It is the only zoo in the United States to be established by grants made by a sovereign monarch and is built on part of the 300-acre (121 ha) royal Queen Kapiʻolani Park.

[3][4] In 1876, King Kalākaua made royal lands near the slopes of Lē‘ahi available for the establishment of a grand public park for the people of his kingdom.

Even through the difficulty, it expanded its collection on November 29, 1949, with the purchase of an elephant, a Bactrian camel, sea lions, several bird species, spider monkeys and a tortoise.

The City & County of Honolulu approved a master plan that determined the boundaries of the present 42-acre (17 ha) site at the north end of Queen Kapiʻolani Park.

The animal collection, increased by purchase, trade and donations, was housed in newly constructed facilities, some of which still provide foundations for newer exhibits.

Conservation has included the Kamehameha butterfly, crocodile monitor lizards, birds-of-paradise, African wild dogs, sloths, and the nene, which is the state bird of Hawaii.