For the want of space for expansion, the Government of Tamil Nadu intended to move the zoo to the Vandalur reserve forest in 1979.

The zoo exhibits included a orangutan, two-horned rhinoceros, Malayan tapir, and black headed gull.

[6] In 1980, the state government approved the layout for the zoo and issued additional order to expand the park to by 38.74 acres (15.68 ha).

It also involved the addition of a new entrance, lawns, interactive displays, souvnier shop, ticketing and visitor centers.

[5] The zoo aims to maintain a viable and healthy population of animals in naturalistic enclosures while facilitating public visitation.

The assistant director oversees horticulture, electricity, water supply and public utilities, visitor facilities, and upkeep of animal enclosures.

[25] The zoological park is located along the eastern side of the Grand Southern Trunk Road at Vandalur in the south-western part of the Chennai Metropolitan Area, about 32 km (20 mi) from the city center.

[21][28] The park experiences a tropical climate with average temperatures on 26 °C (79 °F) and high humidity due to its location close to the coast.

[27] The Otteri lake is situated on the north-western side within the park and acts as a roosting ground for aquatic migratory birds.

The enclosure of water fowl is located close to the children's park next to the primate section, followed by the terrestrial birds.

Lower down the road are two smaller loop sections with one consisting of the bear enclosures and the other accommodating the walk-through aviary.

The kitchen, animal quarantine and breeding facilities, veterinary hospital and stores are situated away from the visitor areas on the southern side of the park.

[31] The animals are segregated and placed based on the taxonomic classification and geographic distribution except for specialized requirements such as water dwellers and nocturnal species.

[33][34]: 50 The ungulate herbivore animals are enclosed in open paddocks with suitable tree species, equipped with separate feeding areas.

[42][43] The zoo authorities completed the construction of appropriate enclosures for these animals and planted saplings around the night safari area.

[32] The nocturnal animals section houses seven species including slender loris, porcupine, civet, and owls.

The Indian section consists of galliformes such as peafowl, jungle fowl, spurfowl, partridge, and psittaciformes such as parakeet.

Typical bird enclosures have about 1 m (3 ft 3 in) soil depth for vegetation with appropriate resting and nesting areas.

[15][62] The serpentarium exhibits various poisonous and non-poisonous snakes such as cobra, viper, sand boa, python, and anaconda.

It has a 6 m (20 ft) high roof made of transparent poly-carbonate sheets for natural lighting, and is enclosed in a stainless steel mess.

[80] The park has successfully bred various species including ostrich,[81] Asian palm civet,[82] gaur,[83][84] dhole,[85][86] Asiatic lion,[87] Nilgiri langur,[88] lion-tailed macaque,[89] hippopotamus,[90][91] Bengal tiger,[92][93] and leopard.

[98] The vegetation in the enclosures are maintained appropriately and the animal housing facilities are sanitised periodically with disinfectants to reduce chances of infections.

[114][115] The animal enclosures are provided with thatched roofs covered with leaves and wet bags, river sand on the floor, and water sprinklers for cooling.

[135] In April 2018, the zoo launched a mobile application, and live streaming of certain enclosures as a means of education into animal behaviour.

The biologists are involved in the collection of data, research and publication activities of various aspects such as animal housing, healthcare, and behaviour.

[141][142] The zoo requires about 600,000 L (160,000 US gal) of water per day for drinking, bathing animals, cleaning enclosures, and cooling.

[145] In 2011, the zoo constructed rainwater harvesting systems, including small bunds and check dams, to store water during the monsoon that would otherwise be lost.

[152] The visitor reception center has the ticket counters, information centre, a restaurant, cloak rooms, and an auditorium.

[171][172] On 12 November 2007, a 13 ft (4.0 m) long reticulated python was found in a ventilator inside the pygmy hippopotamus enclosure and bit one of the animal keepers during its capture.

[174] In January 2011, 50 birds died under mysterious circumstances in the park within a month with a postmortem report revealing that they were poisoned.