Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium history

Niches of the World, an underground indoor exhibit, reopened its doors in 1992 as the home for reptiles, amphibians, and small animals.

The Pittsburgh Zoo was operated by the Department of Parks & Recreation until 1994.

Another massive renovation followed shortly thereafter in 2000 with the $17.4 million state-of-the-art update to the aquarium, doubling the number of aquatic animals at the Zoo and then partnering with PPG to name the Aquarium.

The Membrane Filtration Plant went online in the summer of 2002 to avoid covering Highland One and has the capacity to produce 20 million gallons of water per day.

The gardens were restored in partnership with the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy in in 2005.

In 2006, the Zoological Society opened the International Conservation Center, an off-site, 724-acre research and conservation facility dedicated to the African elephant in Somerset, Pennsylvania.

Water’s Edge, a thematic neighborhood with the ambiance of a small coastal fishing village, opened at the Zoo in 2007.

In 2015, the Zoo unveiled The Islands, a 22,000-square-foot exhibit that offers an immersive island atmosphere with cascading waterfalls, ponds, and the unique sounds of endangered animals.

In 2017, the Zoo opened Jungle Odyssey, featuring five new animal exhibits including fossas, capybaras, ocelots, giant anteaters, and a pygmy hippo set amongst jungle foliage.