Hogle Zoo

The A. LaMar Farnsworth Primate Forest opened to the public in June 1997. The exhibit was named after the former zoo director A. LaMar Farnsworth, who served as director for 33 out of his 45 years at the zoo. The exhibit, which cost $400,000 to construct, replaced the old concrete Monkey Island exhibit. Primate Forest offers lush, naturalistic landscapes for several species of primates including black howler monkeys, eastern black-and-white colobus monkeys, black-handed and brown-headed spider monkeys. The exhibits were specifically designed for each species. The large central exhibit for the colobus monkeys, which is 5,100 square feet and reaches a central height of 18 feet, offers trees where the primates can jump from. Each exhibit also has water features.

The Great Ape Building was constructed around 1965. Today, the exhibit houses western lowland gorillas and Bornean orangutans. The building consists of four indoor habitats with two adjoining outdoor exhibits split between the two species.

The gorilla troop is composed of silverback male Husani and females Mary, Pele, and Jabali. In 2020, Jabali gave birth to her daughter Georgia, the first birth for this pair. Adjacent to the gorillas are the habitat for the Bornean orangutans, Mia, Kwawan, Acara, and Tuah. Acara and Tuah were born at the zoo in 2005 and 2014 respectively; however, both were orphaned when their parents died three months apart in 2014. With the untimely death of his mother, Tuah had to be hand-raised by zookeepers. Acara has proved to be an attentive sister and after a lot of work and training, Tuah was placed with Acara full-time in March 2015 so that she could be his surrogate. In 2016, Mia arrived as a future breeding male. In 2021, Kawan arrived on a future breeding recommendation with Mia.

The Great Ape Building was also once home to chimpanzees. The zoo's current master plan anticipates a renovated modern space for the two ape species.

Built in the 1970s, the Small Animal Building is one of the few exhibits left in North American zoos that are dedicated to small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and birds. Current examples include the National Zoo's Small Mammal House and San Diego Zoo's Reptile House. While many of these buildings divide animals based on taxa, Hogle Zoo's exhibit follows the more modern 19th century idea of displaying animals based on the species' biomes. The Small Animal Building includes four zones, each dedicated to a specific environment. These include the Tropics Zone, Temperate Zone, Desert Zone, and Rainforest Atrium. Surrounding the Small Animal Building are outdoor habitats for reptiles during Utah's warmer months and an exhibit for red foxes.

While the exhibit encompasses an innovative theme for exhibiting animals, the habitats themselves are dated. The Small Animal Building is the oldest building on the zoo's campus. Despite being functional and up to code, the zoo is looking to renovate the facility in the zoo's master plan.

Temperate zones are found across the globe in the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. These areas have a wider range of temperatures and often experience distinct seasons as compared to tropical zones. Most humans live in temperate zones resulting in large urban developments of these areas. Biomes found in temperate zones include temperate deciduous forest, temperate coniferous forest, temperate broadleaf and mixed forest, temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands, flooded grasslands and savannas, montane grasslands and shrublands, Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub, and mangroves.

The Temperate Zone in the Small Animal Building features animals from habitats. Some of the reptiles found in the exhibit include Rhinoceros iguana, Puerto Rican boa, and flat-backed spider tortoise. The exhibit is also home to a pair of Siamese crocodiles. This critically endangered species is incredibly rare in captivity and can only be found at five other accredited facilities within the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Mammals in the Temperate Zone include rock hyraxes and black-footed cats. Hogle Zoo is home to the oldest black-footed cat in the United States, Sanura, who turned eighteen on February 28, 2023. While living at Hogle Zoo, she gave birth to four offspring, helping to increase the numbers of her vulnerable species.

The Desert Zone, features animals found in Deserts and xeric shrubland biomes. This is the largest terrestrial biome covering nineteen percent of the Earth's landmass. These habitats experience extreme temperate changes from high temperatures during the day to cold at night. The fauna that live in these regions have evolved adaptations that ensure their survival.

The Small Animal Building's Desert Zone is anchored by an open air aviary that resembles the Sonoran Desert featuring white-winged doves, northern cardinals, Gila woodpeckers, and desert tortoises. The exhibit also features reptile species including Kenyan sand boa, pancake tortoise, and Gila monster. Amphibian species include Colorado River toad and Kaiser's mountain newt. Utah native species featured in the exhibit include burrowing owl, western screech owl, and common chuckwalla.

The mammal species found in the exhibit highlight specific adaptations for desert life. Sand cats have large ears which allow heat to easily leave their bodies, and nine banded armadillos use their claws to easily dig into sand to find food.

The tropics include biomes that span around the Earth's equator. These areas receive the most sunlight and experience extreme rainfall. Habitats in this zone include tropical rainforests and monsoon forests.

The Tropics Zone features mammal species from the Amazon River Basin including white-eared titi monkey, Linne's two-toed sloth, and kinkajou. The exhibit also includes reptile species found in the islands of Oceania including green tree python, emerald tree monitor, and the prehensile-tailed skink.

