In the 1960s, conservationists began to lobby for a larger zoo facility that would include animals in natural settings and outdoor exhibits. A 1966 study indicated that there was not enough room to enlarge Como Zoo in St. Paul. Dakota County donated 500 acres of land in Apple Valley to the State of Minnesota and construction for what is now The Minnesota Zoo began in 1974.
The Minnesota Zoo was on the cover of Smithsonian Magazine in December 1981. The article applauded the zoo's "innovative design of wildlife in nature-imitating settings." In 1990, the zoo participated in an adopt-a-park program and adopted the last refuge of the endangered Javan rhino from a national park in Indonesia. Other zoos followed its example with similar programs. Zoo volunteers celebrated more than 1 million hours of service in 1996.
In 2003, the Zoo celebrated its 25th birthday. The volunteer program celebrated 2 million hours of volunteer work in 2007 and an attendance record was set in the fiscal year of 2009 with more than 1.35 million guests. In 2010, the zoo is home to more than 2,400 animals from around the world.
