Originally built as the Des Moines Children?s Zoo in the mid 1960s, the Blank Park Zoo was established by salvaging the remains of the original one, and renovating it to what people know today. It was reopened in 1986, after four years of reworking the area.

Comprised of around 22 acres of land area, the Blank Park Zoo is home to numerous different animals. The total lot is divided into specific areas, so housing the different species would be more organized. The list of the available creatures on the site includes butterflies, finches, coral reefs, cattle egrets, red-necked wallabies, emus, llamas, swans, giraffes, zebras, Magellan penguins, lions, snow leopards, tigers, kois, and kingfishers to name a few.

The Blank Park Zoo is also very proud of being the only accredited zoo in Iowa.