[7] Its stated mission is to "work in partnership with zoos worldwide to make a significant contribution to the conservation of the endangered species on Earth".

Covering over 28 hectares (69 acres)[1] of Phoenix Park, the zoo is divided into habitats including the Himalayan Hills, Wolves in the Woods, the African Savanna, Kaziranga Forest Trail, South American House, Zoorassic World, Gorilla Rainforest, Orangutan Forest, Sea Lion Cove, and Family Farm (as of July 2022).

[13][15] In 1833, the original cottage-style entrance lodge to the zoo was built at a cost of £30 and in early days also housed staff.

After leaving office, President of the United States Ulysses S. Grant was among the celebrities who came to see Dublin's world-famous lions in the 19th century.

Kavi, Ashoka and Samiya the five-year-old calves, and the newest additions, Zinda, Avani, Kabir and Sanjay.

During his life at Dublin Zoo, Harry produced many offspring; thus contributing greatly to the conservation of his species.

[13] In Seanad Éireann in July 2022, Annie Hoey reported allegations from whistleblowers of the mistreatment since 2016 of terminally ill animals, including Harry the gorilla, and of the escape or loss since 2019 of two Celebes crested macaques, a white-collared mangabey, and a citron-crested cockatoo.

[25] As the result of protests against the standard of animal housing and welfare, led by former keeper Brendan Price, a "Plan for the Future of Dublin Zoo" was prepared by the Zoological Society of Ireland and the Office of Public Works.

Themed after a Nepalese village, Himalayan Hills houses two species that inhabit the Himalayas, the snow leopard and the Red panda.

Dublin Zoo's South American House has various species from Central and South America, including golden lion tamarins, Goeldi's marmosets, Linnaeus's two-toed sloths, squirrel monkeys, military macaws, white-faced sakis, painted wood turtles and pygmy marmosets.

The islands range in size from 15 to 30 square metres and are linked by wooden bridges to sleeping quarters on the lake shore.

The provision of large viewing windows in the sleeping quarters gives the public access to what is generally an off-show area in many zoos.

The Celebes crested macaque group have done exceptionally well since their introduction to the island, and success has also been achieved with the lemurs and siamangs.

[29] She had escaped for an hour and was on top of the Sumatran tiger night house before a group of school children alerted staff.

That same year, an orangutan named Jorong was seen rescuing an injured moorhen chick from a pond, "patiently coaxing the bird ashore with a leaf before gently lifting it onto grass"; the rescue became known to the wider public in June 2011, when a four-minute video of the event was posted to YouTube.

The area is designed to teach the public about modern Irish farming, and is a joint venture between Dublin Zoo and Agri Aware, a charitable trust that works to improve the image and understanding of Ireland's farming and food industry amongst the general public.

It is inspired by the natural environment of the California sea lions and it includes a state-of-the-art water filtration plant.

[34] Other animals in Dublin Zoo's collection that are not part of a specific themed area include, Chilean flamingos, meerkats, red pandas, South American tapirs, little egrets and waldrapp ibises.

Each species supervised by the EEP has a single coordinator that is responsible for the building of breeding groups with the aim of obtaining a genetically balanced population.

In November 2023 the Zoo opened the National Centre for Species Survival in partnership with the IUCN, in the renovated Society House, beside the Meerkat Restaurant.

It also houses members of the species Goeldi's monkey and the white-faced saki which are part of EEPs coordinated by other zoos.

This tiny monkey, named for the long gold-coloured hair around its head which resembles a lion's mane, is one of the rarest primates in the world.

Dublin Zoo is involved in the international breeding programme and helps to fund researchers who study tamarins in Brazil.

The forests that golden lion tamarins need in order to survive are cut down for timber and to make room for cattle ranches, farms and urbanization.