information from Woodland Park Zoo

Due to the snow and inclement weather, Woodland Park Zoo will be closed today, Sunday, December 26, 2021. Any impact to zoo operating hours for the remainder of the week will be updated daily depending on weather conditions.

Daytime admission ticket holders who are unable to visit due to the closure may visit the zoo on any other date within the season, and the expiration date is noted on the back of their ticket. WildLanterns ticket holders with tickets for tonight should check their email for rescheduling information.

The zoo’s Animal Care team continues to monitor all animals to ensure their well-being and safety.

Animal Safety in Inclement Weather
 
Woodland Park Zoo’s top priority is the safety and wellbeing of our guests, staff and animals. In inclement weather, the zoo often receives questions about animal care in cold weather. There are many ways we ensure the welfare of our animals during times like this, and a few of those ways include:
 
·         Many of the exhibits have features to help keep the animals warm such as heated rocks and radiant heat.
 
·         Some animals have on-view, indoor exhibits such as siamangs and orangutans. These animals are given the choice to remain indoors or go outside. Animals with off-view indoor sleeping enclosures are given outdoor access but have the choice to remain indoors if they prefer to stay warm.
 
·         Water moats that serve as safety containment for the animals are checked in the morning. If frozen, the animals are not given outdoor access and are kept indoors. Examples include lions and siamangs.
 
·         During muddy or icy conditions, the giraffes are kept off the savanna and have full-time access to their indoor barn. They also have access to their outdoor corral adjacent to their barn if they choose to go outside.
 
·         Snow leopards, red pandas and the animals in Living Northwest Trail, such as elk, grizzly bear, wolves and snowy owls, are adapted to the cold and have outdoor access, as they are in their element in snowy or icy conditions.
 
·         During severe windstorms, zoo grounds are surveyed for any fallen trees in exhibits or on visitor pathways that may present a safety hazard to humans or animals.