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|logo=LRZoologo.png
|logo_width=245px
|image=MuleriderOnTheRoad LittleRock Zoo 7636 (2) (12293347083).jpg
|image_caption=Little Rock Zoo Entrance
|location=[[Little Rock, Arkansas|Little Rock]], [[Arkansas]], United States
|coordinates={{coord|34.7464|-92.3321|type:landmark_region:US-AR|display=inline,title}}
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|num_animals=725 <ref name="zoo_history"/>
|num_species=200 <ref name="zoo_history"/>
|annual_visitors=307,437<ref>{{cite web |title=Zoo Sees Largest Gate Attendance in 10 Years |date=19 January 2012 |url=https://katv.com/archive/zoo-sees-largest-gate-attendance-in-10-years |publisher=KATV}}</ref>
|members=[[Association of Zoos and Aquariums|AZA]]<ref name="aza_list"/>
|website=http://www.littlerockzoo.com
}}
 
The '''Little Rock Zoo''' was founded in 19261924 and is located in [[Little Rock, Arkansas]], [[United States]]. It is home to more than 725400 animals representing over 200 [[species]], and covers an area of {{convert|33|acre|ha}}. The Arkansas Zoological Foundation is a private 501 c (3) organization that raises funds for zoo development.<ref name="zoo_history"/> The Little Rock Zoo is a department of the city of Little Rock. It is the largest zoo in Arkansas, and the only Arkansas zoo accredited by the [[Association of Zoos and Aquariums]] (AZA).<ref name="zoo_history"/>
 
==History==
[[File:Little Rock municipal zoo, Little Rock, Arkansas.jpg|thumb|left|Little Rock Municipal Zoo, c. 1930-1945]]
The Little Rock Zoo was started in 1926 with only two animals: an abandoned timber wolf and a circus-trained bear. Over the years it has grown to include 725 animals representing more than 200 species.<ref name="zoo_history"/> The first buildings at the zoo were made of local stone and built by the [[Works Progress Administration]] (WPA). These buildings were built in the 1930s and were home to primates, reptiles, birds, and big cats. They are still in use, and the cat house was renovated into a restaurant with the feel of an African style lodge.<ref name="zoo_history"/> The big cat exhibit was built in the 1980s along with other exhibits for great [[ape]]s, crocodiles, alligators, sloth bears, and river otters.▼
The Little Rock Zoo was started in 1924 when then Mayor Brickhouse established a zoo commission to begin work creating a municipal zoo. Over the years it has grown to include 400 animals representing more than 200 species.<ref name="zoo_history"/>
 
▲The Little Rock Zoo was started in 1926 with only two animals: an abandoned timber wolf and a circus-trained bear. Over the years it has grown to include 725 animals representing more than 200 species.<ref name="zoo_history"/> The first buildings at the zoo were made of local stone and built by the [[Works Progress Administration]] (WPA). These buildings were built in the 1930s and were home to primates, reptiles, birds, and big cats. They are still in use, and the cat house was renovated into a restaurant with the feel of an African style lodge.<ref name="zoo_history"/> The big cat exhibit was built in the 1980s along with other exhibits for great [[great ape]]s, crocodiles, alligators, sloth bears, and river otters.
Lemur island opened in the 1990s, and an African Lion Exhibit was also added at this time, as well as the Civitan Pavilion for special events and the Civitan Amphitheater for educational programming.<ref name="zoo_history"/> The zoo acquired a children’s farm with an interactive contact yard and train station. In 2001 the board of directors approved a new Zoo Master Plan, which included a new African Veldt Exhibit. The newly restored Over the Jumps [[carousel]], a fully restored antique carousel, made its home at the Little Rock Zoo in the October 2007. An African penguin exhibit, Laura P. Nichols Penguin Pointe, opened on March 5, 2011. The Laura P. Nichols Cheetah Outpost opened on July 7, 2012. The Arkansas Heritage Farm opened on April 2, 2016.▼
 
▲Lemur islandIsland opened in the 1990s, and an African Lion Exhibit was also added at this time, as well as the Civitan Pavilion for special events and the Civitan Amphitheater for educational programming.<ref name="zoo_history"/> The zoo acquired a children’schildren's farm with an interactive contact yard and train station. In 2001 the board of directors approved a new Zoo Master Plan, which included a new African Veldt Exhibit. The newly restored Over the Jumps [[carousel]], a fully restored antique carousel, made its home at the Little Rock Zoo in the October 2007. An African penguin exhibit, Laura P. Nichols Penguin Pointe, opened on March 5, 2011. The Laura P. Nichols Cheetah Outpost opened on July 7, 2012. The Arkansas Heritage Farm opened on April 2, 2016. The Zoo added the Conservation Learning Center in 2020 and a new Colobus habitat and serval habitat in 2021.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hennelly |first1=Conor J. |title=Little Rock Zoo |url=https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/little-rock-zoo-2301/ |publisher=Encyclopedia of Arkansas}}</ref>
 
