The Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens is located at the mouth of the Trout River, near where it flows into the St. Johns River, in Jacksonville, Florida. The zoo occupies approximately and has over 2,000 animals and 1,000 plant species in its collection. The zoo has grown from a small collection in Springfield into one of the city's premier attractions, with more than one million visits annually.

The Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens' marquee attractions are the Range of the Jaguar, which won the 2005 AZA Exhibit of the year award and the Land of the Tiger, which opened in 2014 and features an innovative walk-through trail system for the zoo's tigers. The zoo's other exhibits include the Plains of East Africa, highlighting African savanna animals; Lorikeet Landing; Primate Forest, featuring two of the four genera of great apes, as well as several species of lemurs; and Wild Florida, which features animals native to the state.

The zoo is active in animal conservation, participating in more than 50 national and international conservation initiatives and more than 95 Species Survival Plans. In 2004, the zoo reached an agreement with the nation of Guyana to help promote conservation in that country, particularly the Iwokrama Forest. Additionally, since 1999 the zoo has been home to a large breeding colony of wild wood storks. Though not endangered, this bird is a rare find on the North American continent, and has, in this case, taken up permanent residence in a tree overlooking the Plains of Africa.

History The Municipal Zoo opened in the Springfield neighborhood of Jacksonville, Florida, on May 12, 1914. The first animal on exhibit was a red deer fawn. On July 19, 1925, the zoo moved to a site on the Trout River off Heckscher Drive in the city's Northside area.

Perhaps the most significant animal in the zoo's history was a jaguar named Zorro. Zorro was a male, wild-born black (melanistic) jaguar that arrived at the zoo in August 1967. At that time, black jaguars were very rare in captivity. During Zorro's 19 years at the zoo (he died in September, 1986), he fathered numerous cubs that were sent to other zoos across North America. In the spring of 2003, the Jax Zoo investigated and could not find a current North American captive-born black jaguar that was not a descendant of Zorro.

By the end of the 1960s, the zoo was reputed to have the largest collection of exotic animals in the Southeast, but it had fallen on hard times, and a great deal of money was needed to save the zoo. Community leaders, under the direction of Mayor Hans Tanzler, appointed a seven-member committee to search for an alternative to closing the zoo.

A major redevelopment of the zoo began in 1992. Through a combination of public funds and private donations, over $20 million was raised. Projects that were completed in that timeframe include Main Camp (a new front entrance), a modernized parking lot, Birds of the Rift Valley (aviary), Great Apes of the World (now Primate Forest), an expanded train route, a new elephant enclosure, the RiverBranch Foundation Animal Medical Center, the PepsiCo Foundation Education Campus, and the redevelopment of the Plains of East Africa.

In December 2003, the zoo's name was officially changed from the Jacksonville Zoological Gardens to the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. Over the next five years, several new exhibits and services, including the famed Range of the Jaguar, the Savanna Blooms botanical garden, and the Children's Play Park successfully opened to the public. In addition, the zoo has endeavored to become recognized as a botanical garden.

On May 19, 2025, the zoo would change its name again under the (current) name Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens; with the botanical part helping to emphasize their collection of over 1,000 species of plants.

Currently, the zoo sits on 122 acres of land, over twice its original size on the Trout River location. The zoo houses over 2,000 rare and exotic animals and over 1,000 unique plant species and participates in many preservation and breeding programs to ensure the survival of endangered and threatened species as well as local fauna and flora. As part of their ReZoovenation plans, the zoo is planning to build a new main entrance and expand their "Manatee Critical Care Center (MCCC)."

Management and finances The Jacksonville Zoological Society began managing the zoo on June 21, 1971. Originally consisting of only the seven members appointed by Mayor Tanzler, the society now consists of 85 of the city's most influential leaders. There are currently thirty Board of Trustees members, with sixteen honorary members. The board conducts business regarding the zoo in the name of the society.

The City of Jacksonville contracts with the society to manage all phases of the operation of the zoo. All property, including land, animals and equipment, belong to the city; in turn, the city contributes an annual subsidy to offset some of the zoo's operating expenses. All other zoo expenses are paid through revenues earned from admissions, concession sales, memberships, the Animal Care Club program, the Annual Fund, sponsorships, grants, and fundraising events.

Current exhibits

Africa Loop The northern parts of the zoo are dominated by a series of African-themed exhibits.

River Valley Aviary

Opening as Birds of the Rift Valley in April 1996, the River Valley Aviary has over for the birds to fly freely around visitors and a large waterfall at one end of the exhibit. As of 2026, this walkthrough aviary features ibises, waterfowl, storks and other African birds.

In late 2008, the zoo attempted to add Asian animals into the aviary, which included a muntjac and a Victoria crowned pigeon (this was later discontinued). For a time, a breeding pair of saddle-billed storks once lived within the aviary. As a result, the zoo was then the sixth in the US to successfully breed this species.

Exiting out of the main aviary, directly adjacent is the Ruzizi Streambank, which consists of two side aviaries for smaller birds, including the endangered Northern Bald Ibis.

