The Honolulu Zoo is a 42-acre (17 ha) zoo in Queen Kapiʻolani Park in Honolulu, Hawaii. It is the only zoo in the United States to be established by grants made by a sovereign monarch and is built on part of the 300-acre (121 ha) royal Queen Kapiʻolani Park. The Honolulu Zoo features over 1,230 animals in specially designed habitats. Over 601,510 people visit the zoo annually. The zoo is administered by the City & County of Honolulu through the Department of Enterprise Services. Its support agency, the Honolulu Zoo Society (HZS), provides program services for the zoo. The zoo’s accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) was dropped in 2016 but reinstated in 2020.
In 1876, King Kalākaua made royal lands near the slopes of Lē‘ahi available for the establishment of a grand public park for the people of his kingdom. Two hundred subscribers to the king’s project formed the Kapiʻolani Park Association to pursue the mission. In 1877, the marshes, ponds, and lagoons in the area were beautified, and it was opened as Queen Kapiʻolani Park in honor of Queen Kapiʻolani, wife of Kalākaua.
In 1914, the City & County of Honolulu appointed Ben Hollinger to be its Administrator of Parks and Recreation, and Queen Kapiʻolani Park came under his control. Hollinger maintained a fascination with animals and began collecting them to showcase at the park in Waikīkī. The park became home to a monkey, a sun bear, and several lion cubs. In 1916, a steamship on its way from Australia to Canada pulled into port at Honolulu Harbor. Onboard was an African elephant named Daisy. Hollinger pleaded with the City & County of Honolulu to purchase the elephant, which they did. With the acquisition of the elephant, from live animal trader Ellis S. Joseph, Honolulu officially had a zoo. Daisy entertained visitors at the park until 1933, when Daisy was killed by Honolulu Police Department officers after she trampled her trainer, George Conradt, to death.
During the Great Depression, the Honolulu Zoo was almost shut down for lack of finances. Even though the difficulty, it expanded its collection on November 29, 1949, with the purchase of an elephant, a Bactrian camel, sea lions, several bird species, spider monkeys, and a tortoise. The Honolulu Zoo continued to operate in disrepair. A1 Bed Bug Exterminator Honolulu
Restaurants and Pubs
- South Shore Grill is located at 3114 Monsarrat Ave, Honolulu, HI
- 12th Ave Grill & DeliCafe is located at 1120 12th Ave, Honolulu, HI
- Kelley O’Neil’s is located at 311 Lewers St, Honolulu, HI
Check out other attractions like Iolani Palace