The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore

Mission: To engage people in the wonders of the living world through personal encounters with animals, fostering empathy and lifelong support for conservation of wildlife and wild places.

The Maryland Zoo, formerly known as the Baltimore Zoo, was created by an act of the Maryland state legislature on April 7, 1876. Its origins in Druid Hill Park date to the early 1860s, well before its formal founding, when the Park Superintendent first began caring for a small collection of animals donated by City residents. The name change occurred in 2004.

The Zoo’s 135-plus acre property in Druid Hill Park is owned by the City of Baltimore and leased to the State of Maryland. The Maryland Zoological Society, established in 1967, operates the Zoo under a lease agreement with the state. The Zoological Society assumed full management of the Zoo from the City’s Division of Parks and Recreation in 1984.

Currently, the Zoo’s animal collection includes birds, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles representing 130 species. There are four main areas at the Zoo for people to visit, all featuring naturalistic exhibits evocative of animals’ native habitats. They are Penguin Coast, Northern Passage, Maryland Wilderness, and African Journey.