What are the opening hours?

Monday 9:30am - 4pm Tuesday 9:30am - 4pm Wednesday 9:30am - 4pm Thursday 9:30am - 4pm Friday 9:30am - 4pm Saturday 9:30am - 4pm Sunday 9:30am - 4pm

The Virginia Zoo

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Norfolk, VA
The Virginia Zoo

Official page of The Virginia Zoo, home to 700+ animals representing 150+ unique species. Meet lions, orangutans, a crocodile and more.

Visit the Zoo online (http://www.virginiazoo.org) or follow us on Instagram & Twitter ()! Mission Statement

The Virginia Zoological Park seeks to increase understanding of the world's flora and fauna and to add to the growing body of knowledge about them; to display animals respectfully, in a way that encourages their natural behavior; to conserve animals and their habitats; and to o

ffer opportunities for learning and enjoyment to the public. It will strive to fulfill this mission through education, conservation, research and recreation. The mission of Virginia Zoological Society is to ensure that the Virginia Zoo thrives as a superior zoological institution, reaching its fullest potential to serve people, animals and the environment through programs that emphasize recreation, education and conservation. A hybrid operation

The Virginia Zoo functions as a true hybrid operation through the joint efforts and constant communication between the staffs of the Virginia Zoological Park (VZP) and the Virginia Zoological Society (VZS). VZP staff maintains all animal exhibits and provides animal care and husbandry, maintains the lush grounds and gardens, oversees most building repair and maintenance, and manages the Zoo's ticket booth. VZS staff operates the Zoo's gift shop, restaurant and concessions, educational programs, special events and parties, membership program, marketing and promotions, and fundraising and grant writing through the private sector. The staffs of both organizations work side-by-side on a daily basis and the operation of the two organizations are not only closely related and complementary, but are mostly indistinguishable. Animal Collection

From the plains of Africa to your own backyard, the Virginia Zoo has a world of discovery for you. Open year round, the Virginia Zoo offers family fun, education and excitement for everyone. The Virginia Zoo is home to more than 700 animals representing 150+ species, on 53 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds. Welcome to the Gardens

Come see the animals in our gardens! Most visitors come to the Virginia Zoo with animals on their minds, but plants are the first things they see. Our gardens set the stage for guests and Zoo residents. We create naturalistic habitats for exotic and native animals. We design, grow and plant themed gardens, and we provide fresh plant treats for our animals. AZA Accredited

Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA). Look for the AZA logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you, and a better future for all living things.

11/10/2024

Today marks the start of (OCW)! The theme of this year's is "Orangutans Leading the Way: One Planet, One Future". 🦧 🌏

Orangutans are our ecosystem engineers, meaning they create new habitats or modify existing ones to suit their needs. However, these changes are made sustainably and in harmony with other species in their environment. 🌴 🥭 🍃

Humans can learn a lot from orangutans about how to coexist with other life in biodiverse ecosystems. That's why we are using this Orangutan Caring Week to share how these awesome apes shape their home in ways that benefit other species. 🧡

11/09/2024

Letti CRASHED through her first year and right into our hearts! 💚 Today is Letti's first birthday and we couldn't be more excited to celebrate this not-so-little, 1,200 pound calf 🦏

Be sure to crash into the Zoo this weekend and wish Letti a happy birthday! 🥳

11/08/2024

Skunk spray cannot be neutralized with tomato juice - that's just a myth! 🍅 🧃

The pungent stench of skunk spray comes from sulfur-containing compounds called thiols. Thioacetates, also found in the spray, are responsible for helping the oily spray cling to surfaces. While thioacetates may be inactive at first, interactions between these chemicals and humidity in the air create more stinky thiols up to several days after the "skunking" occurred. 🦨

Unfortunately for skunk spray sufferers, tomato juice does not impact the odor of the spray. Rather, the strong scent of the juice overwhelms a person's nose until their brain no longer recognizes the smell, a phenomenon called olfactory fatigue. 👃 😴 The best household remedies for skunk spray are dish soap, baking soda, and 3% hydrogen peroxide.

Chonk, our male striped skunk, is just one representative of Team Fur in our competition this year. Smell 👃 through your biases against our fragrant friends like Chonk and consider donating to Team Fur on Tuesday, December 3!

11/07/2024

📣 Calling all Zoo-loving Veterans! 🪖🎖️

On Monday, November 11 ONLY we’re offering a Buy One, Get One Free general admission ticket 🎟️ for all Veterans! Spend the day at the Zoo with a friend or family member as our way of saying thank you for your service. ❤️ You'll also receive a FREE train ride on the Virginia Zoo Express during your visit. 🚂

To redeem this offer, present a valid military ID or other proof of service at the ticket booth. This deal cannot be combined with any other admission discounts, including military, first responder, etc. We look forward to celebrating you this Veterans Day! 🇺🇸

11/06/2024

Join the Virginia Zoo in supporting cancer patients through a partnership with local nonprofit Paint Pink this Saturday, November 9 from 12-3pm! 🎨🩷

Paint Pink was founded by Kim Keene, the late partner of one of the Virginia Zoo’s dedicated Board Members, to help cancer patients cover the cost of treatment-related goods and services (i.e. house cleaning, pet care, meal delivery, legal fees, and more) that medical insurances do not cover.

