Mala, chewy, and Sid all hanging out up top on their @universal.rocks tree taking in the morning sun shine. Believe it or not, Sloths actually move a lot more than what most people think! Come hang around our sloths here at @winecountryzoological to learn about all kinds of amazing animals and immersive yourself into safe and ethical private tours. Visit https://www.winecountryzoo.org to book your tour! #winecountryzoo #sonomacounty #winecountry #zoo #winecountryzoological #sonoma #wildlifeeducation #sonomaslothhouse #zoolife #notapet #sloth #slothkeeper #twotoedsloth
My soul sloth Chewy. This little guy turns 9 this year and he’s brought joy to so many people. He’s visited over 100 terminal patients of all ages, granted wishes, educated thousands on sloths, and filled all of our hearts at WCZ.
As cute and important as he is, a hard reality when working with exotics like sloths is that they honestly don’t reciprocate the love. I raised this sloth from an infant but I could disappear tomorrow and he would be just fine. We often project human emotions on animals that can actually be harmful to the animals we all love so much. It has to be enough to love them without recieving anything in return ❤️💕🦥
#winecountryzoo #notapet #sloth #california #slothhouse
Everyone stay cozy tonight, things are going to be brisk. #winecountryzoo #sonomacounty #zoo #winecountry #sonoma #winecountryzoological #wildlifeeducation #zoolife
Say hello to this little owl monkey!!
As cute as he is it’s important to remember he isn’t a pet. Owl monkeys can be quite ornery as adults which is a reason mom was sooooo done with him. He’s doing just fine getting spoiled by all of us at WCZ and getting fed every few hours until he’s completely weaned.
If you have some extra stuffed animals laying around that are clean and in good condition we are looking for 5-10 extras for this little guy to be able to hold onto in between feedings. Reach out if you do!
#winecountryzoo #sonomacounty #winecountryzoological #owlmonkey #monkey #bayarea #notapet
As 2024 comes to a close, we at Wine Country Zoological want to celebrate the incredible year we’ve had and thank all of YOU—our supporters, volunteers, and community members—for making it all possible.
This year has been nothing short of amazing, and we’re thrilled to share some highlights:
🐾 We officially opened our new Santa Rosa facility, a dream years in the making!A super special thanks to Natalie & Jeff whose support made this a possibility.
🐾 Our rescue alligators are now thriving in their half-acre pond.
🐾 We began building our dream sloth habitat with soaring 25-foot ceilings, and we can’t wait to expand it even further in 2025.
🐾 Thanks to your support, we’ve continued to grow our educational programs as well as our facility. This allows us to reaching more schools, families, and individuals than ever before.
Your generosity, whether through donations, time, or simply spreading the word, makes everything we do possible. Together, we’re making a difference in the lives of animals and inspiring others to protect and cherish wildlife.
As we look ahead to 2025, we’re excited to keep building, growing, and sharing more unforgettable moments with all of you. Thank you for being part of this journey—we can’t wait to see what the new year brings!
Wishing you a joyful, wild, and wonderful 2025!
With gratitude,
The Wine Country Zoological Team
#winecountryzoo #sonomacounty #wildlifeeducation
Hopefully the last gator rescue of the year! Big girl weighs in at 219 lbs and is heading to an AWESOME sanctuary in Florida. Luckily we were able to provide a safe haven for her vs being euthanized.
*Big shout out to croc muzzle bags for always making crocodilian catch ups that much safer for the human and animal.
Friendly reminder: all of those little gators you see GROW UP. Males get even larger… all crocodilians are illegal to own in CA.
See ya later alligator! 🐊
#rescue #alligator #california #winecountryzoo #wcz #notapet #zoo #florida
Hi Ceviche!
This is a smooth front dwarf caiman that we typically get as rescues. Believe it or not this ‘dwarf’ caiman can actually get over 6ft.
Please please please stop getting these illegally in CA *there is no pet permit. We will eventually run out of room, no one sponsors their vet care, enclosures, etc. What will happen when we can no longer accept rescue alligators, snapping turtles, or caiman?
Think about them before you buy this giving season ❤️
#sonomacounty #winecountry #winecountryzoo #zoo #notapet #caiman #rescue #wildlifeeducation
More often than not, we have to get pretty creative with our set ups and exhibits, especially since we budget for a lot of these things. We’ve had a couple people reach out asking us on how we did filtration on one of our aquariums so this is just a very brief video on how that set up goes. #sonomacounty #winecountryzoo #zoo #sonoma #winecountry #sonomaslothhouse #winecountryzoological #wildlifeeducation #zoolife #wildlifeeducation #aquarium #aquariumhobby #flyriverturtle #turtle #fishkeeping #fishkeeper
The eye contact Sid was giving me was intense….
#winecountryzoo #wcz #sonomacounty #slothhouse #sonomaslothhouse #sloth #slothlife #sonoma #winecountry #discoverpetaluma #santarosa
120 grams of pure killer... A mouse, lizard, insect, and bird killer anyways.
From a sickly, illegally taken from the wild owlet to thriving, independent, healthy owl with us. We are so happy this spicy screech owl named Picante is a part of our program.
Like all of our birds of prey she is rescued and not able to be released back to the wild. Meet her by booking a program either on or offsite.
#screechowl #owl #skinofakillerbella #winecountryzoo #wcz #sonomacounty #california #winecountry #owls #owlsofinstagram #fyp #discover #wildlife
Fred the bearded dragon & Gail the gargoyle gecko in a quick comparison video! Do you have any other requests?
#reptiles #sonomacounty #winecountry #winecountryzoo #zoo
Our gargoyle gecko is absolutely amazing and one of my favorite animals for kids. These adorable geckos also can make a great pet! Let’s teach this new generation how amazing reptiles can be.
#winecountryzoo #sonomacounty #zoo #zoolife #family #wcz #family #reptiles #geckos #winecountryzoological #bayarea #california
