History of the Zoo

Dudley Zoo opened to the public in May 1937, constructed over 40 acres within a 200-acre densely-wooded site which includes an 11th century castle.

The idea to convert Dudley Castle¹s grounds into zoological gardens came from its then owner, the third Earl of Dudley, who chose a team of Modernist architects called The Tecton Group to design the zoo.

Using reinforced concrete the team created a revolutionary new design of building: Tectons.

The structures have stood the test of time and seven decades on Dudley Zoo has the world's largest single collection of Tectons, which in 2009 received World Monument Status.

Today the Tecton buildings are boosted by a variety of animal housing, paddocks and enclosures which are home to 170 species and more than 1300 creatures.

Much of the animal collection is linked to international conservation and breeding programmes and several of our global projects have received awards.

Our most endangered species include Asiatic lions, Sumatran tigers, Bornean orang utans, Tibetan red pandas, Rothschild giraffes, Madagascan lemurs, and Humboldt penguins (DZG has one of the largest colonies in the UK).

Nearer home we co-ordinate a range of native species projects and have gained success with many programmes including ladybird spider, barberry carpet moth, great crested newt and red squirrels.

DZG is unique: a zoo with Planet Earth¹s rarest species

set around an 11th century castle incorporating the world¹s largest single collection of Tectons . . . all sited on a 40-acre wooded hillside with a rich geological history - the limestone of Castle Hill is composed of a 420 million-year-old prehistoric seabed!

Come and see for yourself - and join the fun at Dudley Zoological Gardens!