The Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine partners with the zoo to provide medical care for its animals.

Monkey Island, (converted to a bighorn sheep exhibit in the 1990s, and now removed as of 2010), was constructed by the Works Progress Administration in 1936.

However, in 1969, Jim Hough, a then-columnist of the Lansing State Journal, used his column to bring together concerned citizens and local-area residents to raise money to help revitalize the zoo.

[4] In 2005, endangered tiger cubs were born at Potter Park Zoo; later, they were featured on NBC's Today Show.

In April 2006, Lansing Mayor, Virg Bernero, submitted a request to the Ingham County Board of Commissioners to put on the ballot in November of that year a proposal to hand over operation and maintenance of Potter Park and Potter Park Zoo to Ingham County.

Potter Park Zoo's two black rhinos, Spike and Ebony, died in February and April 2008, respectively.

The zoo announced preliminary plans for a new, expanded eastern black rhinoceros exhibit on January 7, 2009.

The $1.5 million renovation includes an expanded rhino building, doubling the size of the rhino yard with shade, mud, and water hole areas, and a canopied viewing area for visitors, designed to provide a more natural habitat for the animals.

[11] Zookeeper, Jack Hanna, appeared at Potter Park Zoo in April 2009 to support the expansion project.

[4][13] In March 2010, Potter Park Zoo artificially inseminated a female snow leopard, believed to be the world first successful procedure without surgery or anesthesia.

[15] In August 2010, Potter Park Zoo became one of 19 international locations to be accredited with a postdoctoral veterinary residency program by the American College of Zoological Medicine.

[19] In June 2011, two eastern black rhinoceros, Jello and Dopsee, arrived at the zoo in preparation for the new 8,000 square feet (743 m2) exhibit's opening in October.

[24] In April 2012, a critically endangered eastern bongo was born at Potter Park, increasing the number at the zoo to four.

The baby's dad was brought from a Texas zoo to breed with Doppsee, a 12 year old rare black rhino.

In the master plan, goals for the zoo include: The Potter Park Zoo's Feline and Primate Building houses three Amur (Siberian) tigers, an African lion, a snow leopard, lemurs, mandrills, and endangered tamarin monkeys.

The Bird and Reptile House features a wide variety of reptiles such as boas, gila monsters, black-and-white tegu, and emerald tree boas, and birds such as macaws, eastern screech owls, kookaburras, and endangered Bali mynas.

Other animals at the zoo include kangaroos, penguins, river otters, eastern bongos, bald eagles, eastern black rhinoceros, gray wolves, red pandas, Arctic foxes, bat-eared foxes, meerkats, porcupines, banded mongooses, and southern ground hornbills.