To honor Kim’s memory and give back to a family that has given so much to the Virginia Zoo over the years, we are hosting a fundraiser selling keychains featuring art created by the Zoo animals for a suggested donation of $5. For all those who give a gift of $10 or more, you will automatically be entered to win a one-of-a-kind 24”x 36” canvas painted by our Bornean orangutans. All proceeds will support the missions of both the Paint Pink and Virginia Zoo nonprofits.

11/05/2024

Pepper, our 44 year-old female orangutan, asked us to remind everyone that today is Election Day! 🇺🇸 While Pepper's name is not on the ballot this year (despite her best campaign efforts), it's important to remember that your vote counts for choosing elected officials that prioritize conservation of wildlife and their habitats. We hope that everyone registered to vote here at the Virginia Zoo comes out to vote with our animals in mind! 🦧🗳️

The Zoo will be open as both a polling place and for standard operations today. Please be aware that there may be traffic on the way to the Zoo and at times our parking lot may be filled.

11/02/2024

Tomorrow is Sensory Friendly Morning at the Virginia Zoo! From 9:30am - 12:30pm, the Zoo will provide guests of all abilities and needs the opportunity to visit in a less overwhelming environment.

Advanced tickets are required to attend, including for Zoo members. Due to the nature of this event, we urge those that do not require sensory friendly accommodations to visit the Zoo when general admission resumes at 12:30pm. We appreciate your understanding and can't wait to welcome everyone tomorrow!

For more information and to reserve your tickets, visit this link: https://virginiazoo.org/event/sensory-friendly-morning/

11/01/2024

The PAW Patrol is on the lookout for Adventure Bay’s Top Heroes in a brand-new live show coming to Chrysler Hall November 9th & 10th!

🐾 The Zoo teamed up with Chrysler Hall to offer a chance to win a family four-pack of tickets to the 3pm PAW Patrol Live! "Heroes Unite" show on November 10!

🐾 Zoo Members and general admission guests can enter to win by visiting the Virginia Zoo this Saturday (11/2) and Sunday (11/3) ONLY and sharing their contact information upon admission at the Front Gate!

🐾 Winners will be chosen and contacted on Monday. Good luck!

Don't want to wait? Get your tickets now! 🎟 - https://www.ticketmaster.com/artist/2734991?venueId=8274&brand=seven

11/01/2024

Standing at approximately 6 feet (1.8 meters) tall 📏 , the sarus crane is the tallest flying bird in the world!🪽

Here at the Virginia Zoo, we have two sarus cranes, a male named Ichabod, and a female named Sally. Make sure to stop by and say hello 👋 (they might even call back to you) the next time you visit Asia: Trail of the Tiger.

10/31/2024

It's all treats and no tricks for our animals this ! 🍬 We hope everyone enjoys this faBOOlous 👻 day as much as our friends enjoyed their pumpkin enrichment. 🎃

10/26/2024

WHO is that flying onto your feed? 🦉 That's Carson the Eurasian eagle owl soaring in to say "Hi!" 👋

Have you had the opportunity to meet Carson during your Zoo trip? Well now is your chance! With a Bird of Prey Behind-the-Scenes Tour you can meet Carson plus several other birds of prey that live behind the scenes at the Zoo. 🪶 This 30 minute tour allows you to learn all about falconry from keepers and experience a hands-on training session with our birds!

Schedule your tour today using this link: https://bit.ly/3veAEak Don't let your chance to meet these feather-tastic birds drift away! 🦅

10/25/2024

this is one of the rarest rattlesnakes! 🐍

The Aruba island rattlesnake is endemic to (you guessed it!) Aruba, meaning this is the only place in the world where they are found in the wild. This species is also critically endangered, with only about 250 individuals remaining in the wild.

Habitat loss due to land development and destruction of native plants by feral goats have limited these rattlesnakes to just 25 square kilometers (less than 10 square miles) of their former range, when they previously lived across the entire island. Young, nonnative boa constrictors also compete with this species for prey. 🐭

Luckily, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) created a Species Survival Plan (SSP) to conserve Aruba island rattlesnakes in 1982 and it is the longest-continuous snake conservation program by AZA! Slither into the World of Reptiles this weekend to meet this special snake 🥰

10/24/2024

Gibbon them all the attention today 🐵 It's ! At the Virginia Zoo we have two types of gibbon, our white-cheeked gibbons and our siamang family which are a type of gibbon.

