TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) – From an impressive elephant habitat to a thriving giraffe exhibit, Tucson is home to a world-class zoo.

Reid Park Zoo will soon celebrate its 60th anniversary.

“One person’s idea was the beginning of what is now southern Arizona’s most visited attraction,” said Nancy Kluge, president and CEO of Reid Park Zoo.

Last year, a record 623,000 people visited Reid Park Zoo, a figure that was boosted by the birth of an elephant and a giraffe baby.

Named after former Tucson Parks Director Gene Reid, the 24-hectare zoo has undergone a long evolution since its founding in the spring of 1965.

Reid Park Zoo

Reid and his deputy, Emerson Hall, took a trip to West Texas to visit Lubbock’s famous prairie dog town.

“After they returned from Texas, they came up with the idea of ​​a prairie dog town,” said Tucson historian David Leighton.

Leighton spent three years researching the origins of the Reid Park Zoo and recently published a book about its history. He discovered that the Lubbock parks director had offered Reid and Hall 18 prairie dogs.

“Emerson Hall was instrumental in bringing prairie dogs to Tucson,” Leighton said. “He also oversaw the construction of Prairie Dog City, which was the first exhibit at what later became the Reid Park Zoo.”

Citizens of Tucson

Tucson’s Prairie Dog Town opened in April 1965 in Randolph Park, as the park was then called, in what is now the World of Play area. Prairie Dog Town was a huge success for Reid and the park administration.

Reid Park Zoo

“Seeing all the kids running around Prairie Dog Town and the excited parents may have given him the idea of ​​opening a free zoo for the children of Tucson,” Leighton said.

From there, Leighton said, “It just grew so fast.”

People began to donate animals. One woman gave Reid two peacocks because her neighbors complained about the noise. Peacocks are still a staple at the zoo today.

Soon after, people started donating more exotic animals. Reid is quoted as saying, “Then someone gave us a monkey and it all started.”

“Gene C. Reid contacted Mark Keane, then the city manager of Tucson,” Leighton recalled. “He asked, ‘What should we do with this thing?’ And his answer was, ‘I guess we need to open a zoo.'”

Thanks to donations, Reid’s zoo grew even further in September 1966. Sabu, a two-year-old Asian elephant, was part of a traveling zoo that stopped at the El Con shopping center. The owner, Alma Jett, could no longer transport the 500-pound elephant across the country.

Joanna Gradillas

“The zoo raised money to get the animal,” Leighton said. “Alma Jett herself donated $1,000 because she wanted it to go to a zoo and not a circus.”

This is how elephant conservation began in Reid Park.

By 1967, the zoo had a large flight cage for birds and had introduced camels. That year, Gene Reid’s unofficial zoo was finally included in the city budget.

“A request for $49,404 to the city council,” Leighton said. “The zoo was growing pretty quickly and he needed real funding. So it became an official zoo rather than something he had just started.”

Today, Reid Park Zoo has an operating budget of about $10 million. Ironically, you’ll no longer find prairie dogs here – or the controversial polar bears that were first brought to the Tucson desert from a Moscow zoo in 1969.

Joanna Gradillas

But you will still find elephants. Reid Park is considered one of the best elephant habitats in North America.

“Habitat is an important part of it,” Kluge said. “But what’s really important is the care that goes into providing the animals with the best environment to showcase everything they do in nature, right here at Reid Park Zoo.”

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In the last ten years, three elephant calves have been born at the zoo: Nandi, Penzi and now Meru.

“Having the baby elephants was wonderful and a great time for our guests,” said Kluge. “It shows that our elephants live healthy and happy lives.”

According to Kluge, it also contributes to the protection of these species. She also points to the baby giraffe Moyo at the Reid Park Zoo.

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As Reid Park Zoo prepares to celebrate its 60th anniversary, it is in the midst of a major expansion project.

“Pathway to Asia will bring tigers back to Reid Park Zoo,” Kluge said. “We’re doing for the tigers pretty much what we did for the elephants.”

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Pathway to Aisa will also bring a red panda to Tucson, with completion scheduled for 2026. After that, the zoo’s center will be transformed – as Reid Park continues to grow from those humble beginnings.

“This is truly a zoo that Tucson built,” Kluge said.

Starting in January, the zoo will celebrate its 60th anniversary.

Leighton is working with zoo officials to honor Emerson Hall, who helped bring prairie dogs to Tucson, with a plaque or memorial stone.