Brandywine AAZK

Brandywine AAZK The Brandywine Zoo Chapter of AAZK is a non-profit organization made up of Brandywine Zoo's keepers, educators, support staff, and volunteers.

Our goal is to expand conservation efforts through partnering with the American Association of Zoo Keepers. The Brandywine AAZK Chapter (BAAZK) is made up of zoo keepers, educators, and other zoo employees. We are committed to supporting the professional and conservation efforts of AAZK. By supporting BAAZK, you help enhance, the professional development of its members, and you also help our chapt

er through fundraising efforts, to contribute to conservation both locally and globally. Some fund raising events we have hosted include, ‘Bowling For Rhinos’, which raises money for rhino conservation. Another annual fund raising event we have hosted is 'Tango For Tamarins’. Monies raised at this event help the Golden Lion Tamarins in Brazil and here at the Zoo. We also raise money to help with professional development for the keepers. We host free 'Guest Speaker' events to help educate the public and other zoo professionals on a variety of topics. Past guest speakers have included Dr. Erica Miller, Dr.La’Toya Latney and Hillary Taylor, Delaware’s wildlife rehabilitator. Next time you are at The Brandywine Zoo, stop a keeper and chat with us. We love to talk about our jobs, the animals in our care, our AAZK Chapter and what our chapter does, and even what it takes to become a zoo keeper

Being a zoo keeper means being passionate, dedicated, hardworking, and having a love of animals and people. Zoo keepers are care givers, educators, conservationists, trainers, and a lot more. Everything we do during our work day directly affects the animals in our care. Our days include feeding the animals, cleaning enclosures, making sure all the animals are healthy and happy, both physically and mentally. We do “positive reinforcement” training and we also do behavioral enrichment for the animals. The training we do helps us better care for the animals and the enrichment keeps the animals stimulated and hopefully solicits some of their natural behaviors. Our days are also made up of problem solving, brainstorming, and progressive learning. Zoo keepers give 100% of themselves to their jobs and the animals in their care. We are constantly bettering ourselves through conferences, networking, newsletters and schooling to helps us grow and stay up on the best animal care practices. We are professionals dedicating our careers to gaining knowledge and experience, sharing this knowledge to constantly improve the care of the animals here at The Brandywine Zoo.

Even though the official start to spring isn’t for a few more weeks, is starting early with our spring kick off this we...
03/01/2025

Even though the official start to spring isn’t for a few more weeks, is starting early with our spring kick off this weekend and Juniper here is celebrating with a flower shaped pepper! 🌸

Like many nocturnal ambush predators, Mossy Prehensile-Tailed Geckos had pupils that contract to vertical slits in brigh...
02/25/2025

Like many nocturnal ambush predators, Mossy Prehensile-Tailed Geckos had pupils that contract to vertical slits in bright light. This allows them to open much wider at night and take in as much light as possible, helping Plum here to catch those delicious crickets.

Happy tongue out Tuesday! 😝
02/18/2025

Happy tongue out Tuesday! 😝

02/18/2025

Tahiry the Tenrec knows that personal hygiene is crucial. Even if you're covered in hundreds of tiny quills.

The animals are wondering: Will you be their valentine?
02/14/2025

The animals are wondering: Will you be their valentine?

02/09/2025

"Go Birds" - Saphira, probably

Patch the Snowy Egret loves nothing more than tossing back a nice juicy smelt, swallowing it whole. Delicious!
02/04/2025

Patch the Snowy Egret loves nothing more than tossing back a nice juicy smelt, swallowing it whole. Delicious!

Happy Lunar New Year! 🥮🧧🐍 This is the year of the snake, which symbolizes wisdom, transformation, and personal growth. T...
01/29/2025

Happy Lunar New Year! 🥮🧧🐍
This is the year of the snake, which symbolizes wisdom, transformation, and personal growth.
The snakes here wish you many new opportunities for growth and change in 2025!

01/28/2025

No fish is safe from Sandy's gaze, he'll find them all.

Perfect weather for a dip in the pool 🥶 Fernando thinks so, anyway!
01/21/2025

Perfect weather for a dip in the pool 🥶 Fernando thinks so, anyway!

