Honolulu Zoo

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The Honolulu Zoo · 151 Kapahulu Ave, Honolulu, Hawai‘i (Map)
Open daily from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm. 
For more information please call (808) 971-7171.



CONTACT THE HONOLULU ZOO
Questions about the Zoo:
(808) 971-7171

Membership Department:
(808) 926-3191 ext. 153
membership@honzoosoc.org

Education Department:
(808) 971-7195
education@honzoosoc.org

Volunteer Opportunities:
(808) 926-3191 ext. 111
bthacker@honzoosoc.org

Make a Donation:
(808) 926-3191 ext. 155
bsuazo@honzoosoc.org

Schedule an Event (For more than 50 people):
(808) 729-1002 
hlzcatering@kmssa.com 

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Child riding elephant Daisy, 1900.

Iiwi

ABOUT THE
HONOLULU ZOO

The Honolulu Zoo is the only zoo within a radius of 2,392 miles. It is also the only zoo in the United States that originated in a King’s grant of royal lands to the people. In 1876, King David Kalakaua, Monarch of Hawai‘i, made lands of the Leahi Crown Holdings available, "to the people of Hawai‘i."

The 300 acre parcel was primarily a marshland of old fish ponds, lagoons and islands. In 1877, it was officially opened as Queen Kapiolani Park. Appointed Park Association members developed the unpromising land with the help of royal subsidies to display the King’s private bird collection and to feature a horseracing track.

In 1914, the City of Honolulu assumed responsibility for the park and the first Park Director, Ben Hollinger, began collecting animals. He began with a monkey, bear and an African elephant "for the children of Hawai‘i." With a world-wide reputation for its Bird-of-paradise collection, in 1938 "Kapiolani Bird Park" grew to include three large aviary complexes. E.H. Lewis, noted ornithologist and superintendent of the bird park on Santa Catalina Island, Ca. was brought in to supervise the establishment of "modern" techniques for breeding and bird care.

In 1947, 42.5 acres within Kapiolani Park, was designated as the Honolulu Zoo. Paul Breese was hired as the first Zoo Director and worked to developed its first Master Plan In 1952, the zoo was converted to a "popular" layout showing animals in taxonomic groupings of bird, reptile and mammal exhibits. The first director was succeeded by Jack Throp, and the staff increased to twenty-eight. Jerome S. Marr became the third director in 1979.

The modern Honolulu Zoo originated in 1984, when a second Master Plan was developed for a Tropical Zoological Garden. It organized all exhibits into three tropical ecological zones: the African Savanna, Asian and American Tropical Forests, and Pacific Islands.

It was during this time that Don G. Davis became the fourth director with Ken Redman as his assistant. Zoo staffing grew to between 80-85 employees. In 1993, Ken Redman, was named to the Director's position. Until his retirement in 2008, he worked on updating the zoo’s Master Plan and re-formulating the mission statement:

The mission of the Honolulu Zoo is to inspire stewardship of our living world by providing meaningful experiences to our guests. The Zoo emphasizes Pacific tropical island ecosystems and our traditional values of malama (caring) and ho`okipa (hospitality). 

Operated by the City and County of Honolulu, the Waikiki land on which it is located belongs to the Kapiolani Charitable trust by an agreement between the Republic of Hawai‘i and the Kapiolani Park Association. The aim of the agreement was for the now 220 acres of Kapiolani Park to remain a place of natural beauty and ornamental landscaping, and to ensure free, recreation grounds for the benefit of Hawai‘i’s residents and visitors.

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MAMMALS

Aardvark
African Crested Porcupine
African Lion
African Wild Dog
Black-handed Spider Monkey
Black Rhinoceros
Cheetah
Chimpanzee
Domestic Guinea Pig
Domestic Zebu
Fennec Fox
Francois Monkey
Goat
Golden Lion Tamarin
Grant's Zebra
Hamadryas Baboon
Hippopotamus
Indian Elephant
Kirk's Dik Dik
Klipspringer
Llama
Malayan Sun Bear
Meerkat
Miniature Horse
Nigerian Dwarf Goat
Orangutan
Red-flanked Duiker
Red Holstein Cow
Reticulated Giraffe
Ring-Tailed Lemur
Ruffed Lemur
Serval
Siamang
Skunk
Slender-tailed Meerkat
Spotted Hyena
St Croix / Jacob's Sheep
Sumatran Tiger
Wart Hog
White-Handed Gibbon

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REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS

African Bullfrog
African Pancake Tortoise
African Spurred Tortoise
Aldabra Tortoise
American Alligator
Arrau River Turtle
Asian Giant River Turtle
Asian Black-spined toad
Asian Brown Tortoise
Asian Rock / Burmese Python\
Axolotl
Bell's Hingeback Tortoise
Black Marsh Turtle
Blue-Tongued Skink
Burmese Black Mountain Tortoise
Chinese soft shelled turtle
Chinese three-keeled pond turtle
Crocodile Monitor
Cunningham's skink
Dabb Spiny-tailed Lizard
Elongated Tortoise
Galapagos Tortoise
Gharial
Gidgee Skink
Green-and-black Poison Dart Frog
Helmeted Turtle
Inland Bearded Dragon
Komodo Dragon
Leopard Gecko
Madagascar Giant Day Gecko
Malaysian Giant Pond Turtle
Mangrove Monitor Lizard
Matmata Turtle
New Caledonia Giant Gecko
Nile Crocodile
Nile Monitor
Oriental Fire-bellied Newt
Oriental Fire-bellied Toad
Ornate Horned Frog
Philippine Tree Skink
Ploughshare Tortoise
Prehensile-tailed Skink
Radiated Tortoise
Red-footed Tortoise
River Terrapin / Batagur Turtle
Round-nose / Great Plated Lizard
Royal / Ball Python
Savanna Monitor Lizard
Shingleback Skink
Smokey Jungle Frog
South American Slider
Star Tortoise
Sungazer / Giant Zonure
Surinam Toad
Tegu Lizard
Yellow-footed Tortoise
Yellow-spot Amazon River Turtle
Yellow-Throated Plated Lizard

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BIRDS

African Comb Duck
African Ground Hornbill
African White Spoonbill
Amakihi (not on exhibit)
American Flamingo
American White Ibis
Amboina King Parrot
Black Swan
Black-Masked Lovebird
Black-naped Fruit Dove
Black-naped Oriole
Blacksmith Plover
Bleeding Heart Dove
Blue-capped cordon-bleu
Blue-crowned Motmot
Buff-hooded Ground Dove
Cape Teal Duck
Cape Thick-knee
Cattle Egret (Buff-back Heron)
Cinnamon Teal
Cockatiel
Cochin Auracana
Common Bronzewing Pigeon
Common Ostrich
Common Pintail
Crested Fireback Pheasant
Crested Pigeon
Crested Oropendola
Crested Wood Partridge
Cuban Amazon
East African Crowned Crane
Fairy Bluebird
Fawn-breasted Bowerbird
Galah
Golden Conure
Golden-breasted Starling
Golden White-eye (Honey-eater)
Great Argus Pheasant
Green Peafowl
Green-winged Dove
Green Woodhoopoe
Grey-headed Lovebird
Grey-necked Woodrail
Grey-winged Trumpeter
Hammerkop
Hawaiian Hawk
Hawk-Headed Amazon
Helmeted Guineafowl
Hill Mynah
Hooded Merganser
Hooded Pitta
Hooded Vulture
Indian Blue Quail
Indian Hill Mynah
Japanese White-Eye
Kalij Pheasant
King Vulture
Kookaburra
Laughing Dove
Laughing Gull
Laysan Teal
Lesser Flamingo
Magnificent Bird of Paradise
Magnificent Ground Pigeon
Magpie Robin
Mallard
Mallard (Peking)
Mallard (White Peking)
Mandarin Duck
Marabou Stork
Mariana Fruit Dove
Masked Lovebird
Mille Fleur Chicken
Mitred Conure
Moriche Oriole
Nene (Hawaiian Goose)
Nicobar Pigeon
Orange Bishop Weaver
Pacific Golden Plover
Palawan Peacock Pheasant
Palm Cockatoo
Peach-faced Lovebird
Pied Imperial Pigeon

Pileated Finch
Pin-tailed Whydah
Raggiana Bird of Paradise
Red-and-Yellow Barbet
Red-Billed Leothrix (Pekin Robin)
Red-Cheeked Cordon-bleu
Red Whiskered Bulbul
Red-winged Parrot
Renauld's Ground Cuckoo
Rhode Island Red Chicken
Ringed Teal
Ringed Turtle Dove
Roseate Spoonbill
Rosybill Pochard
Rouen Clair Duck
Rufous Fantail
Sacred Ibis
Scarlet Ibis
Scarlet Macaw
Secretary Bird
Silkie Bantam Chicken
Silver-Eared Mesia
Soloman Island Eclectus
Speckled Mousebird
St. Helena or Common Waxbill
Star Finch
Sun Conure
Superb Bird of Paradise
Table Top Chicken
Tawny Frogmouth
Toco Toucan
Victoria Crowned Pigeon
Violet-backed Starling
White-crested Laughing Thrush
White-headed Buffalo Weaver
White Pelican
White-Rumped Shama Thrush
White Stork
Wonga Pigeon
Wood Duck
Wrinkled Hornbill