Zoos that have closed or plan to close their elephant exhibits in North America
Since 1991, the following zoos have closed their elephant exhibits:
1. Sacramento Zoo, California (1991)
2. Frank Buck Zoo, Texas (1998)
3. Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo, Louisiana (1999)**
4. Mesker Park Zoo, Indiana (1999)**
5. Henry Vilas Zoo, Wisconsin (2000)**
6. Greater Vancouver Zoo, Canada (2003)**
7. Chehaw Wild Animal Park, Georgia (2004)**
8. Detroit Zoo, Michigan (2005)**
9. San Francisco Zoo, California (2005)**
10. Lion Country Safari, Florida (2006)
11. Abilene Zoo, Texas (2007)
12. Alaska Zoo, Alabama (2007)**
13. Gladys Porter Zoo, Texas (2007)
14. Philadelphia Zoo, Pennsylvania (2009)
15. Brookfield Zoo, Illinois (2010) announced plans in 2024 to bring them back
16. Jackson Zoo, Mississippi (2010)
17. Lincoln Park Zoo, Illinois (2010)
18. Central Florida Zoo, Florida (2011)
19. Niabi Zoo, Illinois (2013)* lost AZA accreditation shortly before the elephant program ended
20. Toronto Zoo, Canada (2013)**
21. BREC’s Baton Rouge Zoo, Louisiana (2013)
22. Calgary Zoo, Canada (2014)
23. Greenville Zoo, South Carolina (2014)
24. Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, California (2015)* formerly AZA accredited
25. Woodland Park Zoo, Washington (2015)
26. Lee Richardson Zoo, Kansas (2015)
27. Nashville Zoo, Tennessee (2015)**
28. Virginia Zoo, Virginia (2016)
29. Buffalo Zoo, New York (2018)
30. Grants Farm, Missouri (2018)*
31. Riverbanks Zoo and Garden, South Carolina (2019)
32. Santa Barbara Zoo, California (2019)
33. Monterey Zoo, California (2021)
34. Hogle Zoo, Utah (2023)
35. Zoo Knoxville, Tennessee (2023)**
36. El Paso Zoo, Texas (2024)
37. Point Defiance Zoo, Washington (2024)
38. Oakland Zoo, California (2024)**
39. Phoenix Zoo, Arizona (2025)
40. Louisville Zoo, Kentucky (2025)**
41. Topeka Zoo, Kansas (2026)
42. Cameron Park Zoo, Texas (2026)
43. Roger Williams Park Zoo, Rhode Island (2027)
* zoos not accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums
** elephants sent to sanctuary
The following zoos have announced plans to close or phase out their elephant exhibits:
1. Edmonton Valley Zoo, Canada
2. Bronx Zoo, New York (2006)
3. Buttonwood Park Zoo, Massachusetts (2024)
4. Los Angeles Zoo (California) “paused”
