Honolulu Zoo in Honolulu, Hawaii

With the decree by King David Kalkaua in 1876, royal lands near the slopes of Diamond Head were turned into a grand public park, 200 subscribers of the project formed the Kapi'olani Park Association. The marshes, ponds and lagoons in the area were breathtaking and it was opened as Queen Kapi'olani Park in 1877. As a public park, the King continued to use the site to house his collection of exotic birds and horses. With the staging of Kamehameha Day celebrations and various carnivals, the facility received more exotic animals as gifts.

The City and County of Honolulu appointed Ben Hollinger to be the new Administrator of Parks and Recreation and Queen Kapi'olani Park, in 1914. Hollinger had a real fascination for animals and began to collect them to showcase at the park in Waikiki. The park became home to a collection of monkeys, a honey bear and many lion cubs. A steamship on the way from Australia to Canada pulled into port in Honolulu, on board was an Asian elephant, which was purchased by the City and County of Honolulu. With the acquiring of the elephant, Daisy, Honolulu officially had the makings of a zoo.

Over 750,000 people visit Honolulu Zoo each year. The institution is administered by the Honolulu Zoo Society, a non-profit organization, and is maintained by an army of volunteers. The zoo is owned by the City and County of Honolulu through the Auditoriums Department.

As the principal zoological institution for research in Hawaii, the Honolulu Zoo is the only zoo in the United States to be established using grants from a sovereign monarch. The park consists of 300-acres of royal land in Waikiki, and features more than 1,200 animals in simulated habitat.

The zoo features habitat areas designed after specific regions of the world such as; an African Savannah, Tropical Forest, Islands of the Pacific and a Children's Zoo. The Honolulu Zoo also features a number of endangered animals such as the African wild dog, Sumatran tigers, Cuban amazons, Blue Throated conures, Reticulated tortoises, Komodo dragons, Gharials, and Black and White Rhinoceros.

The Honolulu Zoo features some stunning works of art which makes it stand out against the park backdrop. The Hawaiian Porpoises is a metal, coral and fiberglass sculpture done by artist Ken Shutt. Done by sculptor Jack Throp, the Hippopotami sculpture is made from chicken wire, cloth and Belzona resin. The most recent addition to the sculpture park was in 1988, Elephants Child by Tom Tischler.

The Honolulu Zoo is fully handicapped accessible and has picnic, rest and special events areas. The facility also features a restaurant, gift shop, convenient food and beverage concession stands, and wheelchair and stroller rentals. Hours of operation for the zoo are from 9 am until 4:30 pm daily, and the park is closed on Christmas Day.