The Rainforest Atrium is a free-flight aviary featuring a variety of birds from around the world. The exhibit features natural light cycles through a class dome that covers the exhibit. Artificial rock work, a waterfall, and live plants create a naturalistic habitat. Speckled mousebirds, spur-winged lapwings, roseate spoonbills, superb starlings, rose-ringed parakeets, as well as the critically endangered Edward's pheasant are just a few of the birds that can be found in the atrium. The Rainforest Atrium is also the winter home for the zoo's Aldabra giant tortoises, radiated tortoises, and leopard tortoise.

The push for a new elephant habitat was issued by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' new 2001 guidelines for elephant care. While many AZA zoos opted to relocate their elephants, Hogle Zoo already had plans for a new facility. In 2003, Salt Lake County voters approved Proposition #1, a bond that allotted Hogle Zoo $10.2 million to redo the zoo's elephant and feline exhibits. The following year, construction began on the $5.5 million Elephant Encounter, an exhibit that would increase the elephant's habitat by 400 percent.[9] The exhibit opened in June 2005, completing the zoo's largest major animal exhibit in 25 years. The new home featured three female African bush elephants Hi-Dari, Christie, and Misha, as well as southern white rhinoceros half-siblings Princess and George. The exhibit received great praise even from the president of AZA at the time, Bill Foster, noting, "Hogle Zoo is leading. They are ahead of the curve. (Hogle) Zoo will be known globally for the advancement that it's making now."[10]

Elephant Encounter features two natural outdoor exhibits. The first habitat is a large Serengeti inspired yard with a swimming channel that spans 10.5 feet deep and holds over 110,000 gallons of water. A second "working yard" allows guests to see how zookeepers train and care for the large mammals. This habitat also features overhead heaters and heated concrete floors to ensure the elephants are comfortable in winter months. Guests view this habitat from the African Lodge, a 2,600 square foot open-air African structure, constructed of wood and thatch materials. The Convergys Corporation pledged $200,000 to become the title sponsor of the structure. A kopje replica allows guests to come face-to-face with the zoo's rhinos in a third habitat.

Starting in 2006, attempts were made by a team of German veterinary scientists from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin to artificially inseminate female elephant Christie. The team used samples from a male elephant named Jackson at the Pittsburgh Zoo. On the third attempt, Christie became pregnant. After a 22-month-long gestation, Christie gave birth to a healthy 251-pound female calf on August 10, 2009. The calf was named Zuri meaning "beautiful" in the Swahili language.

In 2020, an animal activist group called In Defense of Animals added Hogle Zoo onto their list of 10 Worst Zoos for Elephants.[11] The group called upon Utah's harsh winter climate and the zoo's unnatural herd dynamics. With the passings of Misha in 2008 and Hi-Dari in 2015, the zoo's herd is down to just Christie and her daughter Zuri. Current AZA regulations mandate that herd sizes should be no less than three. A Hogle Zoo spokesperson assured that the zoo is “working closely” with the AZA and Species Survival Plan “to increase the size of our herd, but that takes time. Our current master plan calls for a greater investment in elephants, with bigger barn, additional yards, and large walking paths. We are committed to the species.” [12]

In May 2023, Hogle Zoo officials announced a pause to their elephant program. The zoo's current elephants, Christie and Zuri, will be relocated in the fall of 2023 to another accredited facility where they can live in a more behaviorally natural environment.

Just months after the opening of Elephant Encounter in 2006, construction began on Asian Highlands, the second project funded by the 2003 $10.2 million bond. The exhibit sought to convert the dated indoor Feline Complex's barred concrete cages into lush outdoor habitats for cats from the colder regions of central Asia. The zoo's existing female Amur tiger and snow leopard would enjoy the new habitats as well as new additions to the zoo including a male Amur leopard, a male Amur tiger, a male snow leopard, a trio of Siberian lynx brothers, and eventually Pallas cats. The exhibit opened on June 29, 2006.[13]

Asian Highlands resembles a village in the Himalayas with five lush hillside exhibits that the cats can alternate rotating between through a system of chutes. A large catwalk connects from the holding areas (the renovated existing Feline Complex) to the main habitat allowing the cats, usually reserved for tigers, to walk over guests. The central plaza, themed with prayer flags, includes Cat Wok Cafe and Grandma's House, an indoor interpretive area with a window into one of the habitats. Realistic rock work, plantings, and water features along with the geographic theming proved to be the exact upgrades the area needed.

In May 2015, four male Turkmenian markhor from the Bronx Zoo took up residence in the rocky habitats above Asian Highlands that once held bighorn sheep and stone sheep adding to the exhibit's diversity of mountain dwelling Asian species. Two Chinese goral would later join them but have since left the zoo's collection.

The success of Hogle Zoo's Asian Highlands solidified the facility as a zoo on the come up. The theming of the exhibit influenced other exhibits including San Diego Zoo's Asian Leopards exhibit in 2015, Denver Zoo's The EDGE in 2017, and Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium's Asian Highlands in 2019.

Hogle Zoo's success in its participation of Species Survival Plans is most noted in its prolific breeding at Asian Highlands. The first babies of Asian Highlands were born in 2009.

Three male Amur tiger cubs were born on June 2, 2009, to mother Basha and father Kazek.[14] Bronevik, Kiril, and Vikenti, as they were named, have since moved to other accredited facilities to participate in the program themselves. Kiril travelled the farthest, moving to Japan as part of the Global Species Management Program.

