The Tulsa Zoo's attendance topped 622,000 guests during its 2013-14 fiscal year, marking a milestone for the zoo. This annual attendance total is the second-highest in the zoo’s 85-year history, just shy of the 669,928 guests who attended the zoo in 1997 after the opening of the Tropical American Rainforest.
This record-breaking year can be attributed to the zoo’s temporary dinosaur exhibit, Zoorassic Park. Significant births and hatchings also drove guests to the zoo, including a snow leopard cub, nine aldabra hatchlings and a Ssamang baby.
Attendance is expected to remain strong as the zoo continues to implement new exhibits, such as the Mary K. Chapman Rhino Reserve, which is slated to open later this year. The new, naturalistic rhinoceros exhibit will allow guests to have an up-close encounter with the rhinos, while being able to view them inside during all weather conditions. Guests also can look forward to the Lost Kingdom Complex, which is slated to open in 2016. This complex will feature an immersive setting where guests can get up-close with tigers, snow leopards, Komodo dragons, among other Asian species. Guests also can continue to enjoy Zoorassic Park through Oct. 31.