The zoo is owned and operated by the Recreation and Park Commission of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana (BREC), and is home to over 800 animals from around the world.

[6] In 2018, the zoo sought to relocate from its long-time home in Greenwood Park in north Baton Rouge to Airline Highway Park, citing a need for additional space to modernize the zoo's enclosures and facilities; however, BREC commissioners rejected the proposal.

[9] Other animals housed in the zoo include American alligator, American white pelican, bald eagle, black-necked swan, brown pelican, Celebes crested macaque, cinnamon teal, De Brazza's monkey, demoiselle crane, emu, green-winged teal, Indian peafowl, Indian rhinoceros, Kirk's dik-dik, lion-tailed macaque, rhinoceros hornbill, ringed teal, Rocky Mountain elk, roseate spoonbill, Ross's turaco, saddle-billed stork, southern cassowary, wattled crane, white-necked raven, white-tailed deer and wild turkey.

[10] The zoo participates in more than 30 Species Survival Plans, including those for the eastern black rhinoceros, and golden lion tamarin which have been successfully reintroduced into the wild.

The zoo also works with departments of the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine when conducting research.