The zoo's former snow leopard matted pair, Nema and Himesh produced two offspring. Nema first gave birth to male cub Himal on May 7, 2009. She had another male cub on April 16, 2012. Chimeegui still resides in Asian Highlands, where he is recommended to breed with female Babs.

Two litters of Pallas cats have been born to parents Haru and Patenka in 2017 and 2018. The pair have produced a total of nine kittens.

Hogle Zoo is possibly most known for their significant contribution to the Amur Leopard SSP. The species is considered the most endangered big cat in the world. Just over 100 individuals are left in their native habitat of Far East Russia and northeast China. Around 200 exist in zoos globally. To help boost the gene pool of the American captive population, female Zeya was brought to Hogle Zoo in 2016 from a facility in Kent, England, to breed with the zoo's resident male Dmitri. Since 2017, the Amur leopard pair have produced four litters and a total of seven cubs, most recently Jordan and Chelsea on December 25, 2021.

These SSP programs are important for creating a surplus for these species who are at the brink of extinction.

To the delight of Utah's public, red pandas returned to Hogle Zoo on May 2, 2018, with the opening of the Janet Quinney Lawson Red Panda Exhibit. The species was absent from the park when construction began on Rocky Shores in 2010. A new exhibit for the charismatic creatures was constructed at the entrance of Asian Highlands. This was the first of two exhibits constructed under the directorship of Steve Burns.

Rocky Shores is an extensive multi-animal habitat featuring bears, sea lions, seals, and otters, anchored by its state-of-the-art polar bear habitat. The exhibit is modeled after a cannery or shipping dock on the northwest coast of the U.S. After opening in 2012, the zoo welcomed back several of its most popular animals. The exhibit replaced the Bear Grotto, completely renovating the west end of the zoo.

The exhibit is home to a breeding pair of polar bears named Neva and Nikita. Next door is a habitat for three orphaned grizzly bear siblings called Koda, Dolly, and Lulu. The three were found in Yellowstone causing trouble without a mother. They were deemed too young to be released in the wild. They were brought to the Hogle Zoo in 2012. Other habitats included California sea lions, harbor seals, North American river otters and rescue bald eagles, Nemo and Betsy.

In the fall of 2012, Hogle Zoo broke ground on an expansive 4.5 acre complex that would showcase animals from east Africa's grasslands. The project transformed the heart of the zoo which previously was home to the zoo's Discoveryland. The exhibit became the zoo's first mixed-species habitat showcasing several species together as they would be in the wild. Plans for the complex first started in 1999 under the directorship of Craig Dinsmore when he proposed an $80 million-plus renovation of the 42 acre zoo.[15] Despite public support for an African Savanna habitat which would greatly increase the animal welfare of its animals, the zoo struggled to finance the exhibit. In 2007, Hogle Zoo lost a bid for $65 million in taxpayer money.[16] The following year, the zoo was funded $44 million through a Salt Lake County general-obligation bond. This helped fund a new animal hospital (2009), the zoo's Rocky Shores exhibit (2012), and finally the $16 million African Savanna.

The exhibit was completed in two phases beginning with Lion Hill which had a soft opening in May 2014. The exhibit officially debuted with the completion of The Grasslands on June 2, 2014.[17] The exhibit is anchored by Twigga Terrace, a fifty-foot in diameter platform that looks out onto the habitat. Daily giraffe feeds are offered on the terrace during summer months where guests can come face-to-face with the tallest land animal. On June 6, 2019, the zoo debuted the James E. Hogle Jr. Meerkat Manor which added meerkats and crested porcupines to the African Savanna. All habitats in the African Savanna are outlined by amazing views of the Rocky Mountains that surround the landscape.

Before the opening of Lion Hill, African lions had been absent from Hogle Zoo for a decade. The zoo's lions were originally housed in the Feline Complex, a series of grottos and barred cages reminiscent of typical 1800's zoo designs. However, when lions returned to Hogle Zoo, their habitat was state-of-the-art.

Lion Hill features two grottos with freshwater and a grassy hill topped with a large rock for the lions to bask in. Large class walls allow guests to come nose-to-nose with the large big cats. Heated rock work allows the lions to be comfortable outside during Utah's cold winters. The naturalistic exhibit overlooks the adjacent Grasslands habitat, giving the lions ample enrichment opportunities. The habitat also features a training wall, allowing guests to view daily training demonstrations between keepers and the lions.

Lion Hill debuted with four residents: Vulcan and Baron, brothers from the Montgomery Zoo, and sisters Seyla and Nobu from the Woodland Park Zoo.[18] The four lions were slowly introduced to form what is now Hogle Zoo's current pride. These lions were brought together upon a recommendation by the African Lion Species Survival Plan, a program that works to ensure genetic diversity among North America's lion population within the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. In 2016, the pride became bigger when Nobu gave birth to males Brutus, Titus, and female Calliope on February 24. On May 16, 2016, the cubs made their public debut with their mother alongside their father Baron and fellow pride members Vulcan and Seyla.[19] Brutus and Titus were moved to the Brookfield Zoo on March 17, 2020, as it is typical for male cubs to leave the pride after two years.

