The Mill Mountain Zoo is a zoo located atop Mill Mountain in Roanoke, Virginia. Originally opening in 1952, the zoo was operated by the City of Roanoke for its first 24 years of existence.
In 1976, the city turned its operation over to the Roanoke Jaycees. The Jaycees would subsequently operate the zoo through 1988 when its operation was placed into the hands of the non-profit Blue Ridge Zoological Society (BRZS). The BRZS today still serves as the operator and fund-raising mechanism for the zoo and its operations.
The zoo received its initial accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) in 1995. In September 2007, its accreditation was reviewed and extended through 2011.
With its location atop Mill Mountain not being conducive to a major expansion, a proposal developed in 1984 to relocate the zoo to a 400-acre (1.6 km2) tract adjacent to the Blue Ridge Parkway as the Blue Ridge Zoo. This proposal was later abandoned in favor of the development of Virginia's Explore Park at the location originally proposed for the zoo. After the failed relocation proposal, the Blue Ridge Zoological Society voted in 1988 to have the zoo permanently located atop Mill Mountain. As part of this decision, a 10-year master plan called Zoo 2001, was completed in 1991, with some of its suggestions successfully implemented over the course of the next decade.
The following are some of the more notable animals to be housed at the zoo:
The zoo is host to 85 animals and 35 different species, including three species on the endangered list, the Red Panda, Snow Leopard and White-naped Crane.