Zoo Atlanta is an Association of Zoos and Aquariums accredited zoo in Atlanta, Georgia. The current president and CEO of Zoo Atlanta is Raymond B. King. Zoo Atlanta was founded in 1889, when businessman George V. Gress purchased a bankrupt traveling circus and donated the animals to the city of Atlanta. City leaders opted to house the collecti…Zoo Atlanta is an Association of Zoos and Aquariums accredited zoo in Atlanta, Georgia. The current president and CEO of Zoo Atlanta is Raymond B. King. Zoo Atlanta was founded in 1889, when businessman George V. Gress purchased a bankrupt traveling circus and donated the animals to the city of Atlanta. City leaders opted to house the collection in Grant Park, which remains the zoo's present location. Original residents of the zoo included a black bear, a raccoon, a jaguar, a hyena, a gazelle, a Mexican hog, lionesses, monkeys, and camels. The zoo's collection expanded in the 1930s with the personal donation of a private menagerie owned by Asa G. Candler, Jr.