page_title: North Carolina Zoo
section_title: Attractions
hierarchical_section_title: North Carolina Zoo / Attractions
caption_attribution_description: Picture of Willy, the polar bear at the North Carolina Zoological Park in Asheboro, NC. He is playing with a plastic container used to carry Pepsi cola litered bottles (Environmental enrichment)
context_page_description: The North Carolina Zoo is located on wooded 2,600 acres centrally located in the heart of North Carolina, just south of Asheboro in Randolph County. With 500 acres developed, it is the world's largest natural habitat zoo and one of two state-supported zoos. The North Carolina Zoo is an agency of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
  The North Carolina Zoo grew from an idea initiated by the Raleigh Jaycees in 1967. The Zoo is 75 miles west of Raleigh, 25 miles south of Greensboro and 75 miles northeast of Charlotte. The NC Zoo has more than 1,800 animals from more than 250 species primarily representing Africa and North America. The zoo is open 363 days a year and receives more than 900,000 visitors annually. The North Carolina Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
context_section_description: The North Carolina Zoo is home to 1,800 animals of more than 200 species.  It is home to one of the largest chimpanzee troops of any zoo in America as well as the largest collection of Alaskan seabirds in the country. The Zoo is also one of only a few AZA (Association of Zoos & Aquariums) in the U.S. with a breeding pair of polar bears which is part of the Species Survival Plan. As of 2019, the pair have yet to produce any offspring.
caption: A polar bear at the North Carolina Zoo.
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