Oakland Zoo

9777 Golf Links Rd, Oakland, CA 94605, United States

The Oakland Zoo is a zoo located in the Grass Valley neighborhood of Oakland, California , USA. Established in 1922, it is administered by the Conservation Society of California, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of wildlife both locally and globally. The Zoo is home to more than 700 native and exotic animals. It is recognized for its outstanding animal care , particularly its elephant care program, and its Leed Certified, 17,000 square foot, state-of-the-art veterinary hospital — the largest wildlife veterinary facility in Northern California.

The naturalist Henry A. Snow established the Oakland Zoo in 1922 at 19th St and Harrison St in downtown Oakland. Snow Park now occupies the first home of the zoo. Over the years, the zoo has moved several times: to Sequoia Park, to Joaquin Miller Park, and finally to Durant Park in 1939. Under Joseph R. Knowland, Chairman of the California State Park Commission, California bought the land and in 1950 renamed the park to Joseph Knowland State Arboretum and Park.

California Trail represents $70 million out of $81 million in multi-phase Zoo development. Guests will travel to the Trail via an aerial gondola from the existing zoo. Along the trail there are various animals, such as American bison, American black bears, California condors, eagles, gray wolves, grizzly bears, jaguars and mountain lions. Half-acre California Kids' Zone introduces young children and their families to California's wildlife and habitats through themed play structures.

Inside an interpretive center with a wall-length window into a grizzly habitat, visitors explore California 's diverse habitats, step into the shoes of conservation researchers, and find their place as a member of a community of people acting for California 's wildlife.

The 3-acre (12,000 m2) Valley Children's Zoo opened in the summer of 2005 with spacious new animal exhibits and lots of interactive children's play-structures. Ring-tailed lemurs, century-old Aldabra tortoises, interactive Goat and Sheep Contact Yard along with river otters can be found in the Children's Zoo. The popular American alligators, the bats, the pot-bellied pigs, the Old World rabbits along with the Bug Room, and the Reptile and Amphibian Discovery Room are also in the Children's Zoo. One of the most interesting and popular features of smaller children is the brass insects embedded in concrete walkways that have been installed as a form of public art.

A number of new exhibits have been created, including those for hamadryas baboons and chimpanzees. A new, spacious elephant display was built in 1987. The current sun bear exhibition was completed in 1995 and featured on the Animal Planet "Ultimate Zoos." The white-handed gibbons now live on a lush island in the heart of the Rainforest. The African Savannah, with camels, lions, elephants, sea cats, hyenas and more, was completed in 1998.

The Education Center opened its new doors in 1999, followed by a new main entrance soon after the summer of 2001. A new squirrel monkey exhibition opened in the autumn of 2001, along with a larger, newly renovated tiger exhibit. In the spring of 2007, the four dromedary camels were moved uphill from their old enclosure to a larger, fenced enclosure.