It was founded in 1953 by the mayor of Granby at the time, Pierre-Horace Boivin. There are currently more than 1,800 different animals grouped into more than 200 species. The zoo has 516,000 visitors per year and contains animals from Africa, Asia, and South America. Adjacent to the zoo is the Amazoo water park. The zoo also has an amusement park called "Parc Johnny Test Collection" which is named after the Johnny Test animated television series.