The Grasslands makes up the major footprint of the African Savanna consisting of three yards for hoof stock, and buildings for the animal's overnight housing. When the exhibit opened in 2014, a diversity of birds and ungulates from and eastern and southern Africa roamed together in the habitat. These species included giraffe, Hartmann's mountain zebra, lowland nyala, common ostrich, Egyptian goose, and helmeted guineafowl.

Three two-year-old male lowland nyala arrived at Hogle Zoo in April 2014 prior to the exhibit's opening. Unfortunately, one of them passed away less than a month after its arrival on May 13, 2014, possibly due to stress. The other two struggled to acclimate to the exhibit. This may possibly be due to the skittish and timid nature of the species. Hoping that adding another male would help the others feel comfortable, another nyala arrived in September 2014. However, the nyala never acclimated and in September 2015 the three males were sent to other zoos. The zoo's two elderly Egyptian geese passed away not too long after the exhibit's opening. The zoo has never replaced these two species. Common warthogs were added to the Grasslands habitat with the addition of Meerkat Manor in 2019.

The zoo's giraffe herd was moved from their former giraffe yards at the west end of the zoo to the more spacious and naturalistic Grasslands habitat. In the winter, they enjoy a heated paddock near the train station. This allows guests to still view the African-dwelling species during the colder months. Since the opening of the African Savanna, three female giraffe calves have been born including most recently Reyna who was born on September 24, 2022. The zoo's current herd includes females Stephanie, Minka, Reyna, and male Ja-Raffe.

Hogle Zoo has seen great success with its herd of Hartmann's mountain zebra. The species is found in the mountainous steppe region of southwestern Africa. The herd has acclimated well to Utah's climate and can often been seen running through the snow during the winter. Since the exhibit's opening a total of seven calves have been born at the zoo through the Hartmann's Mountain Zebra Species Survival Plan. These births are significant as the species is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN.

Night quarters for the Grassland's guinea fowl and warthogs reside underneath Twigga Terrace.

This exhibit was added to the east end of the Grasslands habitat in 2019. It just so happened that the additions of meerkats and warthogs to the savanna coincided with Disney's 2019 remake of The Lion King. The exhibit was sponsored by and named after James E. Hogle Jr., a member of the zoo's board of directors for over forty years and part of the family who donated the land of which the zoo still stands on. Sadly, Hogle Jr. passed away in October 2020. Meerkats were his favorite animals saying at the opening of the exhibit, "They're terrific. They are like little people, they have their own little colonies and families, they are just fun to be around."[20]

Meerkat Manor provided new outdoor and indoor spaces equipped with termite mounds for the zoo's meerkats who moved from the Small Animal Building. They share their space with two crested porcupines.

The Aline W. Skaggs Wild Utah exhibit will be the newest major development since 2014's African Savanna. The exhibit will transform three acres of the zoo's east side which was previously only visible by the train. Featured in the exhibit will be Utah native species with the intent to educate Utah's public and tourists about the state's iconic wildlife. Making a triumphant return to the zoo will be species like mountain lion, desert bighorn sheep, and wild burro. The exhibit will also provide new expansive habitats for the zoo's current native animals including a rescued bobcat named Loki, North American porcupine Barton, as well as desert tortoises, burrowing owls, and common chuckwallas. Other new animals that will be making their debut in the exhibit are gray foxs and raccoons that will rotate between three exhibits with the bobcat and North American porcupine. These exhibits are connected by a chute that goes over the guest pathway.

The guest pathway of the new exhibit will include a boardwalk around Emigration Creek, a historic Utah waterway which runs through the zoo's campus. A nature trail will lead down to the water where guests will experience and learn about Utah's riparian habitats. Other features of the exhibit include an education "campground" as well as a pollinator garden which will attractive native pollinators and bees. Hands on experiences will include a burrow brushing station, Education Maker Space, and an overlook tower.[21]

The Wild Utah exhibit is expected to cost $22 million, triple the cost of the initial construction bid. $7.5 million came from Zoo Operations, $5 million from private donations, and $1.5 million from state funding.[22]

Construction began in late 2022, with an expected opening in Fall 2023.

The expanse of the new Wild Utah exhibit provides an opportunity for a brand-new facility for the zoo's animal ambassadors. Original plans for this project started years back for a new building on the zoo's south rim. However, the COVID-19 Pandemic haltered this plan. However, now the building, which will house over 100 animals, is back on track for the Wild Utah exhibit. This new facility will focus on smaller Utah native species including northern flying squirrel, yellow-bellied marmot, Pituophis catenifer deserticola, Lampropeltis pyromelana, as well as the aforementioned burrowing owl, desert tortoise, and common chuckwalla.

The facility will also feature the Utah Amphibian Conservation Room which will become the new home of the zoo's Boreal Toad Conservation Center. This project works to works to protect boreal toads, a subspecies of western toad, whose population has declined in the past 20 years due to habitat loss and fungal disease chytrid. The center is currently home to 20 toads that were collected from Utah's Paunsaugunt Plateau. Theses toads have been carefully bred so that their disease-free offspring can be released back into the isolated population.[23]

The Education Animal Center will support Hogle Zoo's iSEE program which brings animal ambassadors to second grade children across Utah helping to educate 50,000 students yearly about their native Utah wildlife.

