In 1637, Adam Olorius, the German traveler had mentioned seeing a zoo in Isfahan (the capital of the Safavid Empire).

[2] At Fath-Ali Shah Qajar's era, around 1809, there used to be exhibitions of baboons, apes, snakes, bears and lions in Sabze Meidan, Tehran.

Later, when Naser al-Din Shah Qajar traveled to Europe he was inspired by the modern zoological gardens.

It was built for Nasereddin Shah's excursions and a collection of 4 lions from the mountains of Shiraz, 3 tigers from Mazandaran, 3 leopards and a cheetah from Jajrud, 5 bears from Damavand, and striped hyenas, baboons, monkeys, apes, peafowl and predatory birds were kept in the zoo.

[4] In September 2014, the Tehran Zoological Garden requested to the European Endangered Species Program (EEP) committee to follow the non-EAZA institution for the Asiatic lion.