Bramble Park Zoo

02/11/2025

📢🐾 Exciting Animal Encounter in 1st Grade! 🐾📢

Last week, Jaime Stricker from Bramble Park Zoo visited our 1st graders in the library for a hands-on learning experience! 🦔🐭🦙

Students got to meet some amazing animals with different textures:
✨ Chinchilla – The softest animal in the world!
🛡️ Armadillo – Covered in hard armor for protection.
🦔 Hedgehog – Uses quills to keep predators away!

It was a fantastic opportunity to learn about the animal kingdom in a fun and interactive way! 🐾💡 Thank you, Jaime & Bramble Park Zoo, for bringing the zoo to us! 🦁📚

02/08/2025

Good morning! Lino and Piercy are settling in great! Enjoying their bamboo breakfast outside before the snow! Crazy thing is they only eat the bamboo leaves and leave their keeper a pile of stems!

02/05/2025

Happy 8th Birthday to our otter boy, Don!! Don is the oldest of our otter boys here at the zoo. He's been here at Bramble Park since he was about 4 months old. Don is INCREDIBLE, smart, courageous, and loves his fishes. He's always the first to interact with new enrichment, and usually the first to figure it out. His birthday was actually yesterday, and Zookeepers Angie and Olivia celebrated with him, by making him a carrot fish "sushi" roll. Please help us celebrate our boy by wishing him a happy birthday! Happy birthday, Don!! 🎉

Fun Fact: Don is missing the fingernail on his left ring finger, so if you come to the zoo to visit him, look for this indicator! 😁

02/03/2025

We hope you enjoy this video of the red kangaroo mob receiving one of their favorite enrichment items: a giant stuffed animal to wrestle with!

01/31/2025

Bramble Park Zoo has two adorable new arrivals—meet Piercy & Lino, our first-ever red panda brothers!

These playful, food-loving animals came to us from Cleveland Metroparks Zoo as part of the Species Survival Plan, a conservation effort. At 5 years old and weighing about 12 pounds each, they’re full of personality—Lino is the outgoing one, while Piercy loves enrichment activities and snacks!.

Red pandas thrive in cold climates, making Watertown a perfect home for them. Right now, they’re settling in with a 30-day quarantine to ensure their health and comfort. But don’t worry—we’ll keep you updated on their progress and when you can see them in person!

Join us in welcoming Piercy & Lino to Watertown!!

PC: Sara Torpie - Piercy is on the left and Lino is on the right

01/29/2025

We’re sad to share that Titan, the last wolf at Bramble Park Zoo and a beloved icon to many, has passed away peacefully in his sleep. At 12 years old, Titan lived well beyond the average life expectancy of 6-8 years for wolves in the wild, a testament to the exceptional care he received at the zoo.

Titan was more than just a wolf — he was an icon here at Bramble Park Zoo. His leadership and playful spirit left a lasting impact on all who met him. Titan’s favorite activity was shredding boxes (especially the ones with bones inside!), and he’ll be deeply missed by our staff and visitors alike.

Titan’s legacy will live on as we plan a new, improved habitat for future wolves. Thank you for your love and support during this time!

To read more, click here: https://www.watertownsd.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=320

01/28/2025

🐺🐺

Tune in this morning to KXLG for an exciting interview with Olivia Wulff and Stacy Plocher from the Bramble Park Zoo and Cammie from the Watertown Community Foundation!

They’ll discuss the partnership between the Foundation and the Zoo, including the recent Giving Back 365 grant.

The Giving Back 365 program is a community-driven initiative where donors contribute $1 a day for a year ($365). These funds are then awarded to local programs and projects that make a difference—like the Zoo’s wolf exhibit! We are so grateful to have been chosen for last year’s grant.

The Zoo is still raising funds for the exhibit and needs your help! Every donation, no matter the size, makes an impact. You can contribute in the following ways:
- Drop off a check made out to the Lake Area Zoological Society at the Zoo
- Donate online at www.brambleparkzoo.com

🐺 Exciting things are happening at Bramble Park Zoo! 🐾

01/25/2025

At the Webster Farm & Home Show til 1pm if you are in the area!

01/23/2025

Since we have a little break with our bitter cold weather we thought it would be a great day for a release! Today we released a rough legged hawk after a month stay with us. This hawk was found near Rapid City on Dec 23rd and taken to our friends at Blackhills Raptor Center. After some vet work and x-rays it was found that he had suffered a minor fracture to his left unla. Since bird bones heal quickly and the hawk was flying perfectly in our flight, it was time!

Rough legged hawks are an Arctic/northern species that actually come to South Dakota to spend their winters!

Best of luck Roughie!

01/16/2025

Awesome little segment on our Zoo! Take a few minutes to watch!

Thank you Stacy Plocher, Zoo Director, you did a great job!

Join Stacy Plocher, the zoo superintendent and director of Bramble Park Zoo, as she takes you behind the scenes of one of Watertown’s most beloved attraction...

01/15/2025

01/14/2025

Grandma's House has been a great supporter of the Zoo! They have donated awesome baskets for the Sippin’ Safari raffle and participated in ZOO BOO. Please support them if you can! They are an asset to our community.

Dear Friends,

This is not an easy post to write. As a small, family-owned business, asking for help feels vulnerable – but it’s also necessary. Grandma’s House has always been more than just a business to us. It’s a place filled with love, laughter, and community. It’s where strangers become friends and friends become family.

In these challenging times, we’re struggling to keep our doors open. The rising costs and economic shifts have made it harder than ever for small businesses like ours to stay afloat. We’ve worked tirelessly to keep Grandma’s House running, but the truth is, we can’t do it alone.

We’re reaching out to you, our cherished community because you are the heart of what makes Grandma’s House so special. If Grandma’s House has ever been a place of comfort, joy, or connection for you, we ask for your help:

🏷Shop with us: Every purchase helps in the long run

💌 Share our story: Spread the word to friends and family who might not know about Grandma’s House.

Being open about our struggles isn’t easy, but your support reminds us why we keep going. Thank you for being part of our journey, for showing up for us, and for believing in the magic of Grandma’s House.

With love and gratitude,
Donita, Amanda & Family
Grandma’s House

01/10/2025

Have you ever wanted to swim under the water, with an otter? 🦦

Well, maybe under the ice would be a better description. Our North America River Otters LOVE playing with the ice in their pool. Notice how Monty always knows where the holes in the ice are so that he can easily come up for air.

We hope you're staying warm out there! Have a great Friday!

01/10/2025

Snow leopards Yeti and Maddie are delighted to open their Christmas gift from friends in New Mexico. Thank you again for the thoughtful snow leopard gifts, including boomerballs, lavender, peppermint, and Italian seasonings for scents. All the cats thoroughly enjoy them.

01/08/2025

We have another Early Out Zoo School coming up!
🎅🎃🐣==Holiday Hay Day==🎊🇺🇸🦃
Friday, January 24, 12:30-5:00pm
Details:
EARLY OUT ZOO CLASSES school age K-6
Continue your school day of learning during these afterschool programs at the zoo scheduled on teacher in-service/early out days.
Time: Classes run from about 12:30-5:00pm. Please bring your own non-perishable snack.
Fee: $25 + tax per program

Note: if school is cancelled for any reason, Early Out Zoo School will also be cancelled and refunds given. Please bring a non-perishable snack and water bottle. A minimum of 6 participants must be pre-registered by 1/21/25. Please dress for the weather, we will go outside!