Hogle Zoo's famous train ride closed on September 26, 2022, in preparation for construction of a new and larger track which surrounds the Wild Utah exhibit. From the train guests will be able to see bighorn sheep, mountain lion, and wild burro, as well as the zoo's African Savanna species. Incorporated into the track is the original Moffat Tunnel, a guest favorite.

Before the attraction's closure in 2022, the Zoofari Express was in service for about 53 years and provided rides to between 12 and 15 million guests.[24]

Riding on the Hogle Zoo train

Other than supporting Hogle Zoo's iSEE program and Boreal Toad Conservation Center, the Wild Utah exhibit will allow the zoo to participate in several other conservation programs. The exhibit will provide space for orphaned mountain lions and bobcats who have been deemed un-releasable due to their young age at rescue. The exhibit will also allow the zoo to participate in the Desert Bighorn Sheep Species Survival Plan, a nationwide effort to increase the genetic diversity of the threatened species. The exhibit's wild burros will be a population of animals that were collected by the Utah Department of Natural Resources. These feral animals can cause problems in native ecosystems by spreading diseases and destroying native plants.

Oasis Plaza serves as a connecting hub in the center of the zoo. Four paths stemming from the plaza lead guests to all corners of the zoo. The zoo's Conservation Carousel beautifully decorates the plaza and is a popular attraction. The plaza's Oasis Cafe serves pizza, sandwiches, ice cream, and drinks.

The World of Wildlife Amphitheater is accessible from the plaza. The amphitheater which was once home to the popular World of Flight show,[25] is now home to the zoo's Canine Champions for Conservation program.

Completed in 2016, Creekside offers fun learning opportunities for children. Programs with the zoos animal ambassadors occur at the Discovery Theater. These programs feature insects, reptiles, mammals, and birds. Creekside also features a playground and boardwalk that over looks Emigration Creek.[26]

Princess Alice, a female Asian elephant, was the zoo's most famous and biggest attraction during the early 1900s. She came to the zoo, which at the time was located in Salt Lake City's Liberty Park, in 1916. Schoolchildren donated nickels and pennies to raise $3,250 to buy Princess Alice from a traveling circus called Sells-Floto Show Company. She was a big hit among Utahns. In 1917, a year after her arrival, the zoo built a building to house her in. Princess was the biggest draw for the small Salt Lake City zoo.

On April 29, 1918, Princess Alice gave birth to a male named Prince Utah. Utahans were thrilled with the news as he was the first elephant to be born in Utah. However, he died a year later on March 14, due to injuries he suffered after his mother rolled over him.

Utahans were upset after Princess Alice repeatedly broke free from her enclosure. This prompted the zoo to relocate. The Hogle family donated 42 acres of land at the mouth of Emigration Canyon in 1931. In July of that year, the zoo built its new elephant building with a safer and larger exhibit for Princess Alice. The building was dedicated to the children of Salt Lake City. The zoo opened later that year on August first. On August 14, 1932, a relief carving of Princess Alice was unveiled. It was donated by J. R. Fox, a local Utah sculptor.

In 1947, Princess Alice went on a rampage throughout the zoo grounds. She ripped up concrete, fountains, and an elm tree. After a few hours, she calmly returned to her exhibit. In 1953, Princess Alice was euthanized after becoming ill at the approximate age of 69. Princess Alice is one of the most famous animals in the zoo's history. She played a vital role in Utah's history as well.

Shasta, who was born on May 6, 1948, was one of Hogle Zoo's most famous animals. She was the first liger born in America. Her mother was Daisey, a tiger, and her father was Huey, a lion. The two had been raised together, and that was why the zoo was able to breed them. Shasta weighed just over a pound at birth. However, her mother rejected her, and therefore she was hand raised. Shasta was a huge draw at the zoo. She was the reason for the zoo's success during the mid-1900s. Without her, Hogle Zoo might have gone out of business. Every year, the zoo held birthday parties for her. This drew in large crowds. After she died in 1972, she was sent to a taxidermist to be stuffed. Her body can now be seen at the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum at Brigham Young University. At 24 years, Shasta holds the world record for the longest-lived liger in history.[27]

Gorgeous, a female western lowland gorilla, was one of the zoo's most famous animals. Gorgeous came to Hogle Zoo in 1985 from the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado. She was caught in the wild in 1949 when she was only an infant. Gorgeous was very popular among guests, as she constantly interacted with them. However, Gorgeous lived alone because she did not get along with other gorillas. Therefore, she never had any offspring. In 1990, Gorgeous became world-famous as she was the first gorilla ever to receive cataract surgery. Dr. Allan Crandall, an ophthalmologist at the University of Utah Medical School, performed the surgery and implanted a lens into Gorgeous's eye. Gorgeous died in 1999 at the age of 50 and was the oldest living female gorilla at the time. She died of age-related problems. Since Gorgeous was popular among guests and staff, a bronze bust of her was made and displayed near the outside ape exhibits. This statue can still be seen today.

