In the late 1960s, businessman Pat Hines purchased 120 acres (49 ha) in Aldergrove, British Columbia, to construct a game farm.

Their daughter Eleanor and her husband, Hugh Oakes, eventually took over management of the facility until 1991, when it was sold.Under new ownership, the game farm underwent many changes, including a new name.

In 2005, the "Radical Raptor Birds of Prey" show was created, in which eagles, owls, hawks, and falcons performed free flying presentations at the zoo's amphitheatre.

Since then, the zoo has introduced a one-week summer camp program for children ages 10–14 to handle and learn about the many birds of prey species since 2007.

[9] In the summer of 2021, the zoo opened a new walk-through exhibit, Mesozoic Adventure, a Jurassic Park-esque area featuring a dozen life-sized animatronic dinosaurs.

The experience consists of a small looped trail that runs through a portion of a multi-species enclosure, featuring red-necked wallabies, red kangaroos and an emu.

[20] In collaboration with Wildlife Preservation Canada, the zoo has supported the captive breeding and release of three endangered species native to British Columbia, these being the Oregon spotted frog, Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly and Western painted turtle.

For their work with the Oregon spotted frog, the zoo was given the Colonel G.D. Dailley Award, which symbolises and celebrates the "achievement in ex-situ propagation and management programs that contribute to the long-term survival of animal species or populations.

In 1997, two reports by Zoocheck Canada and UK veterinarian Samantha Lindley called on the Greater Vancouver Zoo to improve conditions for the animals it holds, such as rhinoceros and big cats.

[22] On May 31, 2006, the Crown Counsel of British Columbia laid formal charges[23] against the Greater Vancouver Zoo, in accordance with the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, for failing to provide adequate facilities for a baby hippo acquired in October 2004.

In June 2008, the zoo made headlines when 'Skye', a female golden eagle, was killed by a lioness after landing in the lion enclosure, following a run-in with a murder of crows.

[31] A 2-year-old girl was injured by one of the zoo's three black bears on August 5, 2019, after she ventured past a guard rail and stuck her arm through the enclosure's fence.

[32] On July 21, 2020, photos of an emaciated moose cow, known as 'Oakleaf', were posted to social media, prompting backlash from the general public and the Vancouver Humane Society, who called for an investigation into the incident.

[33] According to a report by WorkSafeBC, a keeper was injured by one of the zoo's jaguars during a feeding session on December 13, 2021, wherein the feline was able to bite the zookeeper's hand.

[35] Two wolves were recovered by the British Columbia Conservation Officer Service by a creek, and another by a veterinarian in the dinosaur exhibit through the use of dart guns.