A gibbon is classified as a small diurnal ape that lives in Southeast Asia. Gibbons are the smallest ape species and have arms that are much longer than their legs. They use their long arms to brachiate, or swing through the branches using only their arms. 💪 Gibbons are considered to be the fastest and most agile, non-flying arboreal mammal! 🌴

If you haven't recently, it's time to swing into the Zoo to spend some time with Dexter, Henley, and our siamang family!

📸 creds: Elgin Green, Eileen Murphy McCallum, Stephen Pezzulich

10/21/2024

BOO! 👻 Just kidding, they're not here to scare you! We're bringing attention to our scaley and slimey friends this 🐍 🐸 Though some might find these creatures creepy, they play an important role in their ecosystems to keep everything in balance. Let's all show our appreciation for these not-so-scary critters! 🦎

Now... if you are looking for a scary good time, don't forget to get your tickets to Adult Night: ZooBoo Edition happening THIS FRIDAY! 😱 Our World of Reptiles friends will be on full display during this 21+ event in addition to many other hauntingly fun activities happening throughout the Zoo. Plus, our members get bewitching bargains on this event and many more! 🧹🧙 Don't miss your chance to get in on this phantom-tastic event and get your tickets here today: https://bit.ly/3BPLDtR

10/20/2024

There's no rush to celebrate ... at least not from them 🦥 while walking may not be their specialty, sloths are great swimmers! 🏊

At the Virginia Zoo, our two-toed sloths, Trey and KC, currently live behind the scenes as animal ambassadors! Animal ambassadors are a vital part of our education, camp, and outreach programs where they build connections between the public and wildlife by being a representative for their wild counterparts. While these two may not have a visible habitat at the Zoo, we offer both group and private sloth behind-the-scenes tours for anyone looking to hang with our girls! 💁‍♀️ You can book your tour here today: https://bit.ly/3veAEak

As our new EdVenture & Exploration Campus is being built for our animal ambassadors, these girls will soon have a home that is visible to the public! If you want to help us reach our goal for this campus sooner, make your donation here: https://bit.ly/3BJwDxv

10/17/2024

A little skeleton post for your spooky season 💀 Can you guess which animal this x-ray belongs to? 🤔 Hint: it's a small, social mammal that's native to southern Africa...

If you're looking for some more spooky Zoo-related fun, be sure to get your tickets for ZooBoo happening this Saturday and Sunday! 🎃 Advanced tickets are required and you can purchase yours at this link: https://bit.ly/4cTnijy

10/14/2024

ZooBoo is happening this weekend... are you ready for all of the spook-tacular fun?👻

Bring the whole family to experience Halloween at the Zoo & enjoy:
💀 Special guests and entertainment
🎃 Animal encounters and pumpkin enrichment
🧟‍♂️ Costume contests and activities
🍬 Trick-or-treating and more!

Advanced reservations are required for entry, so be sure to get your tickets today! Visit this link to reserve your tickets 🎟️: https://bit.ly/4cTnijy

https://bit.ly/3Nq2Mgg

10/13/2024

Today kicks off the start to and we wanted to shout out our amazing vet tech, Leah! 🩺 Leah has been with the Virginia Zoo for 20 years and is a vital part of our animal care staff. Several of our animals have given Leah resounding patient testimonies, including Solaris, the Bornean orangutan, and all three of our red river hogs. But it's not just the animals that leave fantastic reviews - our human teams do, too! Leah always welcomes new staff with open arms and is ready to share her infinite wisdom about our animals. Be sure to thank Leah for her hard work this week, or really any week, that you visit the Zoo!

Address

3500 Granby Street
Norfolk, VA
23504

Opening Hours

Monday	9:30am - 4pm
Tuesday	9:30am - 4pm
Wednesday	9:30am - 4pm
Thursday	9:30am - 4pm
Friday	9:30am - 4pm
Saturday	9:30am - 4pm
Sunday	9:30am - 4pm

Website

http://www.virginiazoo.org/

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Videos

International Red Panda Day

Not all red pandas are pandas... actually none of them are! Red pandas are actually in a taxonomic family all of their own called "Ailuridae". Surprisingly, unlike their name and diet preferences suggest, they are not related to giant pandas! 🐼 Now enjoy #InternationalRedPandaDay with this meme featuring our red pandas 😜

Orangutan Baby Naming 2024

In June of this year our baby female Bornean orangutan was born to parents Dara and Solaris. This morning we got to watch as Dara picked her baby's name! 🦧 Thank you to everyone who submitted their names for consideration in the fundraiser - you rose over $500 to support our Keeper & Enrichment fund! And a special thank you to the Asia Team for helping narrow down to the final three names, as well as making today possible. Drumroll please.... 🥁 Everyone meet.... Poppy! ❤️ Poppy is a beautiful red flower. The person who submitted the name chose it to reference how orangutans are often referred to as the "red apes." We also think it's the perfect name for our little red-headed girl! This weekend is the perfect time to stop by the Zoo and visit Poppy in person! We hope to see you soon!

