The OKC Zoo and Botanical Garden sends this information as posted below:
The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden is pleased to announce a record-setting 1,114,208 guests of all ages visited the OKC Zoo during its fiscal year, July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025. This tops the former fiscal year attendance record of 1,107,995 guests who visited the Zoo from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024.
This is the second year in a row with record-breaking attendance, thanks to changes and enhancements across the 123-year-old Zoo. Expedition Africa, presented by the Inasmuch Foundation, continues to delight and enthrall guests with the multi-species Savanna, Love’s Pachyderm Building, and Predator Pass. It was also a big year for events, with the return of popular seasonal happenings like Breakfast with the Animals, SAFARI LIGHTS, and Sip and Stroll. The Zoo finished off the fiscal year with a free general admission day on Tuesday, June 24, to celebrate the OKC Thunder’s historic first NBA championship, welcoming 9,425 guests.
A number of animal births over the last few months have also brought in visitors, both old and new. Most recently, the Zoo celebrated the birth of its first male Asian elephant, Xerxes, which establishes three generations of Asian elephants for the OKC Zoo’s herd.
“We are always thrilled to see guests embracing the Zoo’s mission to connect people with wildlife and wild places, and this new record lets us know we’re on the right track,” said Dr. Dwight Lawson, executive director/CEO for the OKC Zoo. “But we’re not slowing down. Everyone here is hard at work making sure the coming year will exceed our wildest expectations.”
Making the Zoo accessible for all is key to its mission. By creating strategic discount programs, OKC Zoo is able to welcome more guests to discover wildlife and inspire conservation action. Nearly 40 percent of all Zoo visits during the fiscal year were discounted or free, thanks to programs including year-round discounts for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Fosters, active, retired, veteran members of U.S. Military, and Oklahoma EBT/SNAP and WIC and Oklahoma Tribal WIC programs.
In fiscal year 2024-25, the Zoo was closed for 11 days due to extreme weather, while it was closed for only three days the year prior.
The OKC Zoo continues to be the state’s most visited cultural attraction with guests coming from all 50 U.S. states and more than 20 countries as measured by zip code data. In addition to robust local support, the Zoo consistently attracts visitors from Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas.
“Our focus on conservation initiatives, education, and animal well-being resonates with visitors, making us much more than a local attraction,” Lawson said. “We’re working hard to ensure that people from across the country and around the world continue to discover how special and important the OKC Zoo is.”
In addition to rising attendance, the Zoo’s international reputation as a leader in wildlife conservation and science is also ascending. Over the last year, researchers at the OKC Zoo published eleven peer-reviewed publications, including eight journal articles and three book chapters, and led and supported conservation research projects around the world. A few of the Zoo’s ongoing conservation projects include:
- The Sri Lanka Elephant Project—The OKC Zoo is the only AZA-accredited zoo doing research in Sri Lanka. The project is supported entirely by the Zoo, including not only material support and funding, but expertise and personnel.
- Monarch butterflies—In addition to providing financial support for collaborative efforts throughout Oklahoma, OKC Zoo provides a grant program for metro-area schools to apply for funds to create pollinator gardens, conducts research, and leads a headstart program for rare milkweed through the state.
- FUNDESGUA—Founded by Dr. Brad Lock, the Zoo’s adjunct coordinator of Guatemala conservation programs, this holistic conservation project addresses critically endangered species, Guatemalan beaded lizards and Abronia lizards, through education, habitat restoration, and community engagement.
- The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund—The Zoo uses its innovative Round Up for Conservation program, in which visitors can round up purchases to the nearest dollar and donate the difference to go to conservation programs, to contribute to the Fossey Fund. Founded by Dian Fossey more than 50 years ago, this organization protects more than half of the world’s mountain gorillas, which are the only wild ape population increasing in the wild, and has published more than 300 scientific papers.
Go wild and mark your calendar for the return of the Zoo’s most popular fall and winter events including ZOObrew, the Zoo’s 21-and-up beer, wine, spirits, and mocktails-tasting event, presented by Byron’s Liquor Warehouse on Friday, September 26; the 42nd annual Haunt the Zoo presented by Oklahoma’s Own News 9 occurring Saturdays and Sundays, October 4 through 26; and OKC ZOO SAFARI LIGHTS presented by OG&E lights up the holiday season beginning Saturday, November 15. Tickets for many of these events are limited and already on sale at www.okczoo.org.
The Oklahoma City Zoo’s regular daytime hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily with the last entry at 4 p.m. Now through Labor Day, ZOOfriends members can enter early at 8:30 a.m. to beat the heat. Avoid the entry lines and purchase advance Zoo admission tickets online at okczoo.org/tickets. Located at the crossroads of I-44 and I-35, the OKC Zoo is a proud member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the American Alliance of Museums, and Oklahoma City’s Adventure District.
Stay connected with the Zoo on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, Linktree and TikTok, and by visiting our blog stories. Zoo more with a ZOOfriends membership! As a ZOOfriends member of the Oklahoma City Zoo, enjoy free admission for 12-months, plus additional benefits and discounts. You will also be supporting the Zoo’s animal family, education programming, and conservation initiatives both locally and globally. Join or renew today at www.okczoo.org/membership.
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