In 1889, Frederick Roeding moved to Fresno, deciding to develop his land. As the city grew, the need for a park became apparent. In 1903, Roeding donated the first 72 acres to the city for use as a public park and Roeding Park was born. Altogether, 159 acres of Roeding's land was eventually transformed into what was to become a favorite community gathering place.
The early history of the Zoo is very brief and vague. What would eventually become the Fresno Chaffee Zoo was formed sometime around 1908. The first animals were donated and housed in make shift cages. In the 1920’s the addition of the Amphitheater brought many people to the park and Zoo. One of the earliest surviving records detailing the zoo is from 1923 showing that the city of Placerville presented the zoo, at that time named the Roeding Park Zoo, with two bears. In addition, these records describe a collection of around fifty birds of various species. Birds have and still somewhat dominate the population of the zoo. While the early reports of the zoo detail it as containing unwanted pets and a few exotic animals, by 1929 it had more than 1,000 animals including many birds, bears, deer, elk, mountain lions, coyotes, foxes and two buffalo. Bears, local cats, hoof stock, and birds were added to the Zoo and housed in log cabin type exhibits. The American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums (AAZPA – now AZA) officially recognizes that the Roeding Park Zoo formally opened in 1929.
The zoo grew both in size and quality of facilities substantially in the 1940s and 50's. In 1949, with help from the Fresno Rotary Club and donations from thousands of local school children, the zoo obtained an baby Asian Elephant. The City of Fresno hosted a city-wide "Name-the-Elephant Contest". The name chosen was Nosey. On September 11, 1949 a colorful "49er's" Days Rodeo Parade was completely dominated by the young elephant named Nosey. The success of the event resulted in the formation of the Fresno Zoological Society, a group that was designed to support development and fundraising for the zoo. Nosey would prove to be an icon and facilitated increased interest in the zoo for decades to come.
The 1940's, 1950's and 1960's saw new exhibits completed for new arrivals such as monkeys, sea lions, camels, sun bears, hippopotamuses, giraffes, assorted birds, flamingos, rhinoceroses and apes. A walk through aviary exhibit was completed in 1960 and a birds of prey exhibit was completed in 1967 to further showcase the zoo’s vast amounts of birds. The Bronx Zoo donated three pairs of crocodiles in the mid 1960's as the zoo continued to grow.
In 1965, Dr. Paul S. Chaffee was hired as the first Director of the Roeding Park Zoo. Responsibility for management of all aspects of the Zoo shifted from the Zoological Society to the Zoo Director. With the addition of Dr. Chaffee, new programs of nutrition, quarantine, treatment, and education were established to meet the growing professional standards of zoos.
The 1970's and 1980’s saw the zoo continue to expand both internally and externally. In addition, many remodels of older exhibits and the zoo itself were undertaken during this time. The Zoomobile began operating to offer onsite educational activities to schools and other programs. The docent program was initiated in to help those visiting the Zoo to better understand the exhibits and allowed others to help the Zoo by being docents. By the mid 1970's the Zoo had grown by another third to include the areas containing a new bison-elk and prairie dog exhibit complex. The grizzly bear exhibit was improved and a new exhibit for the Zoo, which would prove to be one of its greatest assets, was the Edward A. Kane Reptile House in 1979. It was the first computer controlled reptile exhibit building in the world. The lighting, temperature, and humidity could be separately set and maintained for each exhibit.
In the 1980's a new entrance to the Zoo was completed as well as Galapagos tortoise exhibit was built. The cat cages were combined to form two larger and more natural exhibits for lions and tigers. The 1980's saw the renovation of the giraffe, camels, llamas, zebras, wolf woods, flamingo exhibit, hippo display, lemur island exhibit, Zoo entry walkway lighting and landscaping. Many of the older chain link cages were demolished to make room for newer exhibits. Also, the kit fox exhibit was constructed during this time. Nosey the Elephant, had her old exhibit replaced in 1982 with a large modern exhibit with a waterfall, pool, and interior night quarters. Two other female elephants and one male elephant joined her that year. It was the first time in 33 years that she had seen another of her species.
In 1984, the Doris & Karl Falk Wildlife Education Center, the main building which is hosting the 2012 W3S Conclave, was completed through the donation of funds from Drs. Falk, long-time devoted supporters of the Zoo. This building is the backbone of the educational department at the Zoo. In 1989 the Falk's again donated funding for a large classroom addition to this facility, including office space for the growing Fresno Zoological Society.
In 1985, the name of the Roeding Park Zoo transformed itself by changing the name to the Fresno Zoo.
