2000 to 2009

2000
After various preview events, Australian Adventure opened to the public on June 8.

2001
Twin male & female Amur (Siberian) Tiger cubs were born in April, the first pair of tiger cubs born at the Zoo in sixteen years. The Prehistoric Plant Garden debuted in 2001, with life-size dinosaur footprint castings and an assortment of prehistoric plants. The Zoo’s three female African elephants began painting as an enrichment activity. Grants permitted the continued expansion of the Distance Learning program, and the Theatrical Interpretive program, which promoted visitor “immersion” in the newest exhibit areas. A new ZooTram was purchased.

2002
The "ride-the-movie" experience, “Wilderness Adventure” from SimEx-Iwerks, opened. Two new species were added to the animal collection: Wolf’s Guenons and Pallas’s Cat. Important Zoo births included: a Goodfellow’s Tree Kangaroo, a Red Flanked Duiker, and Emperor Tamarins. The Zoo hosted a regional Gorilla meeting, which brought keepers, curators and veterinarians from eleven regional zoos to discuss gorilla diet, nutritional needs, medical management, enrichment, training, and more. CMZ also hosted the 24th Annual Elephant Managers Association conference, which brought 125 delegates together to exchange information and ideas.

2003
The Zoo had its second-best attendance ever with 1,365,371 guests. The year was highlighted by a string of animal births: a bontebok, twin slender-horned gazelles, Grant’s zebra, three Masai giraffe babies, and a black rhinoceros. Twenty-one animatronic dinosaurs were exhibited behind Waterfowl Lake. Construction began on the Sarah Allison Steffee Center for Zoological Medicine (Steffee Center). Planning began for the next major project, “Elephant Oxbow,” an exhibit that would feature elephants, hippos, warthogs, meerkats, African savanna birds, reptiles, and more.

2004
The Steffee Center opened, and voters passed a ten-year levy for Cleveland Metroparks and the Zoo. Four fossas—a rare carnivore from Madagascar—were born, an important part of the Zoo’s efforts to protect endangered animals. “Rising Waters Safari Camp” opened. A new exhibit, “Free Flight Falls,” opened on the south side of Big Creek. The area contained a 50-foot waterfall, and plants representing prairie, woodland, and wetland habitats were installed, to attract birds and butterflies.

2005
Two new education programs, “Dr. Doolittle’s Wild Animal Show” (an interactive, live-action show performed at the Zoo Amphitheater) and the Summer Day Camp (where children learned about wildlife and conservation in the Rising Waters Safari Camp area), debuted. The Conservation and Science Staff, housed in the Steffee Center, expanded to include five full-time scientists who worked on a variety of projects. An epidemiology program is directed by Pam Dennis, D.V.M., Ph.D., whose research into phosphate depletion in Black Rhinos led to improvements in their management and diet in human care. DreamNight, an invitation-only evening at the zoo for children living with chronic or terminal illnesses debuted.

2006
Expansion of the Conservation Education and Conservation and Science Programs. “TOUCH! Amazing Rays & Sharks”, which attracted nearly 300,000 guests. Acquisitions, births, and hatchings provided significant additions to the animal population. As part of an international effort to save the ocelot from extinction, the Zoo acquired a breeding pair from the Brazilian government under a cooperative agreement with that country. The Zoo’s Distance Learning Program went wireless, allowing instructors to teach video classes from almost every corner of the Zoo. Noon Year’s Eve, a daytime party to ring in the New Year debuted.

2007
Three anniversaries! The Zoo celebrated its 125th anniversary, the Cleveland Zoological Society celebrated its fiftieth anniversary, and Steve Taylor celebrated his twentieth year as Zoo Director. The 80-year-old Fulton Road Bridge that spanned the Zoo was demolished.

2008
The African elephants exhibit, now called "African Elephant Crossing," began construction. The elephants were moved temporarily to the Columbus Zoo, and three Cleveland elephant keepers were stationed in Columbus to ease the transition. The giraffe barn was expanded by 4,000 square feet to create a ‘retirement condo’ for "Blackie," the Nile hippopotamus, who was then fifty-three years old. Professor Wylde’s Live Animal Show debuted. The Zoo hosted two International conferences—Aquarium & Zoo Facilities Association (AZFA), and the Association of Zoological Horticulturists (AZH)—with nearly 200 people representing sixty-four zoos and aquariums.

2009
Six Mexican wolves were welcomed to the Wolf Lodge in Northern Trek. A second public entrance opened in Northern Trek for use on busy days and evenings. The Zoo hosted sixty animal care professionals from across the country for a three-day Prosimian Husbandry Workshop. Conservation Quest, an interactive maze that taught children about energy and energy conservation. opened. Both gorillas began a healthier diet of green scattered about their enclosure, causing them to forage as they might in the wild, instead of just eating up a cache of biscuits in a single sitting. The diet change is part of a larger drive to improve the health of the gorillas.