The outer tropics trail passes by Asian elephants, black jaguar, Galapagos and Aldabra tortoises, iguanas, capybaras, anteaters, Chacoan peccary, and an assortment of other tropical birds. The inner trail following the lake is home to the Tropical Flights aviary as well as the ringtailed lemurs, and orangutans who recently brought a new baby, Kasih, into the world. The Desert Lives (pronounced like 'life') trail diverts off of the Africa Trail before and after the lion and tiger exhibits. The Africa Trail showcases many of the most popular animals in the world, including the cheetah, African Wild Dogs, baboon, mandrill, ostrich, Mhorr gazelle, White Rhino, meerkats, African Lions, and Sumatran Tigers. It features several plants native to the Sonoran Desert including the saguaro cactus, and animals such as the coyote, collared peccary (more commonly known as the Javelina), mountain lion, bobcat, bald eagle, raven, turkey vulture, coati, thick billed parrot, Sonoran pronghorn, and the mexican grey wolf. The Arizona Trail is designed to emulate the wildlife and plant life of the state of Arizona. There are also side trails including the Desert Lives Trail (featuring native Big Horn Sheep and Arabian Oryx amongst the natural buttes) and the Forest of Uco (featuring a mock South American mercado, a fake scientific expedition and ruins, and highlighting a number of tropical animals including the Spectacled Bear). The Phoenix Zoo is made up of four major themed areas, or 'trails', where visitors can experience exhibits representing different areas of the world and their native wildlife: the Arizona Trail, the Africa Trail, the Tropics Trail, and the Discovery/Children's Trail. In 1998, the zoo significantly expanded again with the opening of Harmony Farms, home to a petting zoo and many domestic farm animals. During this time, the zoo also underwent a renovation project to divide it into four 'trails', themed zones that feature different types of exhibits. The 1980's saw continued growth, with the addition of African Savanna habitat areas, a children's zoo, a new entrance complex, and other exhibits. While the zoo initially has some financial struggles in the 1960's, it grew substantially during the 1970's as it added numerous new exhibits, landscaping features, and visitor amenities.

The zoo has been a privately owned, non-profit venture since it opened.

It was originally named the 'Maytag Zoo', but was renamed the following year to its current name to give it a heightened sense of community. Although Maytag died a few months before the opening, the zoo opened on schedule in November of 1962. The Phoenix Zoo began as a personal project of Maytag's, who formed the Arizona Zoological Society with the intention of opening a zoo in Phoenix. It was founded by Robert Maytag, a member of the famous Maytag family. The zoo has approximately 1,200 animals on display, 2.5 miles (4.0 km) of walking trails, and other attractions. It has been designated as a Phoenix Point of Pride. Located in Phoenix, Arizona, the zoo operates on 125 acres of land in the Papago Park area of Phoenix. The Phoenix Zoo, opened in 1962, is the largest non-profit zoo in the United States.

Phoenix zoo