2019)[2]
Total volume of tanks1,100,000 US gallons (4,200,000 L)
Annual visitors1.3 million (2019)[3]
MembershipsAZA,[4] WAZA[5]
Major exhibitsDiscovery Bay, Family Farm, Grizzly Coast, Minnesota Trail, Northern Trail, Tropics Trail
Public transit accessBus interchange MVTA[6]
Websitewww.mnzoo.org

The Minnesota Zoo (formerly the Minnesota Zoological Garden) is an AZA-accredited zoo in Apple Valley, Minnesota. The zoo is one of two state-supported zoos in the United States, with the other being the North Carolina Zoo.[7] When it opened on May 22, 1978,[1] it was fairly revolutionary in its exhibit design. The zoo, built in a suburbanizing rural area, had more space to house exhibits and was one of the first zoos to organize its animals by their living environment as opposed to their species.

The Minnesota Zoo is a state agency. This differs from other zoos in Minnesota and most others in the United States, which are run by municipalities or private organizations. The Minnesota Zoo charges admission and sells annual memberships. The zoo is also home to a high school, the School of Environmental Studies.

  1. ^ a b "History & Timeline". www.mnzoo.org. 2023. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
  2. ^ a b "The Minnesota Zoo at a Glance". www.mnzoo.org. 2023. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference zoo_animals was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference aza_list was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference waza_list was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "About Us". www.mnzoo.org. 2023. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
  7. ^ Matt Hickman (April 2022). "The Minnesota Zoo kicks off transformation of defunct monorail track into elevated pedestrian loop". The Architect's Newspaper.