Dari lived to be the oldest living African elephant in the world. She lived to the age of 55 and died due to age-related problems. Dari was loved by guests and staff alike. She was known for her caring attitude toward the other elephants in her herd.

Daphne was the oldest living giraffe in the world. She came to Hogle Zoo in 1985 from the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. She had nine calves at the zoo. Daphne died at the age of 31, which is double the average lifespan for giraffes.[28]

In 2014, Hogle Zoo's northwest end was transformed into Rocky Shores (see above). This three acre site ws once home to exhibits like Bear Grotto, Penguin Cove, and the African Savannah, as well as habitats for Chacoan peccary, mountain lion, red panda, and lama.

Bear Grotto was constructed in the late 1950s in the western area of the zoo. The exhibit consisted of two concrete enclosures for the zoo's polar bears. In 1995, Andy, a male polar bear, came to Hogle Zoo from the Buffalo Zoo on a breeding recommendation. In November 1996, Chinook, the zoo's 20-year-old female polar bear, gave birth to twins. Andy was the father. The cubs were named Koluk and Kiska. Visitors were very excited about the birth of the cubs. Guests could not see the cubs, however, until the spring of the next year. On December 12, 2000, Chinook gave birth again to a female cub. Andy had sired the cub. Web-users were able to see two video clips of the mom and her cub. The cub was named Anana. Anana was not out on display until mid-April the following year. In December 2002, Chinook was euthanized because of her failing health. Chinook was 25 years old at the time. In November 2003, Andy died.

In July 2002, Dale, a female black bear, went on display in Bear Grotto. She was an orphan that was rescued from Minnesota. In 2003, Cubby, a male black bear, moved to Hogle Zoo from the Chahinkapa Zoo in North Dakota. Then in 2004, Tuff, a male black bear, came to live at Hogle Zoo. Tuff was born at a private breeder's farm in Missouri. He was then sold illegally. However, he was confiscated by officials and moved to a licensed facility. Tuff moved to Hogle Zoo shortly after. All of the black bears were moved to the Oregon Zoo because Hogle Zoo was going to start construction on their Rocky Shores exhibit.

In the late 1950s, the zoo constructed an exhibit for cougars. Large red cement rocks were made to mimic their natural habitat in southern Utah. The zoo's two cougars were orphaned brothers. Snow leopards were held in the exhibit at some point in time.

One of the first exhibits at Hogle Zoo to display animals based on geographic distribution, the African Savannah exhibit debuted to the public in 1986. The exhibit was funded through private donations and membership subscriptions. The exhibit was demolished in 2010, when construction began on Rocky Shores at the west end of the zoo.

The African Savanna was split into two habitats for African ungulates. The Lower Savannah habitat was built as a new exhibit for the zoo's African gazelles, which included South Africa's springbok. Other species that called this habitat home over its years included the critically endangered addax as well as the vulnerable Cuvier's gazelle - two species of antelope native to northern Africa. The Lower Savannah habitat was visible via an outlook that extended from the path towards the old Giraffe Building as well as an elevated walkway that provided a birds-eye-view of the habitat.

The Upper Savannah was a habitat for Grévy's zebra. A gully provided a natural barrier between the guests and the zebras. The pond of this habitat trickled down into a waterfall that extended into the Lower Savannah.

Two Egyptian geese and a flock of helmeted guineafowl had free range between the Lower and Upper Savannah habitats.

On November 9, 2010, Taji and Monty, two male Grévy's zebra arrived at Hogle Zoo from the Sedgwick County Zoo in Kansas. The two zebras occupied the Upper Savannah habitat. Their addition to the zoo's collection was significant, as it was the first time this endangered species had been exhibited in Utah.

On January 26, 2010, Taji was found dead in his barn. The following day, Monty was showing signs of distress. Later that day, it was determined that Monty needed to be humanely euthanized. For months, the zebras' deaths remained a mystery. Since it had snowed the week of their deaths, it was ruled out that any predators or humans had been involved. Both had experienced nosebleeds and blunt force trauma, possibly pointing to a fight between the two males.[36] On March 17, 2010, the zoo announced that the zebras' necropsy had come back inconclusive.[37]

To do this day, Taji and Monty's deaths remain one of the biggest unsolved mysteries of the zoos history.

After the zebra's death and before construction of Rocky Shores, three male ostrich took residence in the Upper Savannah habitat. They moved to the former cheetah habitat just south of the Giraffe Building alongside the Egyptian geese and an elderly springbok before moving to the new African Savanna in 2016.

Hogle Zoo has had a long history of exhibiting and breeding African penguins. In 1983, the first penguins arrived at Hogle Zoo. The four penguins were exhibited in a habitat outside of the Small Animal Building. On September 16, 1987, the zoo's first penguin chicks hatched. The same pair would go on to have three more chicks over the next three years. These chicks, however, did not live long and by the end of 1993, only one male from the colony was left.

On March 24, 1993, six African penguins, one male and five females, arrived at the zoo from the Maryland Zoo joining the zoo's lone male. This new colony would go on to produce 11 chicks from 1994 to 2007.