Plains of East Africa

The first major exhibit that guests experience from the main entrance. The following is primarily viewed from an elevated walkway, giving guests a bird's eye view of the animals. The attraction was first expanded upon in 1996, with frequent refurbishments being made in the years since.

Flamingos, giant tortoises, and warthogs are among the first animals that guests encounter when they enter the complex; with the first of two stations for the zoo’s train being a key focal point.

The zoo's breeding herd of bongos are found in a centralized pen that is spacious and tree-shaded. Every year, this exhibit has become a nesting hub for a large breeding colony of the threatened wood storks, which are native to Florida.

A nearby exhibit for lappet-faced vultures (which once held cheetahs) is a long, wide area that displays a pair of vultures. It lies across a water break from a larger mixed-exhibit containing white rhinoceroses, kudu, and crowned cranes together, which inhabit the areas at the end of the boardwalk. This exhibit allows plenty of room for the animals to roam. The zoo has been a successful breeder of southern white rhinos, with over a dozen successful births.

Elephant Plaza

This offers an intimate view of the zoo's three African bush elephants in their 275,000-gallon pool. This zoo is one of the few North American zoos to house both male and female elephants. The bull elephant, Ali, was donated by Michael Jackson in 1997. The other two, Thandi and Sheena, are females. Sheena arrived from the Catskill Game Farm on October 3, 1985. While Thandi arrived from The National Elephant Center on November 13, 2015.

In addition to the area's namesake, Elephant Plaza is also home to Reptiles of the Seronera, a reptile house that first opened in 1998, and highlights a diverse collection of African reptiles.

Further down the boardwalk is Mahali Pa Simba ("Place of the Lion" in Swahili), the 1-acre (4,000 m2) home of the zoo's male lion, Michael, and female, Sriracha. Like most of the zoo’s exhibits, Mahali Pa Simba has constantly changed over the years; with the largest change being the addition of a third viewing area on the exhibit’s north side.

For a time, Amur leopards were displayed along the southern end of the boardwalk. Historically, the zoo successfully bred this rare subspecies in 2010. with the zoo's last leopard, Nicolai, dying in November 2020. After Nicolai’s death, their habitat temporarily held yellow-billed storks, African spoonbills, northern bald ibises and southern screamers before the original structure came down for good in 2024.

Primate Forest

Primate Forest gives zoo visitors a look at the various primates that inhabit our planet. The exhibit opened as the Great Apes of the World, which itself opened in two phases in 1998 and 1999, respectively, at a cost of $20 million. Phase I included western lowland gorillas and bonobos, the first time the zoo had exhibited either species. The zoo's collection of bonobos is one of only nine in North America. The exhibit provided also homes for the zoo's siamangs and pygmy marmosets. Phase II included a second gorilla yard, along with new exhibits for the zoo's chimpanzees and mandrills, along with renovating an old monkey island to an exhibit for lemurs.

Since its opening, the attraction has received several changes over the years. In 2004, the pygmy marmosets were relocated to the nearby Range of the Jaguar exhibit, while the chimpanzees were sent to another zoo in 2007. In 2018, the exhibit experienced a significant renovation and was rebranded under the name "African Forest" to reflect the newer changes. In 2024, a minor rebranding occurred, with the changes revolving around the current name "Primate Forest", which puts a stronger emphasis on primates in general.

Giraffe Overlook

The covered boardwalk gives guests a view across a replica of the African Savanna, and guests can also get eye-to-eye with the zoo's giraffe tower, where the zoo sells giraffe food. The initial renovation more than doubled the original exhibit from 3/4 of an acre to around .

The zoo's giraffe tower currently includes seven giraffes. AJ, who arrived from the El Paso Zoo in 2020, is their only adult male; while the rest are females Rosie, Luna, Naomi, Faraja, Figie, and Willow.

Wild Florida & Manatee River Since 2026, this section has served as the gateway from the main entrance to the rest of the zoo, following the March 6th opening of the nearby Manatee River. Built on the site of the old Florida Wetlands exhibit, this attraction highlights animals native to the state, as well as some that have been extirpated. In 2007, the former American flamingo exhibit was renovated to accommodate the eagles, so that their exhibit could be used for a pair of whooping cranes the zoo acquired.

Reptiles of Florida, the exhibit's dedicated reptile house, shows off a variety of reptiles and amphibians native (and invasive) to the state, with rattlesnakes, cottonmouths, and indigo snakes being some of the most notable species displayed.

This attraction is also home to the (current) Manatee Critical Care Center (MCCC), a manatee rehabilitation center which was one of only four of its kind at the time it first opened in 2017. In 2026, the zoo’s rehabilitation efforts were expanded with the opening of Manatee River, which features a new 330,000 gallon habitat to care for rescued manatees.

Range of the Jaguar

In the spring of 2004, Range of the Jaguar opened to the general public. This Central and South American-themed attraction, the zoo’s largest at the time it opened, includes a diverse variety of species from the jaguar’s extraordinary natural habitat of the Americas.