==Exhibits==
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The entrance to the zoo includes the "Over-The-Jumps" Carousel, the Animal Shows Amphitheater, and Lorikeet Landing, where visitors can see and feed [[rainbow lorikeet]]s.
 
*[[File:Baby Orangutan.jpg|thumb|Baby [[orangutan]] with mother in January 2020 at Little Rock Zoo]]'''GREAT APES'''
The Great Apes[[Ape]]s exhibit includes a walkway that allows the visitors to have an eagle's eye view of the ape's enclosures. A [[western lowland gorilla]] family group can be seen on one side of the walkway and the [[chimpanzee]] and the [[Bornean orangutan]] can be seen on the other, both in their own separate enclosures. Outside of this exhibit, various primate islands can be found that are home to the [[ring-tailed lemur]], [[black-and-white ruffed lemur]], [[blue-eyed black lemur]], [[Madagascar teal]] and [[black-handed spider monkey]].<ref name="zoo_east">{{cite web|url=http://www.littlerockzoo.com/eastzoozone|title=East Zoo Zone|work=littlerockzoo.com|publisher=Little Rock Zoo|access-date=2011-03-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100911183703/http://www.littlerockzoo.com/eastzoozone|archive-date=2010-09-11|url-status=dead}}</ref>
 
*'''LAURA P. NICHOLS PENGUIN POINTE'''
 
[[File:Siamang LR Zoo.jpg|thumb|[[Siamang]] singing at Little Rock Zoo]]
Laura P. Nichols Penguin Pointe houses the [[African penguin]] and mimics an African shoreline, specifically [[Boulders Beach]], with viewing of the penguins both above and below the water.<ref name="zoo_east"/>
 
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''Other Reptiles''
 
[[American alligator]], [[blue-tongued skink]], [[Madagascar giant day gecko]], [[leopard gecko]], [[tokay gecko]], [[Gila monster]], [[scheltopusik]], [[frilled-neck lizard]], [[Sudan plated lizard]], [[Gekko kuhli|Kuhl's flying gecko]], [[Solomon Islands skink]], [[green iguana]], [[red tegu]], [[plumed basilisk]], [[Collared Lizard]]{{dn|date=September 2024}}, [[common snakeneck turtle]], [[spiny softshell turtle]], [[African spurred tortoise]], [[alligator snapping turtle]], and [[three-toed box turtle]].
 
''Amphibians''
 
[[African bullfrog]], [[Chuxiong fire-bellied newt]], [[dyeing poison dart frog]], [[green and black poison dart frog]], [[Oriental fire-bellied toad]], [[tiger salamander]], [[White's tree frog]] and [[yellow-banded poison dart frog]].
[[File:Young Chimpanzee at LR Zoo.jpg|thumb|Young [[chimpanzee]] at LR Zoo]]
''Invertebrates''
 
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''Tropical Bird House''
 
[[roseateRoseate spoonbill]], [[scarlet ibis]], [[black-naped fruit dove]], [[grey peacock-pheasant]], [[red junglefowl]], [[Scheepmaker's crowned pigeon]], [[Nicobar pigeon]], [[mandarin duck]], [[Madagascar teal]], [[marbled teal]], [[ruddy shelduck]] and the [[green aracari]].
 
*'''Asian Elephants'''
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*'''Arkansas Heritage Farm'''
The Arkansas Heritage Farm exhibit features the Arkansas' Diamond Express train as well as a chicken yard for the [[araucana]], [[Barred Rock]], [[silkie]], [[Polish (chicken)|Polish crested chicken]], [[Faverolles (chicken)|salmon faverolles chicken]], [[red junglefowl]], [[wild turkey]], [[Toulouse goose]], and the [[Sebastopol goose]]. The farm's barn houses the mammals of this exhibit. The [[zebu]], [[donkey]], and [[miniature horse]] are located on the left side of the barn, andfollowed by the [[pygmy goat]], and [[Southdown (sheep)|baby doll sheep]], and [[barn owl]] are located on the right. This exhibit also has a [[black-tailed prairie dogRingtail]] habitat, a butterfly garden, and a viewing area for the [[Aldabra giant tortoise]] and [[spur-thighed tortoise]]. This exhibit is located next to the waterfowl pond where the [[black-bellied whistling duck]], [[radjah shelduck]], [[rosy-billed pochard]], [[paradise shelduck]], [[bar-headed goose]], [[Canada goose]], [[black swan]], [[American white pelican]], and [[Chilean flamingo]] can be found.<ref name="zoo_south"/>
 