In 1996 the Sea Lion Pool, located in the northwest end of the zoo, was renovated to house the growing penguin colony. The Sea Lion Pool, originally built in 1964, was dedicated to former zoo director Gerald deBary who had died earlier that year from a fatal bite by a puff adder. The exhibit which was once home to harbor seals and California sea lions, was closed due to costly renovations required to meet standards for marine mammals. The exhibit needed a new filtration system which would have cost $500,000. Instead the exhibit was renovated and turned into Penguin Cove which opened to the public on October 24, 1996. The renovations, which cost $40,000, included a rocky coastline surrounding the existing pool, a nesting beach, and an indoor habitat.[38]

African penguins lived at Penguin Cove until the fall of 2010 when construction began on Rocky Shores. The remaining penguins were relocated to other accredited facilities including Dallas World Aquarium, Little Rock Zoo, and Toronto Zoo. The zoo has not had penguins in their collection since and has no plans for their return.

On December 6, 2002, Sarah and Ethel, two female red pandas made their debut in a new exhibit near Penguin Cove. The two had arrived the October prior from the Erie Zoo. The outdoor exhibit featured large trees for the red pandas to climb and an indoor habitat for them during Utah's hot summer months.[39]

Red pandas were absent from the zoo after November 2010 when construction began on Rocky Shores. The species returned in 2018 with the opening of a new exhibit in Asian Highlands.

Between the cougar exhibit and Bear Grotto, a summer enclosure was built for the zoo's tortoise collection. Kronk and Yzma, the zoo's large Aldabra tortoises, took residence in the exhibit. In 2004, the exhibit was renovated for the arrival of four endangered Chacoan peccaries. The renovated exhibit featured tunnels and dens for the South American pigs.

In 1969 the unique two-story Giraffe Building was constructed. The giraffe building was not safe. In the early 1990s, two giraffes were euthanized after breaking legs on slippery floors. In 1994, the USDA cited the zoo because it failed to maintain structures in good repair at the Giraffe Building. The zoo was also cited in 1994 after failing to correct previously identified violations of peeling paint that could be ingested by the giraffes. In 2002, Sandile, a 7-year-old male reticulated giraffe, died after getting his neck stuck in a fence. In 2004, Ruth, a 26-year-old female reticulated giraffe, was euthanized after complications of a fractured leg. The zoo could not identify whether the broken leg was related to the building. Several giraffes died at Hogle Zoo, however, not all were building related. The zoo paid in all $50,000 to ensure that the Giraffe Building was USDA approved. After the African Savanna was opened in 2014, all of the zoo's giraffes were moved to a new state-of-art giraffe house. The old Giraffe Building was turned into the zoo's Maintenance Building, and it no longer houses animals.

The Feline Building, which opened in 1970, consisted of a series of concrete cages for big and small cats. The building housed lions, tigers, jaguars, a serval, an Arabian wildcat, ocelots, sand cats, black-footed cats, and other cats. In 1995, the cages were renovated. Renovations included fabricated trees, rock work, and recirculating water. Murals were added in 1996. The renovations cost $1,400. In 2005, construction started on the Asian Highlands, the renovated Feline Building.

The Hippo Building was located where the Conservation Carousel is today. It was built in the mid-1970s. The building was home to one male hippo named Moe. Moe had a 30,000-gallon pool. Moe shared the building with a breeding pair of black-footed penguins. On the outside of the building, there were exhibits for the zoo's Siamese crocodiles, Hillary and Bill. The crocodiles were moved to the Small Animal Building in 2003. Moe moved to the Rio Grande Zoo in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Hippo Building was torn down a couple of years later for the construction of the new carousel.

In 1981, for the Hogle Zoo's fiftieth anniversary, the Animal Giants Complex was built. The exhibit was built to house the zoo's elephants, Dari, Kali, Twiggy, Toni, and Toka, and the zoo's white rhinos, Princess and George. Naturalistic outdoor enclosures were not only built for the zoo's pachyderms but for ostriches and tortoises too. The Animal Giants Complex was renovated for Elephant Encounter which opened in 2005.

Central Zone was located in where the current Meerkat Manor and lion holding facility are today.

Central Zone was home to the zoo's Bactrian camels. During the summer of 2012, the Gobi, an arthritic male camel, was euthanized due to his great pain. He lived with another camel, named Mabel, who was then sent to the San Diego Zoo to be with other camels and so the zoo could start construction on the African Savanna exhibit.

In the late 1980s, construction on Discoveryland began. Discoveryland was the first exhibit built at Hogle Zoo to resemble animals' natural habitats. The exhibit displayed animals of the Americas. The exhibit was constructed in the eastern part of the zoo. It was built in five phases. Discoveryland was torn down in order to build the zoo's African Savanna.

Woodland Edge

Woodland edge was the first phase of Discoveryland. Woodland Edge consisted of two naturalistic exhibits. One exhibit housed the zoo's bald eagles. Their names were Sam and Betsy. The other exhibit housed a bobcat. When construction on Rocky Shores started, some of the animals from the construction zone had to be moved to Discoveryland. The exhibits in Woodland Edge were renovated to house them. Two orphaned mountain lion siblings moved into where the bobcat used to be, and a family of endangered charcoal peccaries moved into where the bald eagles were. New exhibits were built for the eagles and bobcat on the zoo's south pathway.

