About Us
About San Antonio Zoo
San Antonio Zoo®, operated by San Antonio Zoological Society, is a non-profit organization committed to securing a future for wildlife. Through its passion and expertise in animal care, conservation, and education, the zoo’s mission is to inspire its community to love, engage with, act for and protect animals and the places they live. The zoo welcomes more than a million visitors each year and is open year-round. San Antonio Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the Zoological Association of America, and Humane Certified by American Humane.
It starts with the heart. We are the stewards of our planet and it’s animals. Through the stories, connections and interactions we make between guests and each other, we will inspire others to care.
The spark forms a flame. Our hope is to see guests and zoo crew become advocates for wildlife, carrying the torch for conservation and education and lighting the way for others around them.
Turning passion into action. We invite others to join us in our mission, investing their time, resources and talents in the work of securing a future for wildlife.
Multiplying the mission. Our aim is to see guests and zoo crew own the mission for themselves, becoming partners with us in a shared vision.
San Antonio Zoo Annual Report
San Antonio Zoo released its 2017 Annual Report which detailed the zoo’s global conservation impact in addition to its economic impact to the City of San Antonio and Bexar County. Last year, the zoo welcomed 1.14 million visitors while generating close to $33 million in revenue and having an overall impact on the economy of $108.6 million. Compared to the zoo’s 2016 economic impact, this $23 million increase speaks volumes to the support San Antonio Zoo has received from the community. As a non-profit, the zoo garnered over $11 million in contributions and grants.
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San Antonio Zoo History
San Antonio’s first zoo consisted of a collection of animals assembled in San Pedro Park in the 1800s. In 1914, Colonel George W. Brackenridge, one of the city’s leading citizens and founder of the San Antonio Express-News, placed buffalo, elk, deer, monkeys, a pair of lions, and four bears on land he had deeded over to the city in what is now known as Brackenridge Park. This collection became the San Antonio Zoo.
In November 1929, two of the first cageless exhibits in America–the Barless Bear Terraces and the Primate Paradise–opened, offering visitors unprecedented views of animals. When the Richard Friedrich Aquarium was dedicated in 1948, it was described in the local press as “the world’s greatest.” The Hixon Bird House, funded through the efforts of Colonel Frederick C. Hixon, opened in 1966, featuring a simulated tropical rain forest and free-flying birds. The zoo’s bird collection is now one of the world’s largest.
The zoo is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and is home to a wide variety of animals representing 750 species on 56 acres, of which 34 acres are public pathways. More than 1,000,000 guests visit the San Antonio Zoo annually – 13,155 of those being children participating in education programs and 80,000 school children coming on field trips.
MAKE YOUR ZOO VISIT AN ADVENTURE.
FUN DAY TICKET
Save $2 Online
Enhance your zoo experience with our Fun Day Ticket, which includes your standard admission, one train ride, one carousel ride, and a lorikeet feed.
BECOME A MEMBER
$38 per person
There's always something new to see at the zoo. Each year is packed with events and exciting additions. Don't miss out on all the fun of being a member.
