The Sacramento Zoo

February 13th, 2020

- History

William Land Regional Park
The Sacramento Zoo opened in 1927 as the William Land Park Zoo with a collection of 40 animals on 4.2 acres of land. The Zoo itself sits on William Land Regional Park, which is about 207 acres of ponds, paths, and more! Over the years, the zoo has housed many different animals and has transitioned accordingly as the movement for naturalistic enclosures has progressed. In the 1960s, the zoo was expanded to its current size of 14.2 acres. While this is in the smaller side for a zoo, they really do utilize their space well. It became the Sacramento Zoo in 1970 and has added multiple exhibits throughout the park since then. 

- Enclosures and Animals


Zoo Entrance
Over its almost 100-year history, the zoo has hosted many different species. They have a lot of exhibits packed into their 14 acres, but in my opinion, they do a good job of making sure their enclosures are spacious for the animals they have. The zoo houses about 500 animals that represent a little more than 120 species from all over the world including mammals, reptiles, birds, and amphibians. When looking at enclosures, you have to consider many different factors such as space, how it’s used, and species-specific considerations. Enclosures should provide whatever a species needs to feel comfortable and should promote species specific behaviors and conditions. This can be done through enrichment, foliage, and other animals. When you walk into the Sacramento Zoo, the first enclosure you see is their most recent addition, the American alligator. This enclosure is quite spacious with tons of water and land for the alligators to utilize. There are logs and other foliage mixed throughout the water and land to make the area more natural. Over the bridge from this exhibit is their Caribbean flamingo enclosure, which was spectacular! The lagoon they reside in was well made, looked natural, and had plenty of opportunities for the flamingos to forage and display natural behaviors. I spent at least 15 minutes at this exhibit because the flamingos were displaying courting behaviors such as the head bow after preening. I have never seen it in person before, so it was quite cool to see.

Caribbean Flamingo Exhibit
When designing an exhibit, you want to make it spacious enough for the animal and allow for room to grow. One of their more spacious enclosures was for their okapis. They currently house two male okapis who each get one half of the enclosure, they were even interacting over the fence when I was there. The area is very open with wire fencing to allow great views and they have an observation deck as well to get a higher view of both enclosures. These sight lines continue all around and you can even watch the okapi while you eat lunch at the benches around the café. Okapis are always nice to see in zoological facilities and are a great conservation story in the making. 

Kamau and Cleo the African Lions Enjoy a Nap
Another exhibit that has recently gotten a space upgrade is the African lion exhibit. The lion enclosure, which houses a male and female, got an upgrade in 2019 when they combined the old tiger enclosure in with the current lion one, doubling the outdoor space. The new space is quite cool with floor to ceiling glass windows at the front and a glass bridge connecting the two spaces, allowing you to come up close and personal as the lions move. My favorite part of the upgrade is that there are mesh training walls on each side of the exhibit. This allows amazing training sessions to be displayed to the public to see how no contact animals are trained. This exhibit does show its age somewhat and I wish they had done a bit more with it to make it look more naturalistic. I would love to see additional natural enrichment in the enclosure like grasses, tress, rocks, etc. On one side of the enclosure, they did have a nice den element that the lions could use. There is not much detailing to the rock work and even with the expansion the space could still be bigger to allow them more places to explore. If not possible, they could add a bit more vertical space/lookouts. I understand they might not have wanted to do too much since they are looking at relocating the zoo, so I am pretty proud of what they were able to do based off the original exhibit built in the 1960s.

