In 2009, the Dallas City Council unanimously approved the construction of the 11 acres (4.5 ha) Giants of the Savanna Exhibit, and also voted to privatize the zoo.

In the 1920s, a special Zoo Commission was created by the city and the collection was further developed with the acquisition of numerous specimens from game hunter and trapper Frank Buck.

The zoo app is free and provides information about hours, admission, parking, directions, animals, membership, educational programs, and special events, as well as maps.

[20] Chimpanzee Forest features a waterfall, stream, climbing structures, trees and rocks that are heated in the winter and cooled in the summer.

Another feature is an artificial termite mound where the chimpanzees can fish with long sticks for special treats, such as peanut butter and honey.

[20] The Forest Aviary contains colorful and exotic birds native only to Africa in a habitat featuring a wooded landscape, rock cliffs, and a tranquil stream.

[20] The Wilds of Africa Adventure Safari is a 20-minute, one-mile, narrated monorail ride, which travels around the watering hole (hippopotamus) rain forest (okapi), mountain (Nubian ibex), woodlands (Grévy's zebra), river (waterbuck, great white pelicans, Goliath herons, blue cranes), arid desert (scimitar-horned oryx, addra gazelle), semi-arid desert (addax, gemsbok, ostrich) and bush (gerenuk, black crowned cranes, greater kudu, Thomson's gazelle, marabou storks) exhibits.

The monorail features aerial views of the Simmons Hippo Outpost, Chimpanzee Forest, Nile crocodile, and Penguin Cove exhibits, which are also accessible via the Nature Trail.

Five of the eleven acres are dedicated to the eight African bush elephants; Jenny, Gypsy, Kamba, Congo, Tendaji, Mlilo, Zola, Ajabu.

The elephants' facilities are state of the art with padded floors and a community room with seven feet of dirt that allows the pachyderms to indulge their natural inclination for digging.

[25] Climate controlled rocks draw the lions to a floor-to-ceiling bay window at the Serengeti Grill, where they sit or lay within mere inches of diners.

[26] On March 11, 2016, five new African elephants arrived from Eswatini's Hlane Royal National Park in order to survive a drought.

The $32.5 million habitat is the first in North America, as well as one of the first on the planet, to combine a variety of large species in a single exhibit in order to re-create the landscape of the African savanna.

The following is a list of the Species Survival Plans (SSP) that the zoo is involved with[30] The zoo supports many conservation projects including Okapi Conservation - Epulu Research Station, Zaire, International Rhino Foundation, Chimp Haven, Bushmeat Crisis Task Force, Gray's Monitor Lizard In The Philippines, Taxon Advisory Groups (Tag), Bowling For Rhinos, and the Thailand Hornbill Project - Adopt A Hornbill Nest.

Coltan is a raw material used in the manufacturing process of cell phones and it is mined almost exclusively in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Patrons of this exclusive event have the opportunity to view the animals, enjoy food from some of Dallas’ top chefs, bid on auction items, and dance.

In February 2016 ground was broken on the $13.5 million, 3.5 acre immersive habitat that houses three Nile hippos; one male and two females.

The habitat features an overlook deck and an underwater viewing area as well as be visible from the Wilds of Africa Monorail Safari.

[40] The Dallas Zoo Conservation Education & Science Center is a proposed 70,400 sq ft (6,540 m2) facility that will be located adjacent to ZooNorth.

The facility will be a teaching laboratory for conservation of the world ecology systems and will be LEED certified silver level category.

[43] On November 28, 1998, a male gorilla named Hercules attacked a female zookeeper, biting her 33 times, after a gate was inadvertently left open while she was cleaning his holding pen.

The Jake L. Hamon Gorilla Research Center was redesigned with new landscape, taller walls, and expanded viewing areas for visitors, including an air conditioned visitor center with floor-to-ceiling windows, videos, and on-site “gorilla guides” to answer questions and point out interesting facts.

No visitors were endangered because the zoo was closed due to snow; however, the incident triggered an investigation by the United States Department of Agriculture.

Dallas Zoo officials later confirmed that Johari sustained no other wounds and was killed quickly by the bite she suffered to the neck.

[46] On July 28, 2015, a giraffe calf named Kipenzi died when she broke her neck after accidentally running into the edge of her herd's enclosure.

[49] On July 4, 2019, Ola, an eight year old African painted dog recently obtained by the Dallas Zoo, was found dead in her back enclosure.

The Dallas Zoo stated that the gorilla did not contract the deadly COVID-19 virus, which at the time was ravaging countries all over the world and was starting to affect species of animals as well.

[54][55] The following weekend, Pin, one of the zoo's critically endangered lappet-faced vultures, was found dead with "an unusual wound", with the necropsy report deeming the death "very suspicious".

The house had recently been broken into and signs of human habitation and dogs, cats, chickens, and pigeons were found inside.

[62] The affidavit also said that several items stolen from the staff area of the otter exhibit at the World Aquarium in early January were found in the Lancaster house.