Ochsner Park Zoo

11/06/2024

WILD WEDNESDAY!

Last week we had students from Baraboo High School come to the zoo and rake leaves as part of a service project. They did a fantastic job! Thank you Mrs. Kaylor's class!

11/04/2024

Introducing our NEW AND IMPROVED Exhibit Sponsorship Program! Sponsoring businesses and/or individuals will have a sign installed by the exhibit of their choice for a full 12 months. Signs will be customized with your business logo and company description, and all individuals/companies will have a brief description of your interest in supporting the zoo. We will also share the same information on our social media accounts. Each exhibit's fees are calculated to cover the cost of food, enrichment, staff time, and vet care for the animals that live in that exhibit.

If interested, please reach out to our Parks and Recreation Office at: (608) 355-2760 or you can email Zoo Manager at: [email protected].

11/03/2024

Apollo celebrates Daylight Savings with another hour of awkward napping.

10/31/2024

The zoo is closed today. We are sorry for the inconvenience.

10/31/2024

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

We want to say a huge THANK YOU to all our community members who came to Boo at the Zoo on Friday evening! We had such a great time hosting everyone, and the animals enjoyed their enrichment treats!

We also want to give a huge shout-out to our volunteers, Friends of the Baraboo Zoo, Sauk County Health Department for handing out candy and treats! We can't run this event without our wonderful volunteer crew!

A final Thank You goes out to our event sponsors!
Hammond Power Solutions
Blain's Farm and Fleet
MBE CPA's
Kwik Trip
Walmart

10/29/2024

It wouldn't be International Cat Day without celebrating our office cat and Pest Control Supervisor Reese!

10/29/2024

Happy International Cat Day from Canada Lynx Logan and Lyncoln!

10/26/2024

WINTER HOURS BEGIN TODAY!

The zoo will CLOSE at 3:30PM daily. Plan your visit accordingly!

10/25/2024

❄️ Want to promote your business while supporting community activities? Baraboo Parks & Rec has sponsorship opportunities available for our upcoming winter season! Winterfest, youth programs, zoo animal exhibits, Civic Center video monitors, senior fitness calendars, there are plenty of ways to get your brand in front of local families and event-goers.

Interested? Send us a message or reach out at [email protected] and help us bring the community together this winter!

10/25/2024

Boo at the Zoo is TODAY!

The zoo will close to regular visitors at 3pm, and the event goes from 4-6pm. Can't wait to see all your great costumes!

10/23/2024

🚨 SCAM ALERT 🚨

It has come to our attention that scam comments are popping up on our posts, claiming to be selling Ochsner Park Zoo shirts. These are NOT authorized by us or affiliated with the Zoo in any way!

If you see any suspicious links or offers, please DO NOT CLICK on them and report the comment to Facebook right away.

Send a message to learn more

10/23/2024

Boo at the Zoo is THIS FRIDAY! The zoo will close to regular visitors at 3:00pm for event set-up, and gates will open back up at 4pm. Please plan your visit accordingly!

10/15/2024

Imhotep is a Peter's Banded Sand Skink. A skink is a type of lizard. Their natural habitat is along the edges of the Sahara desert in Northern Africa. During the hot sunny days, these lizards bury themselves in the sand. When it cools off overnight, they come out to hunt insects.!

Imhotep is one of our Education Animals, and can only go outside for guests when outdoor temperatures are warm. The rest of the time, he lives in our office building where he can bury himself in the sand all day long!

10/14/2024

Celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Sauk County on Monday, October 14, in downtown Baraboo!
📅 1-4 PM: Native artists, vendors & Ho-Chunk documentaries at the courthouse lawn and Al. Ringling Theatre
🎶 2 PM: Ho-Chunk singers and dancers
🎨 4 PM: Unveiling of a new interpretive panel on Ho-Chunk history
🎥 7 PM: Free showing of Bad River
All events are free and open to the public!

10/11/2024

October is Bat Appreciation Month! It's also the time of year when bats are on the move. Check out this post from the DNR!

Wisconsin is home to eight species of bats, and those that don't hibernate are busy migrating south to warmer wintering habitats.

Some of these bats, like the silver-haired bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans) shown here, typically roost in trees, so we don't usually see them. However, they have to get creative when they're migrating through more populated areas, and they may take advantage of warm locations like stone or brick buildings.

If you spot a bat that seems out of place – like this one resting in a sheltered corner of a Milwaukee building – leave it be. They'll likely move on within a few days.

If you can, snap a photo and email it to [email protected], along with information about where you saw it.

10/09/2024

WILD WEDNESDAY!

You may have seen our post on Monday this week that we were closed for our "Wolf Workup". Each fall, we assemble a team to do vet exams and vaccinations on our four Mexican Gray Wolves. These wolves are managed as a "recovery species", which means we have to treat them as though they could be re-released into their wild habitat. Because of this, we do not use anesthesia for their routine exams, and instead need to manually restrain them while the vets take blood and give all their shots. A big thanks to Lodi Veterinary Care - Livestock Dr. Etter and his colleagues, as well as keepers from Mackenzie Center and Henry Vilas who helped us with this very big task!

09/18/2017

Footings for the new otter exhibit are being poured today. We're on track for phase 1 being completed by the beginning of November! Friede & Associates

09/18/2017

We have a (very) short limited term internship opening at the Ochsner Park Zoo this fall for up to 6 weeks. The internship pays $100 per week and is available for a current, past or future student in an animal care-related education program. Must be at least 18 years old and be able to work occasional weekends. Position is open until filled. Apply at www.cityofbaraboo.com.