Bookable
An Apollonaut travel guide
Moments in a longer story.
Selected milestones in the history of the Memphis Zoo.
On this page
Park, gate and habitats
These dates describe the place you can learn about here. They are not a company timeline for Apollonaut.
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1906
The zoo begins
The Memphis Park Commission provides $1,200 to start a zoo in Overton Park.
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1960
The Herpetarium
The reptile house is built.
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1990
An Egyptian gate
The main entrance, the Avenue of the Animals, is renovated with an Egyptian design.
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1993
Cat Country
A three-acre open-air exhibit for big cats opens.
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1995
Primates and night animals
Primate Canyon and Animals of the Night open.
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2003
Giant pandas
Giant pandas arrive on a 20-year loan from China.
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2006
Northwest Passage
The Northwest Passage exhibit opens in March.
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2009
Teton Trek
A four-acre exhibit opens in October.
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2016
Hippo Camp
Zambezi River Hippo Camp opens in April.
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2023
The pandas’ loan ends
The panda loan comes to an end.
Follow the stories behind the dates
A timeline is a beginning. The longer history introduces the people and places; the sources below provide further context.
Read at the source
Sources & further reading
Links lead to the original publishers.