Giraffe Enclosure with Tortoise Exhibit in "dead space"
One of their biggest draws is the giraffe habitat, I mean giraffes are even in their logo. Giraffes are animals that everyone is always fascinated by and cannot wait to see in zoos. I mean, what’s not appealing about 12+ foot animal that has a prehensile tongue?? Their giraffe exhibit is pretty bare and could definitely use some expansion. I would love to see more natural enrichment like trees, grasses, additional space, etc. It is harder with hoof stock who can get frightened and easily hurt themselves, but there is room for improvement to make the exhibit more naturalistic, like some trees. The zoo offers giraffe feedings from the enclosure’s observation deck a few times a day which is awesome! I was not able to do it because we missed the times, but I will be doing it next time I visit the zoo. I really enjoyed that they created a tortoise exhibit in the “dead space” between the giraffe enclosure and the observation deck because it utilizes space that would otherwise go wasted. There are great opportunities to see the giraffes wherever you are standing around the exhibit. 

(L to R) Shani, Chifu, Skye, Amirah, and Glory
The zoo currently houses five giraffes. One thing that is very interesting is that the zoo houses two species of giraffes, something I have not seen often. Within the last few years, scientists have done genetic testing to show there are four distinct species of giraffes, with nine distinct subspecies. Up until that point, they were all thought to be one species with different color morphs, heights, etc. This multi-species housing occurred because the Sacramento Zoo has had reticulated giraffes since they were first exhibited in 1964 but have now switched to housing Masai giraffes. It is not common to transport giraffe to other facilities once they are past a certain age and height, so the zoo has mixed their species while they transition over. They have lost a few of their reticulated giraffes over the last few years and have one post-breeding age female, Skye, left in the herd. The rest of their herd is made up of two Masai females, Shani & Amirah, as well as one male, Chifu. In September 2020, they added a new addition to their heard when Shani had Glory. At 5 months old now, Glory is adorable, and it is always nice to see a zoo baby! Go and check her out if you can!

Part of the River Otter Enclosure
Some of my other favorite exhibits to observe were the kookaburra, river otter, and chimpanzees. The kookaburras are always fun to interact with and see if you can get them to make their distinctive laughing call. They are housed in cylindrical aviaries with some branching, but I do wish, as always, that the enclosure was bigger and had some more perching. Their river otter enclosure was so well done and naturalistic! It included tons of enrichment and natural elements such as rocks, a flowing river, bushes, and trees. We got to observe one of the river otters enjoying a fish and searching around the exhibit for food. This enclosure was definitely in my top five exhibits for the day. The chimpanzee enclosure was a large atrium with tons of vertical climbing space and structures. There was a waterfall, tons of foliage, and the ceiling of the atrium was meshed to allow more climbing. Other enclosures and animals to check out are the snow leopard, aardvark, bongo, jaguar, and the whole zoo really! I know…not very helpful.

Red Panda Exhibit
If I had to pick only one enclosure that you had to see while you were at the Sacramento Zoo, it would have to be the red panda exhibit, although the river otter enclosure is a close second. This was one of my favorite exhibits at the zoo just because of the way it transports you into the world of red pandas and the way it is designed for the animals. This exhibit is round with a one-way path walking around it. The exhibit has great views and TONS of branches for climbing, perfect for red pandas who love to climb! Climbing is an important species behavior and you can tell they really put thought into that when designing the exhibit. You start the exhibit by entering the bridge walkway under an archway that is complete with hanging colorful flags. The bridge and surrounding area are flocked by tall bamboo to help place you in the world of the red panda. There is rock work surrounding the back and rock work is used as fencing around the ha-ha (moat around exhibit) with glass panels imbedded in some places for shorter people. We were able to see one of their red pandas up on a platform eating his/her breakfast and being as cute as ever. My only suggestion for this enclosure is that it be bigger to allow more room to roam horizontally as well as vertically. Still, if you go to the zoo, check this exhibit out!

Example of Exhibit Signage & Number for Concerns

There were some interesting things I wanted to highlight about their enclosures. The zoo has signage on the front of their exhibits with a number that guests can call to report any concerns they may have about the animals or the exhibits. This is important to have in case any possessions fall into the exhibit or an animal seems to be in distress. It allows the concerns to be addressed quickly as keepers cannot be everywhere at once. This is one of the only zoos I have seen this done at, but I think it is genius! 


