Tulsa Zoo has started construction on the largest project in its history. The William S. Smith African Wilds exhibit broke ground on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, and will eventually cover seven acres of the zoo’s footprint.
The exhibit will build new habitats for lions, African painted dogs, meerkats and other African species, and it brings in animals the zoo does not currently have, including pygmy hippos and vultures. Zebras, a guest favorite that left years ago, are coming back.
What is going in
The zoo describes lions on rocky outcroppings called kopjes and stalking through tall grass, meerkats digging tunnels with a sentry on watch, and African birds in a walkthrough aviary paired with a vulture exhibit. Viewing areas are being designed to work in Oklahoma summers and Oklahoma winters, with year-round species-specific spaces for the animals.
The project also adds back-of-house staff areas, more restrooms including family restrooms, water bottle filling stations, concessions, a dedicated classroom for education programming, and a permanent pavilion with seating for dining and event rentals.
A public-private promise
“This is a monumental day in our zoo’s 97-year history,” said president and CEO Lindsay Hutchison. “As we’ve built new habitats, including Lost Kingdom and The Mary K. and John T. Oxley Family Elephant Experience and Elephant Preserve, we’ve taken great care to move into the next era of zoo habitats for our animals and guests.”
“We work hard every day to keep the promise we made to Tulsa when we started the public-private partnership and said we would build a bigger, better Tulsa Zoo,” Hutchison said. “Upon finishing the William S. Smith African Wilds exhibit we anticipate more than 800,000 guests every year will experience endangered animals they may never have otherwise encountered in their daily lives.”
Funding comes from a long list of partners including the William S. Smith Charitable Trust, the City of Tulsa and Tulsa taxpayers, the Adelson Family Foundation, Bank of Oklahoma, the Hardesty Family Foundation, the Helmerich Trust, ONE Gas, ONEOK and the Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation.
