 the memphis zoo, located in midtown memphis, tennessee, united states, is home to more than 3,500 animals representing over 500 different species. created in april 1906, the zoo has been a major tenant of overton park for more than 100 years. the land currently designated to the memphis zoo was defined by the overton park master plan in 1988, it is owned by the city of memphis. the zoo is set on , of which approximately  are developed. in 2008, the memphis zoo was ranked "#1 zoo in the u.s." by tripadvisor.com. the ranking was based on visitor opinions.  since the early 1990s, the memphis zoo has invested over $77 million for renovation and expansion. the zoo's animal inhabitants reside in three zones with 19 exhibits, such as teton trek, northwest passage and china, home to giant pandas ya ya and le le.  the memphis zoo is an accredited member of the association of zoos and aquariums (aza). == history == right|thumb|a marker where "natch" the bear was chained in 1906.[http://books.google.com/books?id=zrqm0ov5gagc&pg=pa130&lpg=pa130&dq=overton+park+bearden&source=bl&ots=017eznynre&sig=kxvvoufnvejfcsiofah2wvqw3ks&hl=en&ei=tokytvmvb8by0ghewu2xbq&sa=x&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0ccuq6aewaq#v=onepage&q=natch&f=false bearden, william. 2004. overton park. charleston, sc: arcadia publishing. (see picture of natch on page 23)] the old elephant building behind it is now the zoo's education library. ;early 1900s the zoo was established on april 4, 1906 with $1,200 from the memphis park commission. in august, 23 cages and concrete bear enclosures were built with another $3,628 thanks to the head 
Buildings_and_structures_in_Memphis,_Tennessee Culture_of_Memphis,_Tennessee Environmental_organizations_based_in_Tennessee Organizations_established_in_1906 Visitor_attractions_in_Memphis,_Tennessee Zoos_established_in_1906 Zoos_in_Tennessee