[10] Although the zoo had some financial struggles in the early 1960s, it grew substantially during the 1970s as it added numerous new exhibits, landscaping features, and visitor amenities.

The 1980s saw continued growth, with the addition of African Savanna habitat areas, a children's zoo, a new entrance complex, and other exhibits.

During this time, the zoo also underwent a renovation project to divide it into four themed zones (called "trails"), featuring different types of exhibits.

[11] In 2000, the zoo opened Desert Lives, and in 2004 it added a new primate walk-through exhibit called Monkey Village.

[13][14] In April 2011, as a part of the zoo's capital campaign, Orang-Hutan: People of the Forest, the new orangutan exhibit opened to the public.

It features several plants native to the Sonoran Desert including the saguaro cactus, and animals such as the turtle, coyote, collared peccary (more commonly known as the javelina), cougar, golden eagle, bobcat, snowy egret, raven, horned lizard, rattlesnake, black-tailed prairie dog, ringtail, turkey vulture, California condor, thick billed parrot, Sonoran pronghorn, and the Mexican wolf.

[15] The Africa Trail showcases many of the most popular animals in the world, including the African painted dogs, hamadryas baboon, mandrill, ostrich, mhorr gazelle, white rhino, Grévy's zebras, greater flamingo, otters, nyalas, porcupines, Aldabra giant tortoises, Abyssinian ground hornbills, turacos, warthogs, red river hogs, lions, lappet-faced vultures, amur leopards spotted hyenas, fennec fox, cheetahs, reticulated and Masai giraffes.

The outer tropics trail passes by the Komodo dragons in the "Land of the Dragons" exhibit,[13][14] Asian elephants, an Indian rhinoceros, a jaguar, sun conures, American alligators, scarlet ibises, Galápagos tortoises, Chacoan peccary, Chilean flamingos, greater rheas, black howler monkeys, maned wolf, iguanas, anteaters, gibbons, lemurs, Sumatran tigers of the "Isle of the Tiger" exhibit, and an assortment of tropical birds such as: hornbills, parrots, Victoria crowned pigeons, pheasants, and green peafowl.

[11][15] The Children's Trail lets children get close to many small animals from around the world, including emus, a red-necked wallaby, a calamian deer, siamang gibbons, reticulated pythons, spectacled owls, goats, cattle, sheep, horses, and golden lion tamarins.

The City of Phoenix leased the hatchery grounds, including its man-made lakes, to the Arizona Zoological Society in 1962 to establish the Zoo.

The goal of the SSP is to engage in animal husbandry and research projects for selected species that are in need of conservation efforts.

However, two pairs were delayed, so the "World Herd" was started in Phoenix in 1963 with only five animals shipped to the zoo and two born quickly after.

Art collectors all over the world joined 18-month waiting lists and paid hundreds of dollars for original prints.

[39] A Phoenix municipal bond election in March 2006 provided $2 million to the project,[40][41] marking the first time the zoo has received public funds in its history.

On 8 June 2006, then-zoo director Jeff Williamson announced a major fund-raising drive over the next 10 years to update the zoo's infrastructure and many of its aging exhibits.

[45] In May 2005, a veterinarian named Kris Nelson filed a series of complaints against the zoo regarding animal care and management.

The complaints stated that dozens of animals had been harmed or died as a result of poor management, feeding practices, and quarantine procedures.

[46] The following June, an independent committee of zoological experts from other areas of the country cleared the Phoenix Zoo of the charges.