Building a better Zoo for every Arkansan
The Master Plan is a multi-phased redevelopment of the Little Rock Zoo. The work happening now is its first major phase — not the end of it.
A roadmap, phased on purpose
The Arkansas Zoological Foundation is raising funds and support toward the implementation of an exciting Zoo Master Plan. This multi-phased upgrade of the Little Rock Zoo is a bold vision for the future, and the Foundation seeks a combination of public and private support to fund it.
Phasing matters here. A zoo cannot close for three years while it rebuilds — the animals live there and the community expects the gates open. So the plan is deliberately sequenced into stages that can each be funded, built and opened while the rest of the Zoo carries on operating normally.
That is also why the Foundation's fundraising never really stops. Each phase needs its private share committed before it can begin, so the work of raising it happens years ahead of a groundbreaking.
The first major phase — the new entrance plaza, amphitheater, and four new or redesigned animal habitats — is under construction now and scheduled to open in fall 2026.
How it came about
A Task Force convened by Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott, Jr., made up of business and community leaders, examined the Zoo's condition and its potential. It found tremendous opportunity in supporting the Zoo's Master Plan for redevelopment — and made the case that the Zoo is an asset worth investing in, both for the quality of animal care and for what a genuinely first-rate zoo does for the city that has one.
Little Rock voters agreed. In 2022 they approved a bond issue that provides the public share of the funding, which is what made the current construction possible.
But the 2022 Bond was just the beginning. Future investment is needed to realize the full potential of the Zoo Master Plan.
Read the documents
The Zoo publishes the Master Plan and related material directly. If you want the detail behind the summary above, go to the source:
The Master Plan opens as a PDF on the Little Rock Zoo's website. The Task Force findings and recommendations were presented to the City of Little Rock and are available as a public presentation on littlerock.gov (opens in a new tab).
What a modern zoo has to get right
The standards for animal habitats have changed enormously since much of the Zoo was built. A master plan is how a century-old zoo catches up deliberately rather than piecemeal.
Space that suits the animal
Habitats sized and structured for how a species actually lives — climbing height for primates, water for capybaras, mixed-species landscapes where that reflects the wild.
Care behind the scenes
Modern holding areas, barns and veterinary access. Most of what makes animal welfare possible is the part visitors never see.
A visit that teaches
Sightlines, shade, accessible paths and interpretation that turn a walk around the Zoo into the conservation lesson the mission promises.
The plan only moves as fast as its funding.
Private support is what lets the next phase start. Help one of Arkansas's greatest treasures by donating today.