Chattanooga Zoo

11/01/2024

Hellbender Headstart update!

Our newest collection of hellbender salamanders have begun hatching! Just a few weeks ago, we started raising over 300 hellbender larvae at Chattanooga Zoo. We will house them over the next two years so they can grow and mature before we release them back into the wild to replenish local populations and support the species' long-term survival.

Stay tuned for more updates!

10/31/2024

Congratulations to Eric Dunn!

You have won our giveaway for four free Asian Lantern Festival tickets! 🏮

Please direct message us within 24 hours to claim your tickets.

Thanks so much to everyone who participated in our contest we loved all of your costumes! We will see you all at the Asian Lantern Festival feturing this year’s themes dinosours and rainforest!🦖

For more info & event tickets, visit https://www.chattzoo.org/events/alf-2024-2025

Happy Halloween!🎃

10/30/2024

Just a few days left to order your pasta and support our chapter! Ends at midnight Nov 2nd. We're almost halfway to our fundraising goal!
https://my.funpastafundraising.com/2024-fall-tn-valley-aazk/tn-valley-aazk-fundraiser/
There are so many pasta options, including soups and mac-n-cheese! Orders will ship directly to you and the shelf life is over 18 months, so be sure to stock up your pantries!
There are also new, healthier options including low Cal, low carb, high protein, and more fiber!

10/29/2024

The Junior League of Chattanooga is hosting Touch-A-Truck at Warner Park on Saturday, November 16th, from 9am-1pm! 🚛

Touch-A-Truck Chattanooga is a family-friendly, hands-on event that offers opportunities for kids to explore, climb, and touch trucks of all kinds including emergency response vehicles, heavy machinery, and other equipment.

Plus, if you attend Touch-A-Truck and bring your ticket to the Zoo on Nov. 16th and 17th, you receive one free children's ticket with the purchase of an adult ticket!

Visit https://touchatruckchatt.com/ to secure your tickets today!

We hope to see you at the Zoo! 🐵

10/28/2024

Our next Conservation Committee Speaker Series is November 7th from 5:30pm-7:00pm!🦇

Join Laurie Dworak from the Master Gardeners of Hamilton County and discover how to support our local bat populations through gardening and proper bat house installation! 🏡

Bats are vital for our ecosystem, aiding in pest control, pollination, seed dispersal, and so much more.

Attendance is FREE to the public but please use the link below to RSVP!

https://www.chattzoo.org/events/conservation-committee-meeting-1

10/28/2024

Get ready to light up the night at the third annual Asian Lantern Festival, starting November 26! ✨

This year's festival features an entirely new roster of lanterns never seen before in Chattanooga! Tour the Zoo at night and view over 40 distinct displays including a massive kingdom of dinosaurs and an Amazon Rainforest teeming with plant and animal life. Plus, interactive displays and games encourage touching, swinging, stomping, playing and more!

Save the date for extra festival fun: December 13, 14, 20, and 21 - get your picture with Santa Claus FREE with event admission! Bring your camera to capture this special memory!

Stay tuned for even more exciting announcements and click the link below to snag your tickets now!

https://www.chattzoo.org/events/alf-2024-2025

10/27/2024

Get ready to celebrate Scout Appreciation Day on November 2nd at the Zoo! 🌟

Wear your scout or leader uniform (even just a t-shirt or sash will do!) and enjoy a 50% discount on admission!

Explore activity tables around the Zoo from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at no extra cost! Plus, don’t miss the special Animal Meet & Greets happening throughout the day! 🐾

Join us for a fantastic day of fun and adventure!

10/25/2024

Spring 2025 Homeschool Programs – Registration is NOW OPEN!

Welcome to the wildest homeschool class in town! 🐢

This spring, your K-8th graders will come face-to-face with fascinating wildlife while learning from our incredible team of keepers and educators about ecology and other life sciences. Each 1.5-hour class is packed with educational activities, hands-on crafts, and games.

New for High Schoolers! We’re excited to continue our high school classes with an introduction to the study of chemistry!

Don’t miss out—spots fill up quickly! Register now using the link below for an unforgettable learning experience. 📝

https://chattzoo.org/education/homeschool

10/24/2024

New sessions of Kits & Cubs kick off in January! 🐾

This early childhood learning program is designed for our youngest animal lovers! Children ages 2-5 will enjoy crafts, story time, music and movement and, of course, animal meet and greets in this interactive, hour-long program!

