The Phoenix Zoo opened in 1962 and is the largest privately owned, non-profit zoo in the United States. Located in Phoenix, Arizona, the zoo was founded by Robert Maytag, a member of the Maytag family, and operates on 125 acres of land in the Papago Park area of Phoenix. It has been designated as a Phoenix Point of Pride.
The Phoenix Zoo has four major themed areas, or “trails”, where visitors can experience exhibits representing different areas of the world and their native wildlife: the Arizona Trail, the Africa Trail, the Tropics Trail, and the Discovery/Children’s Trail. The Arizona Trail is designed to emulate the wildlife and plant life of the state of Arizona. It features several plants native to the Sonoran Desert including the saguaro cactus, and animals such as the coyote, collared peccary (more commonly known as the javelina), cougar, bobcat, raven, turkey vulture, coati, thick billed parrot, Sonoran pronghorn, and the Mexican wolf.
