Phoenix Zoo, a privately owned nonprofit zoo in Papago Park, opened in 1962 after being founded by Robert Maytag and growing out of the Arizona Zoological Society. Built on the former Hunt Bass Hatchery grounds, a 1930s Works Progress Administration project, it became the largest privately owned nonprofit zoo in the United States and a Phoenix Point of Pride. Despite early financial struggles, it expanded with themed trails, new exhibits, and family attractions. Conservation has remained central from the start, especially through Operation Oryx and other breeding, rescue, and rehabilitation programs, making the zoo a major cultural, wildlife, and historic institution in Phoenix.