Coquerel's Sifaka with Enrichment
Another important quality of a good enclosure is enrichment. One of the most important ways to help get animals to display natural behaviors is through enrichment. These behaviors can be promoted through natural or artificial objects. I was able to find enrichment all around the zoo in various enclosures. The giraffes had an amazon box, the okapis had specialized hay feeders, and the Coquerel’s sifaka had a ball full of treats to help promote feeding behaviors and introduce novel objects into the environment. Other natural enrichment included a hollowed log for the river otters, a termite mound for the meerkats, and a den for the lions. Enrichment is crucial to ensure animals have the best welfare outside of a wild setting by promoting natural behaviors and help them feel safe and comfortable. The zoo does a great job of doing this. There is definite room for improvement by making their enclosures more naturalistic overall, but I enjoyed how every exhibit had some form of enrichment to get their animals to think and have some fun. I would like to note that all the animals I observed seemed at ease and “happy”. I did not observe any stress indicators such as stereotypical behaviors, which is always great to see. Many of the animals were foraging, napping, or playing around. Whether the animals were new to the zoo or not, they all seemed comfortable.

Chimpanzee Enclosure
I obviously cannot go over every enclosure at the zoo because it would be such a long read and I do not want to bore y’all, but feel free to contact me if you want more thoughts/information. The zoo has added a bunch of new animals to their collection in the last five years such as alligators, squirrel monkeys, black-crowned cranes, spur-thighed tortoises, ostriches, meerkats, aardvarks and soon cheetahs! Enjoy every animal that you can, because not every zoological facility has the same species. The zoo has been very busy, and I cannot wait to see where they end up in five years!

- Animal Shows

Meerkat Enclosure
Animal shows are a great way to create up close and personal educational experiences for guests. The Sacramento Zoo has an amphitheater next to its reptile house for animal shows. Unfortunately, they have not been doing shows because of the pandemic. From their website, they have a really good variety of species represented in their ambassador animal collection. These animals live off-exhibit and are only seen during encounters, the animal show, and the zoo’s ZooMobile. In the collection they have a grey fox, prehensile-tailed porcupine, straw-colored fruit bats, a hedgehog, tenrec, and six-banded armadillo representing the mammals. They have some unique bird species as ambassadors such as the bateleur eagle, burrowing owl, and a thick-billed parrot. Their biggest representation is in their reptile collection which includes an American alligator, Mali spiny-tailed lizard, desert tortoise, and a variety of snakes such as the Kenyan sand boa. A full list can be found here. I am excited to go back to the zoo to hopefully be able to see the show in the future. Animal shows, and ambassador animals, are one of my favorite parts of going to zoos because I love seeing species showing off natural behaviors and showing off the capacity for what they can learn.

- Education, Programs, & Events

One Room at the Dr. Murray E. Fowler Veterinary Hospital
Educating the public is a huge part of zoological facilities. People can see animals all the time but to truly connect with the animals, you must know about them. The zoo offers educational opportunities everywhere you look. The exhibit signs are the most common source of knowledge used by zoo goers to know what they are looking at, where it is from, etc. The zoo had some nice signs which told you what to look for in the exhibit, but also had great background and fun facts on them as well. The zoo also has a fully functional veterinary center where guests can watch procedures and exams on animals. It was a very nice veterinary center with a ton of great information. They had many informational posters about jobs in the zoological medical field for those interested. Check it out near the giraffes! For people who want to know more about specific animals or about the zoos operation, you can go on backstage tours. On zoo grounds, they offers behind the scenes tours for okapi, hooves and horns, alligator, and African spur-thighed tortoises depending on the season. Tours range from $45-200 and give you an in-depth look at the featured animal(s) and the care that goes into providing them with best life possible. There are options on a few of the tours for interactions with the featured animals as well! I was not able to do a meet and greet this visit but will do one eventually. I love seeing all the care and work that goes into zookeeping and getting to know the animals personally. Gift certificates for tours are also available if you want to gift a tour to someone. 

