1928 – Detroit Zoo opens to the public on August 1. Habitats include bear dens, lion dens, bird house, elk yard, raccoon and wolverine habitats, African veldt and completely stocked lakes.
1928 – Zoo closes on December 3 for the winter, having entertained 1.5 million visitors in its first four months.
1930-32 – New animals and habitats are added, including elephants, rhinos, giraffes, bison, Baboon Rock, Prairie Dog Village, a farmyard and the first reptile habitat.
1931 – Miniature railroad opens, donated by The Detroit News.
1932 – First chimpanzee show debuts, starring the famous Jo Mendi.
1933 – Zoo begins truck gardens to help alleviate Depression food shortages.
1933-34 – Civil Works Administration and Federal Emergency Relief Administration provide funds and manpower to build hippopotamus house, beaver habitat and other animal habitats.
1935-37 – The federal Work Projects Administration (WPA) builds animal hospital and administration building and provides major landscaping.
1939 – Horace Rackham Memorial Fountain is dedicated.
1940 – Paulina the elephant retires after 500,000 riders.
1955 – Holden Amphitheater and Great Ape House open.
1960 – Holden Museum of Living Reptiles opens.
1962 – Regular TV broadcasts of “Sonny Eliot at the Zoo” begin.
1968 – Penguinarium opens, the first zoo building in the world designed entirely for penguins; includes underwater viewing and continuous swim loop for the penguins.
1969 – Detroit Zoo opens to the public year-round.
1977 – Bird House free-flight wing built with funding from Matilda R. Wilson. Docent (volunteer teacher) program begins.
1982 – Chimpanzee shows end as Zoo’s philosophy about animal management changes.
1989 – Chimps of Harambee habitat opens.
1993 – Dinosauria! exhibit debuts at Detroit Zoo.
1994 – Mandrill habitat opens. Renovated giraffe house opens to the public after 32 years.
1995 – Wildlife Interpretive Gallery opens, a renovation of the original bird house.
1997 – Edward Mardigian, Sr. River Otter habitat and Gerry Rissman PlayVenture open.
2000 – Amphibiville, home of the National Amphibian Conservation Center, opens in June.
2001 – Wild Adventure Ride, the nation’s first zoo simulator, opens in May. Arctic Ring of Life, North America’s largest polar bear habitat, opens in October.
2001 – Berman Academy for Humane Education is established.
2002 – Detroit Zoo receives the 2002 AZA National Exhibit Award for Amphibiville.
2004 – Ruth Roby Glancy Animal Health Complex is completed.