Little Rock Zoo celebrates 100th anniversary

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Little Rock Zoo is celebrating a century of providing fun to generations of families.

Debbie Thompson has worked at the zoo for 42 years.

"I started, there were 14 animal keepers and now there's more than double that," Thompson said.

What started as a small zoo with a few animals, turned into a large family attraction in the heart of the War Memorial Park.

"You know, it's changed a lot," Thompson said. "I started as an animal keeper, and then I became a senior keeper after about five years and about five years later I became a curator."

As new families come to experience the zoo for the first time, staff members like Thompson can see the impact the zoo has had on visitors throughout the decades.

"It's not just about the zoo here in Little Rock, it's about conserving the habitat for these animals so that they're around for future generations to see," Thomspon said.

The Little Rock Zoo's original carousel is as old as the zoo itself as it was built in New York and sent to Little Rock in 1924.