North Carolina Zoo is situated on a wooded 2,600 acres (1,100 hectares) centrally located in the heart of North Carolina, just south of Asheboro in Randolph County. It is the largest natural habitat zoo in the world and one of only two state-supported zoos. The North Carolina Zoo is an agency of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
The North Carolina Zoo grew out of an idea initiated by Raleigh Jaycee in 1967. The zoo is 75 miles (121 km) west of Raleigh , 25 miles (40 km) south of Greensboro and 75 miles (121 km) northeast of Charlotte . The North Carolina Zoo has more than 1,800 animals of more than 250 species, mostly from Africa and North America. The zoo is open 363 days a year (closed for Thanksgiving and Christmas) and receives more than 900,000 visitors annually. The North Carolina Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
In 1967, the North Carolina Legislature created the North Carolina Zoological Garden Study Commission to study the possibility of a state zoo.The nine-member commission concluded that a zoo was both feasible and desirable. The following year, the North Carolina Zoological Society was formed to raise funds and public support for the zoo project. That same year, the legislature created the North Carolina Zoological Authority to oversee the project. A site in Randolph County was selected from 6 sites after a two-year search by a zoo commission led by State Representative Archie McMillan of Wake County. After the site was selected, its 1,371 acres (5.55 km 2 ) were donated to the state. A $2 million bond was handed over, and Governor Robert W. Scott dedicated the site in the spring of 1972. Construction of the North Carolina Zoo began in 1974 with an official opening date of August 13, 1976. The first animals, two Galapagos tortoises, arrived in 1973 and the Interim Zoo opened in 1974.
Land in the African region was first laid in the spring of 1976, and the grand opening of the original five habitats took place in the summer of 1980. Today there are many habitats, including chimpanzees, giraffes, and gorillas. , zebras, and elephants.