The zoo was private property of the Wouters family and did not receive any subsidy or sponsorship.

The zoo was known for its large number of animals, which resulted from the internal breeding programme and the acquisition of abused and dumped animals from bankrupt zoos and circuses.

In 1997 the Wouters family decided to close it; the animals were relocated to other zoos.

In the late 1960s Marcel Wouters, then a director of the "Leen- en Kredietkas" (a financial institution), bought 6 hectares (15 acres) of land that had formerly belonged to the Zwartberg coal mine.

[6][7] The zoo had troubles with the government and animal rights organisations: The city of Genk bought the park in 1999.