Fort Wayne Zoo is excited to welcome guests to our 60th birthday celebration on July 3, 2025.
News release from the Fort Wayne Zoo:
Fort Wayne Zoo Celebrates 60th Birthday
Fort Wayne Indiana (June 27, 2025) – Fort Wayne Zoo is excited to welcome guests to our 60th birthday celebration on Thursday, July 3. In honor of this celebration, admission will drop to $10, up to a $15 savings, for all guests. The birthday celebration will kick off at 8:45 a.m. with sweet treats and music.
“Everyone here at the Zoo is honored to be a part of the 60-year journey!” States Rick Schuiteman, Zoo Director and CEO, “When the Zoo first opened in 1965, Byron Novistky, the chairman of the Board of Park Commissioners, stated that the Zoo was a ‘true demonstration of what the citizens can do’ and that statement rings true today. Our Zoo is incredibly special because of the people: the passionate individuals who work here, the generous donors who inspire us to grow, and the guests who love wildlife as much as we do.”
Facts from opening day to today:
- In 1965, the Zoo had 18 habitats for guests to visit. Today, we have 69 habitats, 188 species and 1,500 animals in our care.
- Opening Day attendance was 6,000 guests. Since then, we have welcomed over 26,000,000 guests through the front gate.
- In 1965, the Zoo was comprised of five and one-half acres. Today, the Zoo stretches over 47 developed acers.
- From the start, the Zoo was one the nation’s few self-supporting zoos, earning all revenue from admissions, rides, donors, and concessions.
About the Fort Wayne Zoo
The Fort Wayne Zoo is northeast Indiana’s largest tourist attraction, hosting more than 650,000 guests annually. The Zoo is home to Red Panda Ridge named #6 in USA Today 10Best Zoo Exhibits for 2024. In 2021, the Zoo was voted Visit Indiana’s “Summer Bucket List Top Attraction” and is consistently named one of the nation’s Top Ten Zoos for Kids by national media outlets.The Zoo is a conservation leader, investing nearly $275,000 annually in local, regional, and international efforts to protect wildlife and their habitats. The Zoo cares for more than 1,500 animals and participates in 41 cooperative species survival plan programs and 42 taxon advisory groups, which are critical to supporting threatened species.
As a self-supporting facility, the Fort Wayne Zoo receives no tax dollars for daily operations, unlike most accredited zoos where those dollars fund approximately 40% of their annual operating budgets. The Zoo’s mission is made possible thanks to support derived from admissions, memberships, donations, group picnics, special ticketed events, and other visitation-related activities.
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