Sacramento ZooMobile
Offsite, the ZooMobile provides education to places such as schools, camps, churches, retirement homes and much more! The animal ambassadors mentioned previously travel in this ZooMobile and act as emissaries for their wild counterparts. This is a great way to bring zoo animals to you. Currently, the zoo is offering online programs with their ambassador animals to continue educating during the pandemic. For those organizations that would like to visit the zoo in a group, there are discounts available. There are also discounts available for college courses needing observational research data and a teacher resource page. I believe they have themed events for members and for holidays, but I could not find any information. The events have probably ceased due to the pandemic. If you want to plan your own event such as birthday parties, weddings, and corporate events, you can do that as well!

- Standards/Accreditations

Zebra and Ostrich Enclosure
The zoo is managed by the Sacramento Zoological Facility which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. It has been accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums since 1975 and has all permits required by the USDA, APHIS, USFWS, and CAFW. The AZA requires strict guidelines to be followed in order to provide the best care for the facilities animals. AZA accredited zoos are considered the gold standard in zoological animal care and welfare. To learn more about the accreditation process, visit the AZA website. The zoo is also a member of the California Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the Sacramento Association of Museums, and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA). WAZA is also an important organization for zoos to be a part of as one of their main goals is for facilities to be “United for Conservation.”

- Conservation Efforts

Misha the Snow Leopard
Like many other zoos, the Sacramento Zoo participates in both onsite and offsite conservation efforts. Their offsite conservation has focused on native species in the California such as the Western pond turtle and the Foothill yellow-legged frog. The zoo has dedicated time and money to help bring back decimated population numbers for these two species. The zoo does a lot of research and breeds Western pond turtles as part of an AZA Species Survival Plan (SSP). These turtles are heavily monitored to gather data to help wild populations. The zoo has a cool way for guests to express which conservation efforts they would like to give funding to. While it is not in the front right now, the zoo normally has a quarters for conservation station set up for guests to interact with. In the past, when guests entered the zoo, they were given a token to vote on one of three conservation projects the zoo participated in. More tokens equaled more funding for the conservation program, with $5,000 being guaranteed annually. This is a great way for guests to put the money they spend on their tickets towards the conservation program that they want to support.

Red River Hogs are in a SSP
For onsite programs, the zoo participates in many AZA Species Survival Plans (SSP). SSPs are used to help endangered and threated animals both in captivity and the wild by managing and boosting their populations. Species are managed to help promote and maintain genetic diversity as well as healthy individuals in a variety of ways including husbandry, research, and education. The zoo also participates in the AZA Save Animals From Extinction (SAFE) program which helps compile the knowledge from AZA facilities to help save the species who need it the most. Almost 50% of the species at the Sacramento Zoo are in SSPs which is amazing! You can tell their primary focus is conservation and they put thought into who they are going to exhibit. An interesting tidbit I read about was that the zoo has three 300-year-old valley oak trees which they have put effort into preserving and protecting.

- Layout

Sacramento Zoo Map
This is a very important area for me to focus on that can slip the mind of many. Some zoos are just plain confusing with the number of pathways that they have leading to many different places. It can be a stressful experience to feel like you are lost or missing some exhibits by going one way and not another. You do not want to have to circle something a thousand times before you get to your intended destination. The Sacramento Zoo has a well thought out layout; it consists of an outer circle and an inner circle. There are a few tinier circles along the main paths, but you can follow them around to where you began so you do not get off your original trail and miss an exhibit. When we entered the zoo, we went to the right, starting at the flamingos, going to California’s backyard, the okapis, around to the giraffes, and river hogs. We then went through the inner loop seeing the American alligator, jaguar, red panda, snow leopard, lion, and finishing with the lemurs and thick-billed parrots. It was very easy to find our way around the grounds and at no point did I feel like I would get lost. There was plenty of signage and sight lines to the area around me.