*'''Small Carnivores'''
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*'''Bears'''
The [[North American river otter]] and the [[spotted-necked otter]] can be seen at the entrance. The first enclosure houses a [[sloth bear]], who is separated from visitors by a moat. The main attraction is the [[grizzly bear]] enclosure which has a large glass viewing window in order for people to see the grizzlies up-close. The [[bush dog]] isand [[Woodchuck]] are located at the end of the exhibit.<ref name="zoo_west"/>
 
[[File:Vic Snyder with giraffe.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Vic Snyder|Congressman Vic Snyder]] visiting the zoo, 2005]]
*'''African Savannah'''
The African Savannah is a mixed species enclosure that features the [[grey crowned crane]], [[ostrich]], [[Blue_wildebeest|easternreticulated white-bearded blue wildebeestgiraffe]]s, and [[Grant's zebra]]s.<ref name="zoo_north">{{cite web|url=http://www.littlerockzoo.com/northzoozone|title=North Zoo Zone|work=littlerockzoo.com|publisher=Little Rock Zoo|access-date=2011-03-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100330154906/http://www.littlerockzoo.com/northzoozone|archive-date=2010-03-30|url-status=dead}}</ref>
 
*'''Africa'''
The Africa exhibit features the [[eastern black rhinoceros]] as well as smaller enclosures for [[Angola colobus]] and [[serval]]s. [[Alpaca]] can also be seen opposite the area. <ref name="zoo_west"/>
 
*'''Big Cats'''
The Big Cats exhibit features [[lion]]s, [[tiger]]s, and [[jaguarAlpaca]]s. and [[Asiatic black bearjaguar]]s. currently reside in the lion enclosure after hours.<ref name="zoo_north"/>
 
*'''Laura P. Nichols Cheetah Outpost'''
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*'''OVERLOOK TRAIL'''
On the Overlook Trail, the [[maned wolf]], [[Somaligiant wildforest asshog]]s, [[red river hog]], [[greyIndian crowned cranepeafowl]], [[Kirk's dik-dik]], [[yellow-backed duiker]], [[giant anteater]], [[white-handed gibbon]], [[siamang]], [[Greater Kudu]], [[Abyssinian ground hornbill]] and [[secretarybird]] can be seen.
 
==Conservation==
The Little Rock Zoo participates in the AZA [[Species Survival Plan]] (SSP), and has contributed to the survival of many threatened and endangered species.<ref name="zoo_ssp"/>
 
==Annual Events==
BooWild at theWines Zoo Brew GloWILD<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.littlerock.com/little-rock-events/2019/10/24/default-calendar/boo-at-the-zoo19| title=Boo at the Zoo |publisher=City of Little Rock |access-date=16 April 2022}}</ref>
 
==Zoo Master Plan==
The Little Rock Zoo intends to create a zoogeographic zoo to help the public learn about the habitats and create a more natural zoo for the animals. The included renovations and additions include an Arkansas Farmstead exhibit with native species and information on the importance of agriculture to the state,.

Additionally the continent of Asia, which will be located where the Greats Apes exhibit is at present, with a larger elephant exhibit, orangutans, blackbuck antelope, sarus cranes, and other Asian species, the continent of Africa with a new giraffe barn, the African Veldt mixed species exhibit, a new cheetah habitat, the African forest area, and the African Outpost, a new entry complex located north of Zoo Drive complete with a new restaurant, carnival style rides, and an ice cream parlor and a New Discovery Center education center with new rooms, exhibits, and education animals.<ref name="zoo_azf"/>
 
==References==
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==External links==
{{Commons category-inline}}
*{{official website|http://www.littlerockzoo.com}}
 
{{Little Rock, Arkansas}}
{{Zoos of Arkansas}}
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[[Category:1926 establishments in Arkansas]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Little Rock, Arkansas]]
[[Category:ZoosEducational organizations established in 1926]]
[[Category:Zoos established in the 1920s]]
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