History of the Zoo

The San Francisco Zoo has a long and glorious history, and has been a civic treasure since the city’s heyday during the first part of the 20th century.

Here, you’ll learn how the Zoo got its start and meet some of the people who created it, such as Herbert Fleishhacker, the man who built the Zoo, George Bistany, the Zoo’s first director, and Monarch, the grizzly bear who started it all in 1889.

For a more detailed, pictorial history of the San Francisco Zoo, pick up a copy of “A History of the San Francisco Zoo” at the Wildlife Connection Gift Shop.