Birmingham Zoo, Wildlife conservation park in Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham Zoo is a zoological park on 50 acres (20 ha) at the southern foot of Red Mountain, within Lane Park beside the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. It holds over 550 animals of 180 species from six continents, including giraffes, ostriches, zebras, rhinos and elephants. Its opening exhibits in 1955 were Monkey Island, an elephant house, a bear moat, a birdhouse, a snake pit and a seal pool.

The Birmingham Zoo began with a small menagerie of exotic animals kept in a Southside firehouse, later moved to Magnolia Park and Avondale Park. In 1949, Mayor James R. Morgan began planning a city zoo, and a commission chose 50 acres at the southern foot of Red Mountain in Lane Park. The Jimmy Morgan Zoo opened on April 2, 1955, with Monkey Island as its first exhibit; the city took over in November 1955 and hired Bob Truett as director in 1960.

The zoo helps visitors learn about wildlife protection and the connections between animals and people through direct observation in realistic settings. You'll see how the animals live in spaces designed to match their natural homes, which deepens your understanding of their behavior.

The zoo sits in Lane Park beside the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, on the southern foot of Red Mountain. The grounds cover about 50 acres, so allow several hours on foot and bring water and sun protection. The site is reached by road from downtown Birmingham.

The zoo began with a single elephant, "Miss Fancy," bought by the Birmingham Advertising Club from a circus stranded in the city and kept in a Southside firehouse. It is the only zoo in Alabama accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and it takes part in the AZA Species Survival Plans.