Wild Wendy is back and she's getting the scoop on one of our more elusive residents, the cinereous vultures! As today is International Vulture Awareness Day, she's getting you answers to all your hard hitting vulture questions and sharing some interesting vulture facts that you may not have known. The more you know! 🪶 Visit the Zoo today to learn more about vultures and experience a keeper chat with one of our bird keepers at 11am & 2pm!

Just popping in to wish our meerkat, Hardy, a happy birthday! 🎉 The best way to tell our two meerkats apart is that Hardy has a long tail while our other meerkat, Amadi, has no tail. Let's all wish him a happy birthday!

We found the perfect man... well kind of! He might not be in finance with blue eyes but he is a ton of fun and turning 1! 🦒 It's our Masai giraffe, Henry's first birthday today 🎉 Be sure to wish him a happy birthday during your next visit!

A ssspecial sssomeone is here from the World of Reptiles for World Lizard Day! Meet Fiona! 🦎 Take a trip behind-the-scenes with Mack as he teaches us a little bit about this present day dinosaur (better known as a crocodile monitor). 🦖 Be sure to ssslither into our World of Reptiles to visit all of our amazing lizard friends on their ssspecial day!

Are you ready for it? 🐍 If you missed your chance to get Eras Tour tickets, don't worry because we've got the Virginia Zoo's Version for you! Join us in unleashing your WILDest dreams at ZooGrooves: The Zoo Eras Tour on September 13 from 5pm - 8:30pm! Shake off your most bejeweled outfit 💎 and prepare for an enchanted night out! ✨ This outdoor music event will feature Taylor Swift’s biggest hits, friendship bracelet-making, family fun, local vendors, and much more. Make your friendship bracelets and get your tickets today or you’re on your own, kid! 🎶 Event info & tickets available at this link: https://bit.ly/46rBZZz

We're soaring in a day late but for Owl Awareness Day, we wanted to highlight the two owl species we have here at the Virginia Zoo! 🦉 Enjoy two of our Ambassador Keepers as they teach you a little bit about Eurasian eagle owls and Eastern screech owls. We hope you have a HOOT with this new information! (ʘ ◊ ʘ)

That’s that Zoo espresso ☕️ (or cold brew)! Now offering self-serve nitro cold brew from Voyager Cold Brew Coffee on draft in our African Village Restaurant! Come get a cup before you start your journey around the Zoo to keep both cool & caffeinated 🧊 Not a coffee drinker? Sip on some refreshing Wild Bay Kombucha, also on draft in the African Village Restaurant! 🥭🍑

Let's all ROAR in celebration for International Tiger Day! 🐯 Here at the Virginia Zoo, we have two Malayan tigers, Christopher and Cahaya, who can be seen in this video participating with their keepers in various trainings. These two tigers work with their keepers to play an active role in their care by presenting different body parts for examination and voluntarily taking necessary injections. Malayan tigers, as is the case with many tiger subspecies, are critically endangered and there are estimated to be fewer than 150 left in the wild. They are the smallest subspecies of tiger and inhabit dense forested regions of the southern Malay Peninsula. Tigers are solitary animals but communicate with others through visual signals, scent marking, and vocalizations such as roars, chuffs, and hisses. Visit the Zoo to see our tigers, and join our Asia: Trail of the Tiger keepers at 10am today for a keeper chat about Christopher and Cahaya! 🐅

Breakfast time with Inala, the first-ever tawny frogmouth chick born at the Virginia Zoo 🤍 Inala is an aboriginal name meaning "peaceful place" or "nighttime," a nod to the nocturnal species which is native to Australia and Tasmania. This beautiful girl is 2 months old and already full of personality! Look for her in the Asia: Trail of the tiger aviary with the Chinese Hwameis 🪶

We’re 11 days into #PlasticFreeJuly, and it’s not too late to join team Virginia Zoo or team Virginia Aquarium for a chance to win a FREE behind-the-scenes tour by reducing your plastic consumption this month! ♻️ This week, we’re challenging you to use refillable water bottles and cups. Save money AND help keep our wildlife’s habitats clean by avoiding plastic bottles and drinks, as demonstrated by our mascots! If you earn the MOST points for team Zoo or Aquarium, you’ll win a behind-the-scenes tour at your team’s institution 🦒🦈 Sign up and log your efforts to start earning points at the link below! https://bit.ly/3zyxaBc