Micke Grove Zoo and the park in which it is located, Micke Grove Park, were gifted to the people of San Joaquin County by local philanthropists William and Julia Harrison Micke. Their legacy lives on in the beautiful oak forested park that opened in 1938 as well as in the many improvements that are seen in the park today. Besides the zoo, Micke Grove Park also features a Japanese Garden, San Joaquin County Historical Museum, the Micke Grove Amusement Park and several picnic shelters located in scenic settings.

Micke Grove Zoo is a five-acre zoo with a collection of animals that includes mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates. The zoo has evolved since it first opened its gates to the public in 1957. Today, the emphasis is on the zoo’s uniqueness and quality over size and quantity with a focus on unique species and the welfare of the animal ambassadors that live here. One of the goals of the zoo is to help conserve threatened the unique wildlife that live in Madagascar, a small island off the eastern coast of Africa. Some of the Madagascan species that can be seen at Micke Grove Zoo are the black and white ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata), red ruffed lemurs (Varecia rubra), ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta), the Standing's day gecko (Phelsuma standingi), the giant Madagascar day gecko (Phelsuma grandis), golden mantella frogs (Mantella aurantiaca), the Madagascar black parrot (Coracopsis nigra), a Dumeril's boa (Acrantophis dumerili), and radiated tortoises (Astrochelys radiata).

Micke Grove Zoo is one of many zoos that participates in SSP programs conducted by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums which help facilitate the breeding of threatened wildlife on the verge of extinction in the wild. The zoo has successfully bred several threatened species, including golden-lion tamarins (Leontopithecus rosalia), southern pudus (Pudu puda), northern bald ibises (Geronticus eremita), marbled teal (Marmaronetta angustirostris), and snow leopards (Actinemys marmorata). Micke Grove Zoo is passionate about the contribution it makes to conserve wildlife and uses every opportunity to educate students and zoo visitors on natural history, behavioral biology, threats, and conservation impacts for the species that reside in the zoo.