We have three sessions available which will each explore unique themes like "Winter Wildlife Safari," "Zoo Keeper for a Day," "Habitat Explorers," and more!

Register your little one here: https://chattzoo.org/education/preschool

10/23/2024

❄️ Happy World Snow Leopard Day to some of the coolest animals at the Zoo!🐾

Join us in spreading awareness for endangered species like snow leopards and learning about the importance of wildlife conservation! We’re celebrating this Saturday, October 26, with fun and educational activities that come FREE with general admission.

Included with general admission:
📣 Extra keeper chats
🎨 Arts & crafts
🐾 Special enrichment activities for the animals
📚 Information stations

Don't miss out on this opportunity to learn how you can help protect wildlife locally and globally! 🌎

10/22/2024

We've welcomed two critically endangered primates into the world! 🐵

On September 19, 2024, Daphne the pied tamarin successfully gave birth to twins! Pied tamarins are part of the Callitrichidae family which includes many of the world's smallest primates. Adult pied tamarins usually only weigh one pound!

Sadly, pied tamarins are critically endangered and are at risk of going extinct in a matter of decades. They only live in a small area of Brazilian Rainforest, and rapid deforestation and urban development around the city of Manaus is putting the species at serious risk of extinction.

At Chattanooga Zoo, conservation is central to our mission. Currently, we’re one of only six U.S. zoos that house pied tamarins, representing about 25% of the national population. Plus, our population has successfully reproduced three times since 2016! These primates are notoriously challenging to breed, making this a remarkable achievement!

Visitors can see the newborns riding on the backs of Daphne, Dudley, Crash, and Eddy in our Corcovado Jungle section. Soon, our veterinary team will conduct routine health checks on the little ones to monitor their development and determine their genders.

Now, we need your help to name our new tamarin pair! 📝 We’ve narrowed it down to three pairs of names: Appa & Momo, Apple & Cherry, and Merry & Pippin! Vote online using the link below or vote by making a donation at the tamarin enclosure. The winning names will be revealed on November 12, 2024.

Join us in celebrating these incredible animals and our commitment to wildlife conservation!

Vote Here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScyuWp_0oiSyO7DvElxLUhi9KFbfj-IXtH6R5b3t2cEJY6lXg/viewform?usp=sf_link

10/21/2024

Frights and Pints is THIS THURSDAY (Oct. 24)! 🍺

Dress up in your best Halloween costume and join us for a new 21+ event at the Zoo! Sip on your favorite beer or wine as you explore wild decorations, hit up trick-or-treat stations, and enjoy thrilling entertainment like fire performers and a DJ. 🎧

🎟️ General admission includes 3 drink tickets and an exclusive Frights & Pints cup. More drinks available for purchase!

👻 ONLY 4 VIP TICKETS ARE LEFT! Take it to the next level with access to a private lounge, open bar, specialty cocktail, hors d’oeuvres, up-close animal meet and greets, and a spooky gift bag!

Tickets are selling fast, grab yours here: https://www.chattzoo.org/events/frights-and-pints-1

10/21/2024

10/18/2024

Happy National Veterinary Technician Week to some of our behind-the-scenes heroes at Chattanooga Zoo! 👩‍⚕️🐾

Megan and John (vet techs) and Alyssa (keeper and vet assistant) work diligently every day to ensure that all of our animals receive outstanding medical care, giving them long, happy and healthy lives! ❤️

Show them some love in the comments!

10/17/2024

We're raising over 300 hellbender salamander larvae right here at Chattanooga Zoo, and they're growing fast! You can see some heads and tails developing in the first picture! 😮

Thanks to our friends at Lee University and the U.S. Forest Service, our hellbender facility has some new residents! Hellbender populations have dwindled in the wild due to decades of pollution, and we're working to repopulate this important species in the Cherokee National Forest and other local areas. 🌳

These eggs, in addition to other hellbenders currently in our program, will spend the first two years of their lives at Chattanooga Zoo before being released back into the wild. By raising them here, we are able to avoid the high mortality rates young hellbenders naturally experience in the wild due to predators and other factors and give the species a head start! 😄

Check out this video to learn more about the Hellbender Headstart program: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SI1bTVxnvak

10/16/2024

Frights & Pints is NEXT WEEK! 🍻

Big shoutout to Oddstory Brewing Company for sponsoring the event, and for helping us with this photoshoot! (Big shoutout to Rose the screech owl, Linus the ball python and Chip the box turtle too 😍)

Join us on Oct. 24 for a spooky safari with fire performers, a DJ and dance floor, lots of candy and, of course, lots of beer and wine!