"Is there something on my face?"A little snow isn't going to stop Scarlet from munching on her favorite treats. Red pand...
01/21/2025

"Is there something on my face?"

A little snow isn't going to stop Scarlet from munching on her favorite treats. Red pandas are well adapted to the cold weather in their native habitat of the Himalayas thanks to their dense fur coats.

Happy Appreciate a Dragon Day! 🐉We are celebrating by sharing our love for our very own dragon (bearded dragon that is) ...
01/16/2025

Happy Appreciate a Dragon Day!
🐉
We are celebrating by sharing our love for our very own dragon (bearded dragon that is) Tim Tam!

Tim Tam is a ~6 year old bearded dragon that works closely with our education department. He helps to teach our guests about conservation, natural history of bearded dragons, and responsible pet ownership.
If you have a dragon in your life, make sure to show them a little extra love and appreciation today! ❤️

Not everyone has been thrilled with all the snow...
01/14/2025

Not everyone has been thrilled with all the snow...

Ready for another round of guess those tracks? 🐾
01/12/2025

Ready for another round of guess those tracks?
🐾

Saphira is excited that it's National Save the Eagles Day!From first being protected under the Bald Eagle Protection Act...
01/10/2025

Saphira is excited that it's National Save the Eagles Day!

From first being protected under the Bald Eagle Protection Act in 1940 to finally being removed from the Endangered Species List in 2007, bald eagles are a great example of a conservation success story, showing how environmental protections can make a huge impact on the wild population. In fact, wild bald eagle numbers are so strong that they are not in a managed breeding program in zoos. So many individuals are available from wildlife rehabilitators, as Saphira was after she was blown out of her nest and her broken wing did not heal properly, preventing her from flying and hunting.

How well do you know your animal tracks? 🤔 Answers revealed at the end. Let us know how you did! ❄️
01/08/2025

How well do you know your animal tracks? 🤔
Answers revealed at the end. Let us know how you did!
❄️

If you stop by the zoo on a cold winter day such as today you may ask yourself how our ducks are able to withstand the c...
01/07/2025

If you stop by the zoo on a cold winter day such as today you may ask yourself how our ducks are able to withstand the cold temperatures of the water.
🥶
Ducks are able to maintain their feather insulation through preening; a process in which they use their bills to groom themselves keeping their feathers clean and oiled. Their outer feathers are able to stay water resistant and the inner layer of down feathers continues to keep them warm.
🪶
They are also adapted to withstand cold waters via a special circulatory system in their legs that prevents them from losing too much heat.
🦆
Both of these processes allow them to stay warm even in freezing temperatures!

Address

1001 N Park Drive
Wilmington, DE
19802

Telephone

+13025717788

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Brandywine AAZK posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Brandywine AAZK:

Videos

Tahiry the Tenrec knows that personal hygiene is crucial. Even if you're covered in hundreds of tiny quills. #tenrec

"Go Birds" - Saphira, probably #FlyEaglesFly #LetsHunt #gobirds #Eagles #baldeagle

No fish is safe from Sandy's gaze, he'll find them all. #sandhillcrane

Some days the repashy really hits the spot #chahouageckos #mossyprehensiletailedgecko #mossynewcaledoniangecko #tongueouttuesday

Bushmallow loves this hay ball; she can eat and play at the same time! https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3B5KU9TU7FW04?ref_=wl_share #enrichment #givingtuesday

Binturongs are often described as smelling like popcorn or corn chips! This is due to a chemical found in their urine. The distinctive odor helps these animals to communicate with each other as well as warn-off potential predators. #binturong #popcorn #cornchips

Take a minute to relax with some ASMR courtesy of Gale and Otrika #helmetedguineafowl #asmr

Our White-faced whistling ducks have a lot to say some days!

We think Sandy has some pretty sweet moves, dont you? #sandhillcrane

Back at it with another #tongueouttuesday 🎥: Keeper Eliza

Squeakers really enjoying her enrichment, having a great time rolling around in some hemp bedding.

Queen Gryphus on her throne 👑 Miss Gryphus can be seen wiping her face/beak on different enrichment items and rocks around the exhibit after eating

Shortcuts

Share