The Riverbanks Zoo and Garden is a zoo, aquarium, and botanical garden located along the Saluda River in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. A small portion of the zoo extends into the nearby city of West Columbia. It is operated by the Rich-Lex Riverbanks Park Special Purpose District, a partnership of the city of Columbia and Richland and Lexington counties. It is overseen by the Riverbanks Park Commission, comprising two members each from the three governments and one at-large member. Riverbanks Zoo and Garden is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). History In the early 1960s, Columbia-area businessmen conceived of a zoo for the state capital. However, the idea didn't get beyond the planning stages until 1969, when the state created the Rich-Lex Riverbanks Park Special Purpose District to run the proposed zoo. The zoo opened on April 25, 1974 after 5 years of planning. Within two years, it was obvious that the zoo would not be self-supporting, and the Riverbanks Zoological Society was created to help raise money for it. At the same time, Palmer "Satch" Krantz was appointed executive director. Notable features of the original Zoo design were the mountainous, moated exhibits for big cats and bears. Riverbanks Zoo and Garden is South Carolina's largest gated attraction, averaging over one million visitors each year—a considerable amount for a zoo serving a region as small as Columbia (the Columbia metropolitan area has only 800,000 people). Riverbanks is a four-time winner of the Southeastern Tourism Society's Shining Example Award as the Southeast's top tourist attraction and a two-time winner of the SC Parks Recreation and Tourism Governor's Cup Award as South Carolina's Leading Attraction. Animals and exhibits The zoo is home to over 2,000 animals, with collections of mammals, birds, reptiles, and fish. In 2002, additions included exhibits for African elephants, gorillas, and koalas. The Birdhouse at Riverbanks (opened 2001) was given a Significant Achievement Award by the AZA as one of the best new zoo exhibits in the United States, and features a display of king, rockhopper, and gentoo penguins. The Zoo 2002 plan cost $15 million. African Plains is a pair of exhibits featuring giraffe (including a paid feeding station), as well as Grant's zebra, and ostrich in the other. The Aquarium Reptile Complex (opened in 1989 as part of the Zoo II plan) is a building with a tank for Pacific coral