Don't wait to get your tickets - VIP tickets are almost sold out!

More info and tickets here: https://www.chattzoo.org/events/frights-and-pints-1

10/16/2024

The first weekend of Boo in the Zoo was un-BOO-lievably fun! Were you there? Tell us your favorite part in the comments! 🎃

We're hosting Boo in the Zoo again this Friday and Saturday and next Friday and Saturday! Make sure to get your tickets ONLINE! They are selling out fast, and walkups won't be available.

Please note - the Zoo closes at 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 18, 19, 25 and 26 to prepare for all the spooky fun! 👻

Get your tickets here: https://www.chattzoo.org/events/boo-in-the-zoo

10/15/2024

Bricks are back! You have one more chance to customize a brick and leave your mark on the Cape of Africa! 🐗

Bricks are perfect for holiday gifts, memorializing family members, honoring friends and much more! All proceeds support animal care, conservation work and more at Chattanooga Zoo! 🦒

All bricks will be placed near our new group entrance. Orders are open now through the end of 2024!

Customize your brick here: https://www.thatsmybrick.com/chattzoo

Thank you for your support of Chattanooga Zoo! 🐵

10/12/2024

Boo in the Zoo is SOLD OUT TONIGHT (Oct. 12)! 🎃

To prevent overcrowding, we will not be able to accept walkups tonight. We apologize for the inconvenience, but you can still get tickets for the next two weekends of Boo in the Zoo!

Tickets are going fast, so grab yours today: https://www.chattzoo.org/events/boo-in-the-zoo

10/11/2024

Interested in a paid internship at Chattanooga Zoo? We are now accepting spring internship applications until November 15th! 🐾

We have opportunities available in animal care, veterinary medicine, and wildlife rehabilitation!

Get hands-on experience at an AZA-accredited zoo, go behind the scenes with some of your favorite animals, work closely with our passionate team, and experience the wild firsthand. 🦒

To learn more about our internships and to apply visit: https://www.chattzoo.org/about/internships

10/10/2024

🎃 Boo in the Zoo kicks off tomorrow! Make sure to get your tickets online to save your spot: https://www.chattzoo.org/events/boo-in-the-zoo

Plus, all Boo in the Zoo attendees have a chance to win 4 FREE tickets to our upcoming Asian Lantern Festival! Just snap a photo of yourself or your group with your favorite Boo in the Zoo decorations, post it on Facebook or Instagram using and , and don’t forget to tag us! The winner will be decided by popular vote among Zoo staff, so get creative and have fun!

The winner will be announced on Halloween on Facebook and Instagram! 🎃✨

Good luck, and we can’t wait to see your spooky pics!

Please note: the Zoo will be closing early at 3:30 PM each night of Boo in the Zoo.

10/09/2024

Hellbender Headstart update!

Our friends at the U.S. Forest Service and Lee University recently took two trips into the Cherokee National Forest, bringing back more than 300 hellbender eggs! Over the next two years, we will raise these salamanders at Chattanooga Zoo, utilizing water and different food sources from their natural habitat, before releasing them back into the wild in southeastern Tennessee.

Hellbender populations are threatened in the wild due to decades of mining and other pollution. Young hellbenders naturally have a low survivability rate and, by protecting and raising them in our program, we can boost populations and have a very real impact in preserving this important species.

10/08/2024

Want to meet a red panda face-to-face?😍

Bookings for Wild Encounters in 2025 are open! Get up-close with several fascinating species including red pandas, meerkats, Komodo dragons, giant anteaters, cotton top tamarins and our prehensile-tailed porcupine. All Wild Encounters come with feeding and/or touch opportunities to help you create memories that will last a lifetime.

Click this link and scroll to the bottom of the page to learn more about this extraordinary experience: https://chattzoo.org/visit/tours-encounters

10/07/2024

Here’s another chance to win FREE tickets for our new 21+ Halloween event, Frights and Pints! Thanks to OddStory for sponsoring this event 🍻