The Chicago Zoological Society, founded in 1921, opened Brookfield Zoo in 1934, and yearly welcomes millions of visitors to experience wildlife and nature like in no other zoo in North America. Its expansive walking trails offer visitors picturesque, tree-lined walks, back dropped by American bison grazing at Great Bear Wilderness, a unique exhibit featuring iconic North American animals such polar bears, grizzlies, bald eagles, and Mexican gray wolves, each flourishing in naturalistic habitats. The zoo's historic Roosevelt Fountain is engulfed in an array of color, its blossoming flowers, buzzing alive with pollinating bees.

In providing visitors up-close encounters with nature, the zoo fulfills its lifelong mission of connecting the community with nature through educational programs, realistic exhibits, and a constantly vibrant and flourishing landscape, including both native and nonnative trees.