Santa Ana Zoo, Zoo in Santa Ana, California, US

Santa Ana Zoo covers 20 acres in Prentice Park, Santa Ana, California, and focuses on the animals and plants of Central and South America. Its grounds hold a primate collection of more than a dozen species, the walk-through Colors of the Amazon Aviary, Tierra de las Pampas with giant anteaters, greater rheas and guanacos, and the two-story red barn of Crean Family Farm.

Joseph Edward Prentice bought the 19.23-acre site and donated 16 acres to Santa Ana in 1949, requiring at least fifty monkeys at all times. Construction began that year, and the zoo opened on March 8, 1952. The Jack Lynch Aviary was completed in 1962, and the zoo gained AZA accreditation in 1983. After losing accreditation in 2017 over outdated monkey habitats, it regained accreditation in 2025.

The zoo highlights South American wildlife through specially designed areas that show visitors how these animals live in their natural environments. These exhibits help people understand why protecting these regions and their creatures matters for the world.

The grounds can be explored on foot, with different sections easily accessible to visitors. Plan to spend a few hours walking through the areas and bring comfortable shoes, as you will be moving between different exhibits.

The Zoofari Express runs on 1,850 feet of track. Its engine 1030 was built in 1954 by the Hurlbut Amusement Company and ran for 44 years at Santa's Village in Sky Forest before volunteers restored it and moved it here in 1999. The Conservation Carousel has 33 animals, among them a custom-made anteater and a wheelchair-accessible swan chariot.