The 1990's saw a new name, new entrance, new exhibits and new struggles for the Zoo. The Fresno Zoo was renamed the Chaffee Zoological Gardens of Fresno in 1990 in honor of its longtime director, Dr. Chaffee, who passed away that year. It became more commonly known as the Chaffee Zoo. In 1990, the new entrance was constructed on the west side of the zoo. In 1991, the Zoo budget was transferred from the City’s General Fund into a Zoo Enterprise Fund in anticipation of "privatization" of the Zoo. This would prove to be somewhat troublesome as the late 1990s and early 2000s saw decreased attendance and thus decreased revenues. Capital improvements funding was transferred solely to the Fresno Zoo Society.
In 1992, Ross Laird's Winged Wonders Bird Show began in the Amphitheater, adjacent to the Zoo. This amphitheater is the site of some of the classes as well as shows for the 2012 Section W3S Conclave. After being with the Zoo since the late 1940's, Nosey the elephant passed away in 1993 at the age of 47. The chimpanzee and grizzly bear exhibits were enlarged and improved. Construction was completed on an Australian walk-thru aviary, a toucan exhibit and a petting zoo. The dromedary camel, addax, bison, chimpanzee, and wolf woods exhibits were renovated. The construction of the Safari Trading Gift Shop and the Chaffee Memorial Zoo Hospital were completed in 1999. Plans were also begun for the construction of orangutan and tiger exhibits however funding became an increasing issue for the Zoo as the 2000s began.
In the 2000s, more upgrades and expansions were made as money continued to dry up. Many older features of the Zoo were falling into disrepair and the Zoo was facing no longer being AZA accredited. An initial attempt to save the zoo from financial troubles failed. The future of the Zoo looked grim and likely to not make it to the end of the decade. This decade saw a last minute salvation of the zoo thanks to the voters of Fresno County, a familiar face of the Zoo and one girl’s letter.
In the early 2000s, the anteater, alligator, sarus crane, duck pond, kookaburra, fennec fox, prairie dog, leopard, keel-billed toucan, peccary, bird-of-prey exhibits, wart hog, lemur and grizzly bear exhibits were renovated and remodeled. In 2001, Sunda Forest which featured orangutan and tiger exhibits was completed. In 2007, there was a traveling "Stingray Bay" exhibit that visited which attracted large crowds to the zoo. Several stingrays were bred while they were visiting Fresno. In the Rainforest exhibit, the former butterfly house was remodeled into the Tropical Treasures exhibit in March 2009, featuring poison dart frogs and a sloth amongst other species.
A county ballot measure, Measure A was a sales tax surcharge placed on the ballot in 2000 to help fund arts, sciences and the Chaffee Zoo. Since tax measures in Fresno County require two-thirds majority, this measure failed to receive the votes needed to win and the Zoo was looking at the possibility of shelving plans and closing exhibits. In 2003, a ten-year girl named Angel Arellano sent a letter to The Fresno Bee expressing her support for the Zoo. This letter helped the zoo raise funds and culminated into a new ballot measure, Measure Z, which appeared on the ballot in November 2004. The measure required a tax of 1/10th of one percent to go to the Fresno Chaffee Zoo. With significant support from local company and security camera maker, Pelco, and a campaign sign designed in the shape of Nosey the Elephant, the measure passed and the Zoo began receiving funds on April 1, 2005. Two-thirds of the funds are to be spent on capital improvement projects and up to one-third spent on operations and maintenance of the Zoo.
In 2005, the zoo faced losing accreditation for the Association for Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) due to several issues regarding the zoo. With the help of Measure Z funds and volunteers, the zoo received a one year extension to complete several repairs and in 2006, received full accreditation once again. In 2009, a permanent Stingray Bay exhibit was opened, funded by Measure Z.
After more than 15 years of working towards privatization, the private, non-profit entity, Fresno's Chaffee Zoo Corporation, took over the Chaffee Zoo from the City of Fresno on January 1, 2006. In May 2006, the name of the Zoo was changed to Fresno Chaffee Zoo.
The last couple years for the Fresno Chaffee Zoo have featured a more emboldened and robust plan of expansion. The zoo has submitted plans to double in size to make the zoo a regional hub for activities in the Central Valley. These plans include a nearly complete overhaul of the zoo as it sits today. One of the new exhibits will be an African savannah to replace the current, aging African exhibits. The first part the Zoo's expansion plans began in August of 2011 with the construction of Sea Lion Cove. This project will bring the Central California Coast's Point Lobos to the Fresno Chaffee Zoo. Sea Lion Cove will tell the story of the Central Valley's connection with the California Coast. This is scheduled to be completed and fully operational by September of 2012.
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