From Animal Menagerie to World-Class Zoo
The Evolution of the Memphis Zoo
The idea for the Memphis Zoo began as early as 1904, when Col. Robert Galloway started lobbying for funds to build a home for a Southern black bear named Natch. The bear, who was the mascot of the Memphis Turtles baseball team, was being kept chained to a tree in Overton Park.
Natch was soon joined by several other abandoned wild animals, and Galloway presented the city with a plan to form a zoo to house them. After several unsuccessful attempts to begin a zoo, the Memphis Park Commission finally allocated $1,200 to establish the Memphis Zoo in 1906. Galloway was still using his own personal funds to care for the animals at the time, but he
promised the commission that money for an animal building and the purchase of large animals would be obtained through citizen support.
The Memphis Zoo Association (incorporated in 1910 as the Memphis Zoological Society) was formed to generate the funds. The group held its first fund-raising event, a baseball game, in August 1906 and raised $3,628. Combined with city funds, the money was used to build 23 simple cages and a row of concrete bear dens. Support continued, and in 1907 the first building at the Zoo, Galloway Hall, was built. In 1909 the Carnivora Building was built to house the big cats. The original elephant house, now part of the education complex, was also built in 1909.
In 1986 the Memphis Zoological Society commissioned a master plan for the Memphis Zoo. The plan, created by Design Consortium of New Orleans, has upgraded the 70-acre facility into one of the world’s first-class zoos with exhibits like Primate Canyon, Animals of the Night, Cat Country, Once Upon A Farm and Dragon’s Lair.
Today, the Memphis Zoo stands as a crown jewel for the city. It is Memphis’s highest attended attraction and is ranked the top zoo in the country by two independent surveys. The Zoo’s conservation programs circle the globe – from cooperative programs in China for giant pandas to local efforts to save the Louisiana pine snake. More than 90,000 children see the Zoo on annual field trips and more than 100,000 people visit on free admission every year.
Key Dates in Zoo Development
- 1906 - The Memphis Park Commission allocates $1,200 to establish the Memphis Zoo on April 4. Spearheaded by Col. Galloway, $3,628 is used to build 23 simple cages and a row of concrete bear dens in August.
- 1907 - Galloway Hall*
- 1909 - Carnivora Building^
- 1910 - Elephant House^
- 1916 - Botanical Display Building^
- 1923 - Round Barn
- 1936 - Monkey Island*
- 1959 - Aquarium
- 1960 - Herpetarium, Pachyderm/Elephant exhibit
- 1979 - Aquarium major renovations
- 1990 - Avenue of the Animals/Zoo entrance
- 1993 - Cat Country, Education Complex, Discovery Center and Elephant’s Trunk Zoo Shop
- 1994 - Cat House Café
- 1995 - Animals of the Night, Once Upon A Farm, Primate Canyon.
- 1996 - Primate Picnic Pavilion
- 1997 - Nutrition Center, Maintenance complex, Butterflies
- 1998 - Dragon’s Lair
- 1998 - Animal Hospital
- 2002 - CHINA
- 2004 - Animal Nursery
- 2006 - Northwest Passage
- 2007 - Butterflies renovation
- 2008 - Teton Trek construction begin
* no longer exists
^ structure renovated for new use