Originally called the "Herbert Fleishhacker Zoo" on its founder, the San Francisco Zoo was established in 1929 and built in the 1930's as part of a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project. He was a well-known philanthropist and civic leader.

In 1941, at Fleishhacker's suggestion, the name was changed to San Francisco Zoo. George Bistany, a former wild animal collector and well-known animal importer, was its first Zoo director.

Built at around $3.5 million, the San Francisco Zoo was completed in 1940 with 10 structures including the Pachyderm and Lion Houses, a spacious Aviary, sea lion pool, bear grottos, Monkey Island, a lake for aquatic birds, pools for otters, beavers and turtles, a restaurant and a plaza with a fountain. The bar less pits used to house animals were considered innovative when compared to fenced cages popular during this period.

With a glorious history, it's not surprising that it s a civic treasure of San Francisco City.
The zoo has been involved with "Conservation" including captive breeding as a hedge against extinction, and preservation of wild areas and wildlife.

The Conservation and Science Department in the Zoo works in three arenas, field conservation programs, scientific research programs at the Zoo and zoo-based activities, which support their conservation and science mission.

Zoo Timing

Daily 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. including Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
The six-acre Children's Zoo is open from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily.
Extended weekend and special summer (Memorial Day through Labor Day) hours are 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Latest trends at the SF Zoo

In Summer 2002, they opened the new Lipman Family Lemur Forest along with a whole new main entrance experience for visitors. It has five different species of amazing primates from Madagascar in a fabulous outdoor setting. You will find a new gift shop, restrooms, and membership and information booths in The Friend and Taube Family Entry Village, ideal for meeting friends and family. For the perfect dining experience, head for the new Leaping Lemur Café that serves a wide variety of food choices and an intricate restoration of the famed Dentzel Carousel.

They have recently expanded the Children's Zoo, the new Connie and Bob Lurie Education Center and new Koret Animal Resource Center.

In 2004, look out for the new African savanna exhibit with giraffe, zebra, antelope, ostrich and other African wildlife roaming about in a huge, multi-species environment.
In 2005, Great Ape Forest will house apes like chimpanzee, orangutan and siamang.
They have well-intentioned ethos and have designed the New Zoo with the belief that interaction and activity leads to conservation action.

The new conservation Zoo is a multi-faceted place with a huge recreation area where people can relax and have fun. They provide exemplary care for rare and endangered species. Its forms a core community organization serving the people of the Bay Area.
Its role has expanded to serve as an educational center for providing formal and informal learning programs for children and adults.

It's not just a park and nature center with native plants and gardens but also a bird sanctuary and bird watcher's paradise. This is definitely the perfect place to fall in love with wildlife!

Kids at the Zoo

Take your kids to the Children's Zoo for fun and non-stop entertainment! They can groom livestock, collect eggs at the Family Farm, peer through microscopes in the Insect Zoo, crawl through a child-sized burrow at the Meerkats and Prairie Dogs exhibit, and much much more.
Children's Zoo is specially designed to encourage parent-child interaction and discussions about living together with animals.
Kids will surely have fun and get plenty of opportunities for close-up encounters like touching, feeding, brushing, smelling, hearing, or looking an animal square in the eye.

Kids can watch the most endangered species and wild migratory birds, or play with puppets, crafts, and games. Give your kids the most 'memorable experience of their life'!

Special Animal Encounters

Watch, encounter and Discover fascinating facts about animals in the San Francisco Zoo. You can go Farm Yard Feeding at the Children's Zoo Family Farm - weekends at 10:45 a.m.
You can watch incubating eggs and touch newly hatched chicks in the Children's Zoo Family Farm on weekends at 11:30 a.m. Meet the fabulous primates of the Zoo, the Lemurs daily at the Lipman Family Lemur Forest at 11:45 a.m.
See our colorful parrots in the Children's Zoo Nature Theatre - weekends at 12:15 p.m.
See the live elephant training program daily at the Asian Elephant Exhibit at 1:30 p.m.
Help the Keepers in handling and grooming and hoof care in the Children's Zoo Family Farm weekends at 1:15 p.m.
Watch the Big cats, Lions and Tigers feeding hour at 2:00 p.m. (except Monday)
You can see the Keepers care for these social animals at the Children's Zoo Meerkat and Prairie Dog Exhibit, weekends at 2:00 p.m.

Learn about some of the most intelligent primates, the Gorillas on Sundays, at the Gorilla World Exhibit at 2:30 p.m.
Beetles, bees, walking sticks and other fascinating insects await you at the Insect Zoo at 2:30 p.m. on weekends.
Observe the feeding habits of Magellanic Penguins at Penguin Island at 3:00 p.m. (2:30 on Thursday).
Feed the ducks at the Children's Zoo Family Farm pond, daily at 3:45 p.m.

San Francisco Zoo also has numerous animal presentations in summer, which they present on their website, schedule et al.