ALABAMA GULF COAST ZOO

Take A Walk On The Wild Side

Over 500 exotic animals including lions, tigers and bears (oh my!), monkeys, camels and wolves, etc. live at the Gulf Shores zoo.

There is a petting zoo, reptile house and aviary. Zookeepers provide animal encounters, animal shows and keeper talks.  

Lions

Howling winds and torrential rains on January 2, 2017 forced staff to move the animals from their cages for safety. A tree fell on the lions' den and crushed it.  A zookeeper said the male lion was petrified of the pounding rain and wind. One of the birds in a cage suffered a broken wing but is recovering nicely.

Tiger

The zoo in Gulf Shores is the little zoo that could. It was founded by Joey Ward of Gulf Shores as a private enterprise in 1989. 

Bear

The Ward family donated 17 acres of prime real estate in Gulf Shores.  which makes up the zoo today. Another 13 acres that was donated remains undeveloped. 

Wolf

The zoo expects to move four miles up the road to higher and safer ground.  The expanded new zoo is expected to open in 2018 with a price tag of $18 million.

Pelican

The Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo operates solely on admissions, memberships and contributions by the local community and businesses.

Small But Ferocious