Navajo Nation Zoological and Botanical Park
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Zoo grounds
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| Date opened | 1963 |
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| Location | Window Rock, Navajo Nation (Arizona), United States |
| Coordinates | 35°39′51.12″N 109°3′4.32″W / 35.6642000°N 109.0512000°WCoordinates: 35°39′51.12″N 109°3′4.32″W / 35.6642000°N 109.0512000°W |
| Land area | 7 acres (2.8 ha) |
| No. of animals | ~150 |
| No. of species | 50+ |
| Annual visitors | ~ 33,000 |
| Website | www |
The Navajo Nation Zoological and Botanical Park is located in Window Rock, Arizona, the capital of the Navajo Nation. It is the only tribally owned zoological park in the United States and is notable among zoological facilities in that it labels its exhibits in a Native American Indian language. Having been operated by the Navajo Nation Parks & Recreation Department since its inception in the early 1960s, it became part of the Navajo Nation Department of Fish and Wildlife in September 2006.
While its facilities have the unique mission of preserving and caring for the fauna and flora significant to Navajo culture, its existence has also sparked controversy among the more traditionalist elements in Navajo society.
The zoo's first specimen was a bear that had been left behind after the 1963 Navajo Nation Fair by a state organization, and the animal was named "Yogi the Bear," after the then-popular cartoon character. Since then, the exhibit has grown to about 50 different species on display, almost all of them native to the area. In 1976, the zoo, then named "Navajo Tribal Zoo," relocated to its current home and became part of the Navajo Tribal Parks & Recreation system. In September 2006, it was reorganized to be administered by the Navajo Nation Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The facility's current director and curator is Matthew Holdgate, a biologist from the University of New Hampshire with prior work experience as an animal research specialist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and with the U.S. Forest Service in California.
The zoo currently employs five full-time and one part-time staff members and has an annual budget of US$336,000. It is primarily funded by the Navajo Nation Government, but also solicits for donations from project sponsorship, animal adoption, and donations; admission is free.
The zoo operates on an area spanning 7 acres (2.8 ha) and is located in the vicinity of the Navajo Nation Museum in Window Rock (Tségháhoodzání). It is home to about 150 animals, representing over 50 species and sees an estimated 33,000 visitors each year.
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