Photos from the early 1930s show cages constructed of chain link fence and iron bars, with very little vegetation planted near the exhibits.

[3] Much of the credit for the current quality of the zoo has been given to Robert Leslie Whitt (1951–2008), who served as director for 34 years prior to his death.

Native species such as alligator, roseate spoonbill, North American river otter, cougar, black bear, bobcat, raccoon, red wolf, white-tailed deer and many others live in naturalistic exhibits depicting the marshes, swamps, and uplands of the state.

[7] As part of its conservation effort, the zoo participate in about 20 Species Survival Plans (SSP), including Andean condor, Chinese alligator, clouded leopard, colobus monkey, cotton-top tamarin, fishing cat, gibbon, golden lion tamarin, Indochinese tiger, jaguar, lion, lion-tailed macaque, Louisiana pine snake, maned wolf, ocelot, red wolf, spectacled bear, spider monkey, and toucan.

[13] In addition to species involved in Species Survival Plans, the zoo is home to other threatened or endangered species, including African dwarf crocodile, American crocodile, American black bear, Bengal tiger, black howler monkey, Brazilian tapir, Galapagos tortoise, lowland anoa, Nile crocodile, Palawan peacock pheasant, red-handed tamarin, and red kangaroo.

[14] In January 2015, two critically endangered monkeys died at the zoo after a caretaker left them overnight outside in the cold.

The cotton-top tamarin, weighing less than 1 pound (0.45 kg) each, were left outside on the night of 7 January, when temperatures reached a low of 30 °F (−1 °C).

[15] People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which opposes zoos in general, called for a federal investigation into the deaths.