History:
BREC’s Baton Rouge Zoo was a dream of the Recreation and Parks Commission as early as 1960. In 1965, the taxpayers passed a millage election that provided over three-quarters of a million dollars with which to build the facility. At that time a Zoo Director was employed to help design and implement the plans for the Zoo. Matching funds were obtained from the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation.

Construction began in 1966 and BREC’s Baton Rouge Zoo first opened to the public on Easter Sunday, 1970. The residents of East Baton Rouge fully embraced the concept of the new Zoo, and a sense of ownership was instilled in the community, aided by the urging of television personality, Buckskin Bill. The words of Buckskin Bill, “Baton Rouge needs a Zoo” at the end of his television program rallied the residents of East Baton Rouge Parish.