At the time of its opening in 1930, the zoo had two apes, a peacock, a deer, a mule, magpies, and guinea pigs.

[3] Today, the zoo has animals from all over the world, covering around 100 species such as chimpanzee, monkeys, ring-tailed lemur, Siberian tiger, Grévy's zebra, giraffe, red panda, West Indian manatee, ostrich, penguins, pink-backed pelican, greater flamingo, macaws and Aldabra giant tortoise.

[4][5] In 2001, Odense Zoo inaugurated a DKK 60 million "Oceanium" featuring South American animal life, ranging from the Amazon Rainforest to Antarctica.

In 2008, Odense Zoo was Funen's most popular tourist attraction and number 9 in Denmark,[6] and in 2013 it received the "Best in Europe" award in its category (zoos with up to 500,000 visitors per year).

[7][8] The visitor record was set in the first year of the "Oceanium" when the zoo received 439,533 visitors.