[4] The initial Board of the Dudley Zoological Society was made up of the Earl, Ernest Marsh (director of Marsh and Baxter) and Captain Frank Cooper, owner of Oxford Zoo, who wanted to sell his animals[5] and it was Oxford Zoo, which closed in 1936, that supplied Dudley with the majority of its initial collection of animals.

[5] The steepness of much of the terrain and the presence of caverns produced by limestone mining in previous centuries presented the architects and builders with a number of difficulties.

[7][5] The architects chose a deliberately modern style for the animal enclosures, entrance and visitor refreshment facilities, making no attempt to match the appearance of the castle ruins.

The main material chosen for the construction was pre-stressed reinforced concrete which gave the possibility of forming curved structures and projecting platforms.

It was decided to avoid cages where possible and to display the animals in a deliberately artificial manner rather than create an imitation of natural surroundings.

Finally, in 1978, The Dudley and West Midlands Zoological Society charity was set up to run the zoo, although the council still owns the grounds.

On 23 October 2018 zoo staff shot dead an 8-year-old snow leopard named Margaash, after he had left his enclosure when a keeper failed to secure it.

In a post to its website on 30 November 2018 the zoo confirmed that it was closed with no visitors on site at the time of the incident, and there is no suggestion that Margaash posed any immediate threat to any human.

[citation needed] In 2003, in common with other urban zoos, Dudley parted with their two female African elephants so that they could benefit from more spacious surroundings.

The remaining large animals include giraffes, tigers, lions, reindeer, wallabies, and three snow leopards, the latest being born in May 2013.

As the zoo was not prepared to invest in new purpose built pools Cuddles was put up for sale, but died before being moved, from long-term gastro-intestinal problems.

In November 2018 a £6 million expansion of the zoo was announced, where tunnels running underneath the Castle Hill site from the Second World War could be brought back, so that visitors can glimpse the mining history of Dudley.

[27] In February 2019 Dudley Zoo's Director, Derek Grove, announced plans to renovate animal enclosures and improve visitor facilities.

In August 2012 the chairlift was reopened after a 12-week, £117,000 Heritage Lottery Fund restoration which included returning it to its original light cream colour.