- Environmental Initiatives

Trash and recycle bins available around zoo
Being environmentally friendly is a huge plus for me. Saving the environment and being as waste free as possible helps to save the native habitats of zoo animals. Being conscious of what we buy and where it is made has a HUGE impact on saving ecosystems. The Sacramento Zoo has put a lot of thought into their initiatives on zoo grounds to help divert any waste that cannot be avoided. They have tons of onsite initiatives that they have put into place to make their facility very eco-friendly. These initiatives have all been put into place by the zoo’s Green Team. Trash, recycling, and compost bins are placed around the property and food waste from both people and animals gets composted instead of sent to the landfill. Sustainable food containers, condiments, and utensils are used at the food service locations as well as a commitment to go palm oil free. The zoo staff from the office, to keepers, to maintenance, recycle as much as they can, use energy efficient lightbulbs and practices, reuse old stuff for new projects, and use post-consumer recycled products as much as possible. The zoo does not have paper maps, but rather has a giant map at the front that you can take a picture of to refer back to during your visit. This saves a lot of paper because you do not have to give away thousands of maps a day that will for the most part be used once and then thrown away. When the zoo had a total rebrand in 2017, they put a lot of thought into what would happen to all their materials with the old logo such as clothing, maps, name tags, etc. They thought of every way to reuse as much as they possibly could. Old uniforms were used for bedding, donated, and turned into new clothing items. All 1,958 uniforms collected were repurposed, which is incredible! Old maps were used for animal enrichment and stamps were repurposed for camp activities. The fact that they put so much thought into this truly shows not just how much they care for their animals, but for the environment as well.

- Ways to Help

There are tons of ways to help the Sacramento Zoo whether it be through time, money, or just raising awareness! The zoo has many amazing ways to do good and help the animals, the most I have seen at any zoo so far. The zoo has an Amazon wish list of items that can be purchased which includes what animals those gifts will go to. This is an amazing way to buy particular items that you know will be used, rather than just donating money. For all you animal lovers out there, instead of asking for stuff for yourself on your birthdays/holidays, you can ask for stuff on the wish list to be bought for your favorite animals.

A way that locals can help the zoo is by donating their browse. Browse is “non-toxic branches and leaves from specific species of trees and shrubs” that is used as a treat and enrichment for animals to help them display species specific behaviors as well as have some fun! Instead of leaving you tree trimmings for curbside collection, you can make an appointment to donate your extra foliage for the animals to enjoy. There is a specific list of acceptable trees and the browse must meet certain criteria to be accepted. More information can be found in the link above. Locals can also become a volunteer with the zoo, although opportunities are temporarily unavailable due to the pandemic.

Another way you can help is scheduling a pickup of electronic waste, with a portion of the profits going to the Sacramento Zoo. Additionally, anyone in all 50 states can donate their vehicle, in any condition, to the zoo. This tax-deductible donation helps to feed the animals at the zoo! My family just donated our Pontiac Montana to this program, and it was extremely easy to navigate and setup. Here is a list of additional routes to help the zoo. As always, there are monetary ways to help the zoo as well. You can donate to their emergency fund for COVID-19, sponsor an animal, donate, or become part of the donor club. If you would like more detailed information, please go here. At the end of the day, there are ways to give and help the zoo, no matter what you have to offer! 

