Denver Zoo

The Denver Zoo started in 1896 with a single resident – a small, orphaned black bear named Billy Bryan who was a gift to the Mayor. Today it is one of the preeminent zoos in the nation, featuring 3,500 animals representing more than 650 species and attracting 1.6 million visitors annually. Naturalistic habitats like the Dragons of Komodo exhibit, Predator Ridge and Tropical Discovery house exotic animals like vampire bats, black rhinos, king cobras, amur leopards, gorillas and coral reef fish, among many others.

Located within Denver’s historic City Park, the Denver Zoo spans 80 acres and is typically ranked as the most popular cultural attraction in Colorado. The zoo is home to Mshindi, the world’s only rhinoceros that paints with a brush. Perhaps most importantly, the Denver Zoo participates in more than 40 species survival plans, cooperative breeding and conservation programs that save the lives of endangered species including 75 field conservation and research projects in 22 countries.