Knoll and Burrow

Knoll and Burrow was phase two of Discoveryland. Knoll and Burrow was a very innovative exhibit. The exhibit mimicked a cave on the American prairie. On the outside, visitors could see exhibits for a colony of prairie dogs, a stripped skunk and a rabbit. Inside were exhibits for a cacomistle, short-tailed leaf-nosed bats, a flying squirrel, blind cave fish, and other animals like scorpions. Inside the cave, guests could look through plexiglass to get up-close views of the outside exhibits.

Marsh Aviary

The Marsh Aviary, also known as Woodland Pond, was phase four of Discoveryland. Guests could walk out onto a boardwalk over the pond. In the pond, the zoo kept a group of injured American white pelicans, a breeding pair of mute swans, a greylag goose, and a snow goose. Also in the pond were other North American duck species. Visitors could pay twenty-five cents to feed the birds.

Desert Canyon

Desert Canyon was the fifth and final phase of Discoveryland. Large red stone rocks were constructed of fabricated rock, lath and rebar over three concrete and block buildings. A concrete gun was used to build a reddish-color cement-like compound, which was then hand-troweled for the rock-like appearance. As visitors followed a somewhat narrow path, they saw two exhibits. Originally they were for fennec and kit foxes, but over the years an ocelot and a coati were housed in the exhibits. Next visitors saw an aquarium which housed native Utah fish species like June suckers. On top of a small mesa, angora goats and Navajo sheep lived overlooking an Anasazi cliff dwelling. Before construction on the new African Savanna started, an old angora goat and a few Navajo sheep moved into the old bighorn sheep exhibit on the south pathway. Other small glass exhibits housed Harris antelope squirrels, armadillos, a screech owl, a long-eared owl, an American kestrel, mourning doves, ring-necked pheasants, Bullock's orioles, and ravens. Desert Canyon also housed a small amphitheater. Live animal shows were held there.

Tropical Gardens, the zoo's greenhouse, featured several traveling exhibits each summer. Some of the more famous exhibits include Madagascar! (2009), Ghost of the Bayou (2007 and 2008), and Outback Adventure (2002-2004).

Hogle Zoo has featured several animated dinosaur exhibitions. The two most recent exhibitions were Zoorasic Park (2011) and Zoorasic Park 2 (2015).

The 2013 temporary exhibit featured 32 Lego sculptures by Sean Kenny depicting life-size animal scenes including Humboldt penguins, polar bears, and golden lion tamarins.[40]

Fourteen animatronics depicting various supersized bug species were scattered around zoo grounds during 2017. The exhibit worked to help destigmatize the creepy-crawlies and helped educate guests on the important roles insects play in ecosystems.[41]

Fifteen of artist Angela Haseltine Pozzi's sea-life sculptures came to Hogle Zoo in 2019. Each sculpture is made of recycled plastic that was collected from United State shorelines. The artwork educates viewers on the importance of recycling and reducing plastic waste as well as the effect pollution has on marine life.[42]

Every year during the late winter, the zoo features the World of the Wild Art Show. This indoor exhibition shows animal art by various artists.

The Great Ape and Primate Forest Expansion will be the biggest project Hogle Zoo still has to undertake. The project will modernize the exhibit space for the zoo's gorillas, orangutans, and smaller primates. As part of the plan, the zoo hopes to exhibit different species together. For example, the zoo wishes to introduce its colobus monkeys in with the gorilla troop. Another plan combines the zoo's spider and howler monkeys in with other South American species like tapir and capybara. This idea of mixed-species exhibits will not only stimulate the animals, but it will give guests an idea of how these animals live in the wild. Primates and apes travel long distances in the wild. Therefore, another plan for the expansion is to have overhead chutes connect several exhibits to allow the animals to move to different exhibit spaces. This feature would give the animals choice as they would have in the wild. The Great Ape and Primate Forest Expansion will also allow better viewing opportunities for the guests.

The Diversity of Life and Education building will be the zoo's new Small Animal Building. Located where the old Beastro and RendeZoo building are today, the new exhibit will feature the animals from the Small Animal Building as well as new small animals. The current Small Animal Building was built in the 1970s and is dated. The new building will have better space for both animals and guests.

The building will be three stories high. The first two stories will be dedicated to animals. The third floor will be used by the education staff. On the south side of the building, there will be a three-story rain forest exhibit featuring free-ranging primates and birds. Other possible exhibits may include a Madagascar exhibit. Funding for the exhibit has already begun and the project was originally scheduled to be done by 2022 but has yet to begin construction.

After the current Small Animal Building is demolished, the zoo will build a new building that will feature traveling exhibits. When the new Beastro restaurant was built in 2014, the Tropical Gardens exhibit, which featured the zoo's traveling exhibits, had to be destroyed. The new building will be bigger than Tropical Gardens. This will allow for larger traveling exhibits

The Asia Expansion will include minor renovations to the current Asian Highlands exhibit as well as construction on more exhibits above Asian Highlands. Better exhibits for the zoo's Asian goats as well as exhibits for other Asian species will be a part of the construction. The construction will also include improvements to the South Pathway.