Hattiesburg Zoo
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| Hattiesburg Zoo | |
|---|---|
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| 31°19′25″N 89°18′55″W / 31.323736°N 89.315275°W | |
| Date opened | 1950[1] |
| Location | Hattiesburg, Mississippi, United States |
| Land area | 12 acres (4.9 ha) |
| No. of species | 55+[2] |
| Annual visitors | 125,792 (2014)[3] |
| Website | www |
The Hattiesburg Zoo (sometimes also called the Kamper Park Zoo) is a small 12-acre (4.9 ha) zoo located within Kamper Park in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, United States. The zoo is operated by the Hattiesburg Convention Commission. As of 2019, the Commission's executive director was Rick Taylor.[4][5] The Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the Zoological Association of America.
The 40 acres (16 ha) for Kamper Park was donated to the Daughters of the Confederacy by John Kamper in 1902, and was given in turn to Hattiesburg in 1908 for a public park. The zoo was opened on about 12 acres (4.9 ha) of the 40-acre (16 ha) park in 1950. In 2025, the Zoo presented a year-long 75th Anniversary celebration.
Exhibits
The zoo is located within Kamper Park among a grove of oak and pine trees, and is divided into several geographical sections. Animal exhibits include amphibians, birds, invertebrates, mammals, and reptiles.[6]
Africa
The zoo's northmost area, the exhibit starts off with a mixed exhibit for African Hornbills and porcupines, a Fennec Fox exhibit, and a large veldt area featuring Grant's zebras, bongos, ostriches, and East African Crowned Cranes. Other exhibits include servals, sulcata tortoises, and DeBrazza guenon monkeys.
Wallaby Walkabout
In 2018, the zoo opened a barrier-free walk through, where visitors can interact with Bennett's wallabies, emus, and kunekune pigs.[7]
Education
Asbury Discovery Center
In 2014, the 2,200 sq ft (200 m2) Asbury Discovery Center opened to serve as a combined laboratory, classroom, and office space.[8] The education center provides learning opportunities for children and adults. This building also provides habitats for the zoo's reptiles, Galapagos tortoise, a family of sloths, a prehensile-tailed porcupine, a Von der Decken's hornbill, and numerous other ambassador animals (animals used in educational programming).
