1990 to 1999

1990 Zoo attendance hit a new record of 872,713 visitors.

1991 The Education Division received a new van donated by the Ryan Foundation. The van was named Ryan’s Roving RainForest, painted with rainforest plants and animals, and was used by education staff for outreach and other programs. Amidst controversy, Timmy the gorilla, was transferred to the Bronx Zoo, in order to realize his reproductive potential, an important element in gorilla conservation.

1992 Historic Wade Hall (built 1884), was renovated and modified to house an ice cream shop. On June 17, a litter of four male cheetahs was born at CMZ. The cubs were the first for the mother and father, and also the first cheetahs ever born at CMZ. The RainForest opened on November 14. In its first six weeks, The RainForest attracted 102,636 visitors. Total Zoo attendance for the year was a new record: 935,006.

1993 Dr. Hugh Quinn, former director of the Topeka Zoo and curator at the Houston Zoo, was hired as General Curator. Annual attendance hit a new record of 1,439,948 visitors.

1994 Cleveland Metroparks signed a ninety-nine year lease with the City of Cleveland for Brookside Park, 141 acres located next to the Zoo, which provided for Zoo expansion. A new logo was developed for CMZ. Contract was awarded for schematic design of Wolf Wilderness and the Australian Family Ranch.

1995 During the summer, the public greenhouse was transformed into a Tropical Butterfly Garden, where visitors walked amongst twenty-five butterfly species. The butterflies were farm-bred in Malaysia and the Philippines. Okpara, the two-year-old son of Cleveland’s well-known gorilla, Timmy, arrived at CMZ. Okpara was accompanied by Little Joe, another two-year-old born at the Bronx Zoo. Work began on a 3,000-square-foot production greenhouse for winter holding of display plant material and tropical plants for The RainForest.

1996 Wolf Wilderness construction began. Wolf Wilderness was the most significant capital project since the opening of The RainForest in 1992.Work also commenced on the design of Kookaburra Station, the Australian exhibit that replaced the Children’s Farm. In April, the Zoo transferred its single remaining African elephant, Tiani, to the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas, which allowed for renovation of the pachyderm building to provide better safety for elephant keepers and the animals. Zoo staff worked with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) on trumpeter swan reintroduction. Eggs were collected in Alaska, hatched at the Zoo, and thirty birds were taken to the wilds in central Ohio to be raised until they were old enough to be released throughout the state. The Zoo debuted its first website. Susan Marshall became the first-ever Executive Director of the Cleveland Zoological Society.

1997 On Friday, May 9, Wolf Wilderness opened to the public. At the time, the exhibit was home to a pack of five wolves, beavers, and American bald eagles. In June, three new elephants joined the Zoo’s animal collection: Jo (aged 30) and Moshi (aged 21), who came from Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon; and Kiah (aged 13), who came from the Erie (Pennsylvania) Zoo. Joanne Davies and Caroline Pitcher of Parks Victoria (Melbourne, Australia) participated in a staff exchange with Cleveland Metroparks. Their four-month assignment at the Zoo focused on helping with programs and exhibit design for Australian Adventure.

1998 The Zoo won two achievement awards from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)—one for Wolf Wilderness exhibit, and one for the Wolf Wilderness education programs. The Board of Park Commissioners awarded a construction contract for Australian Adventure, and construction began in May. Top priority was given to a new Veterinary Hospital and Research Center, spurred by a gift of $1.5 million from an anonymous donor.

1999 In the spring Dr. Tammie Bettinger, Coordinator of Scientific Research, and Dr. Hugh Quinn, General Curator, traveled to Uganda, and began a population census of reptiles and amphibians, paying particular attention to the effects of logging. They also explored the possibility of setting up a field study course for American and Ugandan students. The distance-learning program, Ohio Wetlands: a Story of Ruin, Reintroduction and Recovery, earned a "significant achievement" award from the AZA, a second-place award from the National Association of Interpreters (NAI), and first place for its corresponding website, “Return to the Wild.” New animals acquired for Australian Adventure were: Bennetts’ wallabies, feather gliders, frilled lizards, Goodfellow’s tree kangaroos, gray kangaroos, koalas, kowaris, lorikeets, Merino sheep, Parma wallabies, and wallaroos.