A bear called Natch
The zoo began in April 1906, when the Memphis Park Commission gave $1,200 to start a zoo in Overton Park. A marker in the zoo records where a bear called Natch was chained that year.
The Avenue of the Animals
In 1990 the main entrance was renovated with an Egyptian design modelled on the Avenue of Sphinxes, and new habitats followed: Cat Country in 1993, and Primate Canyon and Animals of the Night in 1995.
Pandas, bears and hippos
Giant pandas came to Memphis on a 20-year loan from China in 2003; the loan ended in 2023. Northwest Passage opened in 2006, Teton Trek in 2009 and Zambezi River Hippo Camp in 2016.



