Baton Rouge Zoo


The Baton Rouge Zoo is located 15 minutes north of downtown Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The zoo is owned and operated by the Recreation and Park Commission of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, and is home to over 800 animals from around the world. The Baton Rouge Zoo has been accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums since 1977—the first zoo in Louisiana to be accredited. The zoo lost its accreditation on March 26, 2018 due to infrastructure issues and animal escapes.
The zoo is open daily except on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day.
The zoo's mission is to connect people with animals & to play a role is saving wild animals in wild places.

History

A local WAFB TV personality by the name of "Buckskin" Bill ended his popular children's program in the 1950s and 1960s by saying "Baton Rouge needs a zoo." He helped rally the Baton Rouge community into supporting the zoo not only in passing the millage election to fund it but also in running a penny drive that raised over 600,000 pennies for the zoo's first two elephants. The zoo first opened to the public on Easter Sunday, 1970.

Exhibits

The zoo participates in more than 30 Species Survival Plans, including those for the eastern black rhinoceros, and golden lion tamarin which have been successfully reintroduced into the wild.
The zoo has education programs including outreach, reading programs, day camps, classes, teacher workshops, and demonstrations. Together these programs reach more than 45,000 children each year. The zoo also works with departments of the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine when conducting research.