NEW Zoo & Adventure Park

01/24/2025

You don't happen to mind another Murphy video so soon after we shared the last one, do you? It's just that he's so happy playing with his hanging tree, it seems wrong not to show you!

01/23/2025

We're excited to share that our WILD Animal Valentine's Day Card sets are back this year - with all new designs featuring more of your favorite animal friends! These card sets are perfect for classroom exchanges, and with Valentine's Day just around the corner, now is the time to place your order! See the details: https://buff.ly/4ho5e3z

0 WILD Valentine’s Day Card Sets Are Back! January 21, 2025 News Buy Now Interested in adding some ROAR factor to your Valentine’s Day cards this year? Check out our one-of-a-kind WILD Valentine’s Day Card Sets – they’re especially perfect for classroom Valentine’s Day exchanges! Fun say...

01/22/2025

Sparkles had SO much fun with this hanging enrichment - just look at her enthusiasm! 😂
You gotta love it.

01/21/2025

It's here: Registration for Summer Zoo Camps and Summer Adventure Camps opens TODAY at noon! We encourage members to log into your accounts in advance, to help ensure your discount applies correctly. Instructions for logging in are found online: https://buff.ly/4cF4zIN
See program dates and details for all camps at newzoo.org:
Zoo Camps: https://buff.ly/3EdYvLf
Adventure Camps: https://buff.ly/4hH1w5B

01/20/2025

Heads up, NEW Zoo & Adventure Park fans:
Due to extreme cold, we will be closed on Tuesday, January 21st.
Both the Zoo and the Canopy Tour will reopen for regular hours (9am-4pm) on Wednesday, January 22nd.

01/20/2025

The kids are out of school for MLK Jr. Day today, so why not bring them out to burn off some energy here with us? We're open for regular hours and admission to both Zoo and Canopy Tour are HALF OFF.

01/19/2025

Murphy loves to play with hanging toys! Zookeepers hang all kinds of items for him to nudge and examine. He uses his antlers, nose, and forehead to play. During the winter, these toys are especially helpful to keep him active and entertained.
P.S. We kept the sound on this clip because if you listen carefully, bald eagle, Sierra, is calling in the background! Can you hear her? 🦅

01/18/2025

Another round of donated trees were given out to the goats this week! They were VERY excited about the fresh greens (and you can bet this tree didn't stay green for very long!) 😂 We're open today until 4pm, so if you'd like to come by and see for yourself, we'd love to have you here. Don't forget: admission to both the Zoo and the Canopy Tour are half price.

01/17/2025

When it's cold outside, it's still toasty warm in the Education & Conservation Center! In here, you can find Sly and his ball python buddy, Bernie, along with a host of other critters who would love to see you this weekend. Zoo admission is half-price, so bundle up and come on out!

01/16/2025

DYK: Cave cockroaches are some of the largest roaches in the world, reaching 4 inches in length! The cockroaches are detritivores, which means they consume and help breakdown dead organic matter like dead insects, animals, decaying fruit, and even bat guano. They're like Mother Nature's trash collectors, keeping their ecosystem clean. How helpful!

01/15/2025

We have some giraffe-tastic news to share: starting today, we are reopening the Giraffe Feeding Experience! Zuri has shown improvements and seems much more willing to hang out with humans these days. We are still keeping a close eye on her, of course, but so far, she's looking good. To keep her extra comfortable, we are asking guests not to approach the fence too closely when visiting with her, Nigel, and Eddie. We have a sticker on the floor showing the exact right spot to stand, so please use that on your next visit.

We greatly appreciate the outpouring of love for Zuri and support that you showed on our last "giraffe news" post. The care and comfort of our animal residents is always our top priority, and it means a lot to us to know that we're all on the same page! 🦒 🧡

01/14/2025

We are SO excited to announce the 2025 topics and schedules for Summer Zoo Camps and Summer Adventure Camps! Registration opens ONE WEEK from today at 12:00pm on Tuesday, January 21st. See the details: https://buff.ly/4aird9K

01/13/2025

Perhaps it's not very "lion like" for Loid to nap all curled up like a kitten, but it is very "Loid like." 😂
And we fully support that!

01/12/2025

We don't particularly miss having lots of snow on the ground, but we DO miss watching otters belly sliding on it! Some things are just too cute ❄️

01/11/2025

Good morning!
How would you like to get to know this cutie? Our Children's Zoo Ambassador volunteers get to know our goats, alpacas, cows, and other animals quite well! Now is a great time of year to join our volunteer program, to get comfortable before the busy spring season arrives. Learn more: https://buff.ly/3V4udka

01/10/2025

🌲 It's Tree Time! 🌲
The animals have been loving the trees that so many of you donated after Christmas. While some animals eat the needles and chew on branches or bark, some will use the trees for protection from the weather. Others, like the pelicans, for example, enjoy examining the trees and playing with them. They also enjoy "protecting" their prized trees from each other, as you can see in the third photo 😂

01/09/2025

We are saddened to share the recent loss of North American porcupine, Penelope. At almost 21 years of age, Penelope was one of our oldest and longest-term residents, having arrived at the NEW Zoo in 2005 when she was just a lil’ porcupette. Over the weekend, Penelope’s appetite decreased significantly, so she was brought to an indoor space for observations and specialty care. Despite being offered a variety of her favorite foods to encourage her appetite, Penelope’s condition did not improve, and the decision was made in collaboration with our veterinary team to humanely euthanize her.

Penelope was known at the Zoo for her calm personality and her steadfast appreciation for winter. Even in the coldest and snowiest of years, she could often be seen sitting tucked in quite comfortably, on top of her house or on her favorite stump perch, out in the open (instead of inside her warm, comfy nest box!), just watching the snow fall and the world go by.

We will miss her spiky cuteness and the adorable, squeaky noises she made when eating her favorite foods.

At this time, we do not have plans to add another North American porcupine to our animal family, and we will be looking for other potential residents that may be a good fit for the habitat. In the meantime, the space will remain empty for the winter season.

01/08/2025

*Giraffe Update*

You may have "herd" that we recently closed the Giraffe Feeding Experience until further notice and we want to explain why. Our 20-year-old female giraffe, Zuri, was being quite "cranky" with people. In her own way, she was telling us that she wanted space and was not in the mood to spend much time with us humans. Her behavior was not something we had seen from her before, so we decided to close the Feeding to give Zuri and her friends, Nigel and Eddie, some space and quiet time.

We have monitored her carefully, run tests, worked with our veterinary team, and even spoken to other giraffe care experts across the country, but we haven't been able to determine the exact cause of her behavior. It's possible that Zuri was experiencing something like a tummy ache, or a shift in hormones - something that caused her to feel "off." As we humans know, it's easy to feel cranky when we don't feel 100% like ourselves! Some quiet time is sometimes just what we need to help us feel better.

Zuri’s behavior seems to be getting back to normal. We recently started some “practice sessions” to gauge her comfort level with being near groups of people (starting with very small groups!) and participating willingly in the Feeding Experience. We plan to continue these practice sessions a minimum of one week, potentially longer based on how things go, until we feel confident that Zuri is comfortable and feeling more like herself.

Zuri is the one who will tell us when she’s ready and we’ll post an update here on our social channels as soon as we’re able to reopen the feeding. We know how much you all love to feed and interact with the giraffes and we greatly appreciate your support and understanding during this time!