OKC Zoo Says It Broke New Attendance Records For 2021

Despite operating during a pandemic, the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden said Thursday it shattered new attendance records in 2021.

More than 1 million (1,088,599) paid the zoo a visit for the 2021 calendar year.

The zoo noted December 2021 as its most successful December on record. More than 115,000 (115,028) people visited the zoo between Dec. 1 and 31.

The previous December record came ten years earlier -- in 2011 -- when 26,383 visitors came to the zoo.

“We’re extremely grateful to all of the guests who visited us last year and for all of our promotional partners who help make the Zoo experience possible for so many,” said Dr. Dwight Lawson, executive director/CEO for the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden. “Our goal for 2022 and beyond is for even more guests to connect with the extraordinary wildlife in our care and to be inspired to conserve them for the future.”

In addition to a warmer-and-drier-than-normal December, the zoo said its new Safari Lights experience likely played a role in the new attendance records.