The zoo opened to the public with mostly indigenous animals including bears, deer, bobcat, foxes, ducks and prairie dogs.

[2] In 2014, Ladybird, a 44-year-old female African elephant, was euthanized after a month-long bout of abdominal pain left her immobile and unable to stand.

The year ended with an inaugural "Holidays at the Zoo" event that helped break attendance and revenue records for December.

[6] Kiko was born to Autumn, its female Masai giraffe, that is on a breeding loan from Boston's Franklin Park Zoo.

In June, Kiko traveled to the Toronto Zoo, making him the first giraffe born in South Carolina to cross into Canada.