Mission

Established in 1894 by the City of Omaha as Riverview Park, The Henry Doorly Zoo sits on 112 acres and houses over 12,800 animal specimens. The newest major exhibit, the Bernice Grewcock Butterfly and Insect Pavilion, opened in May 2008. During 2008, more than 71,500 family memberships were sold and 1,388,014 people visited the zoo. The Henry Doorly Zoo Center for Conservation and Research engages in extensive conservation oriented scientific investigation in the areas of veterinary medicine, reproductive physiology, molecular genetics, nutrition, and rare plant propagation. More than 3,675 educational programs were conducted in 2008. This programming, which included day camps, classes, distance learning classes, and campouts, reached more than 150,000 students.