Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens history
Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens company history timeline
The Municipal Zoo opened in the Springfield neighborhood of Jacksonville, Florida on May 12, 1914.
The local zoo’s history dates all the way back to 1914, when it debuted as the Municipal Zoo within Henry J. Klutho Park – then known as Springfield Park – with its sole exhibit, a red deer fawn.
Jacksonville representatives quickly found that there was great interest in showing off the young, hooved animal. It all began with one red tail deer, the first exhibited animal in 1914.
“By 1915, the park had added a North American black bear, a grey fox, and a red fox,” says Alan Rost, current Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens registrar.
In 1915, a primate exhibit was created.
A move to the zoo’s current location on Trout River came in 1924 following “odor” complaints from neighbors.
Fortunately, city leaders recognized the danger to the animals and decided the park and its inhabitants needed to be moved. It was finally moved in 1924 to the location that it is still at today,” Rost says.
On July 19, 1925, the zoo moved to a 37.5-acre (152,000 m) site on the Trout River off Heckscher Drive in the city's Northside area.
The Zoo’s first major acquisition at the Trout River site came in 1926, with the purchase of a female Asian elephant, bought with funds raised by local schoolchildren.
Being born in St Lukes hospital in 1954, my first nine years of life were wondrous in a city not too small, and not too big.
The city formed a committee to develop a plan for putting the zoo back on the right path financially; by 1971, this committee evolved into the Jacksonville Zoological Society, a nonprofit organization that took over management of the zoo from the city.
A major redevelopment of the zoo began in 1992.
As part of the project, the zoo was renamed Jacksonville Zoological Gardens in 1993.
In the spring of 2003, the Jax Zoo investigated and could not find a current North American captive-born black jaguar that was not a descendant of Zorro.
Shortly after one final renaming, this time to Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, the zoo’s signature attraction, Range of the Jaguar, opened in 2004 as the country’s largest jaguar exhibit.
Shortly after one final renaming, this time to Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, the zoo’s signature attraction, Range of the Jaguar, opened in 2004 as the country’s largest jaguar exhibit. It won a 2005 exhibit of the year award from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
The zoo celebrated its 100-year anniversary in 2014 with the launch of its Land of the Tiger exhibit.
The Coastal is a local magazine in Jacksonville, FL, founded in 2015 to bring you stories about the past, present, and future of the First Coast.
A 300-pound sculpture was created by artist Melissa Russell and was dedicated in May of 2017, 103 years after a single deer helped create what is now a regional attraction.
In 2017, it added North Florida’s first critical care center for manatees.
Rate how well Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens lives up to its initial vision.
Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens jobs
Do you work at Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens?
Does Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens communicate its history to new hires?
Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Zoo | 1964 | $28.8M | 100 | 11 |
| Kansas City Zoo | 1909 | $17.0M | 192 | 29 |
| Dallas Zoo | - | $6.2M | 290 | 40 |
| Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden | 1904 | $6.9M | 61 | - |
| Cincinnati Zoo | 1875 | $49.4M | 484 | 11 |
| Cleveland Metroparks | 1917 | $13.0M | 139 | 38 |
| Columbus Zoo and Aquarium | 1927 | $73.3M | 682 | 25 |
| Zoo Atlanta | 1889 | $29.6M | 144 | 2 |
| Fossil Rim Wildlife Center | 1984 | $7.8M | 68 | 17 |
| Aztec Shops | 1932 | $64.0M | 750 | 15 |
Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens history FAQs
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens and its employees or that of Zippia.
Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens may also be known as or be related to Jacksonville Zoo And Gardens, Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens and The Jacksonville Zoological Society Inc.