- Accessibility

Hippo Bench
This zoo is great in terms of its accessibility! They have many features which help make it friendly for the entire family. First, the zoo grounds are fairly flat with very few hills and the exhibit viewing areas are usually at or above eye level. The okapi and giraffe exhibits have viewing decks which are accessible by ramps. The bathrooms that I passed were equipped with automated doors for wheelchair access. Service dogs are allowed at the zoo as long as they are made aware you are brining your dog in advance. There are some restrictions on exhibits for groups that have service dogs due to some animals not reacting well to dogs. One cool feature I saw was that they had shoe cleaning brushes outside the bathroom to clean off muddy shoes. The grounds have plenty of shade from the foliage that is planted so you can hide from the sun and even avoid some of the summer heat. Many times, zoos have little to no shade which is always a huge drawback for me since I cannot be in the sun for long periods of time. Another huge plus is plenty of places to sit around the zoo. I have never seen so many benches in one zoo; the number of resting areas were amazing! It is perfect for taking frequent breaks or to just sit and enjoy looking at the animals. The zoo is also equipped with a mother’s room in its restrooms towards the front. Additionally, strollers are available near the Zoofari Market gift shop for families to rent.

Playground with Headphone Zone sign
In August of 2019, the Sacramento Zoo got designated as sensory friendly by KultureCity. They have sensory bags available which include noise-canceling headphones, fidget toys, and many other items that help those with sensory needs. These bags are available at the Member and Visitor Services office located at the front of the zoo on the side of the gift shop building. There are placards posted around the zoo at various exhibits designating them a “headphone zone”. I saw these signs at the playground as well as at the thick-billed parrot aviary. I think this advancement is amazing so that guests of all ages and needs can be included in going to the zoo, where it can sometimes be overstimulating. I hope more zoos continue to collaborate with organizations like KultureCity to make going to the zoo an experience for all.

- Food

The zoo has two main places for food and beverages: TheKampala Café and Savannah Snacks. There is tons of seating around the café that are nicely spread apart. While having lunch at the café you are right next to the Okapi exhibit and can watch them while you eat! I was not able to get much food while at the zoo but, from what I saw, they had plenty of options at the Kampala Café for everyone, and the food smelled delicious! The Café had pizza, salads, nachos, garlic parmesan fries, burgers, chicken tenders, and pulled pork sandwiches. Something I thought was cool was the option to do a vegan patty rather than a beef patty. They also had some option for kids’ meals if you have pickier eaters in the form of a hotdog, uncrustable, or mac & cheese. The prices were fairly high, but when aren’t they at zoos? Savannah Snacks did not have as many choices but still had hotdogs, nachos, and pretzels with the addition of soft serve and dippin dots. My dad surprised me with cookies and cream dippin dots which as always were delicious! One of my biggest issues was how much you got for the price. For $4.95 I got half of a small container of dippin dots…I even thought my dad ate half of it before he gave it to me, that’s how small the portion was. I am excited to try the food next time I am there to see if the portions of other items match the price.

- Attractions Other than Animals

The zoo has many attractions for kids other than the animals. There is a garden area for kids to explore, the zoo train, conservation carousel, Serengeti cyclone, Kilimanjaro climb, and the playground. Currently, due to COVID-19, the only attractions open are the garden and the zoo train. The zoo train, which is $4 to ride, might be one of the cutest things I have ever seen! The 3-4 car train travels around the zoo to the giraffe exhibit and back, playing music from kid’s favorite movies along the way. The attraction was very popular while we were there as it was full every time it passed us. I was given a voucher for my birthday to ride the train for free, but the line was too long for me to want to wait for it.

Zoo Train

Since the zoo is located in a large park, there are plenty of things to do in the area after you have made your way through the zoo. Across the street from the zoo entrance is Fairytale Land. This park has over 25 playsets based off classic fairytales. I have never been there but the children I saw as we walked back to our car looked like they were having a blast. A little down the road from Fairytale Town is the Funderland Amusement Park which features nine different rides. There is also a nice pond across the way from the zoo entrance where you could have an afternoon picnic. Next to that pond was a beautiful garden that I would love to explore next time I go. Overall, William Land Regional Park has so many places to explore and even has softball and soccer fields, a basketball court, and a golf course. What doesn’t this park have is the question?

- Shopping

Gift Shop Entrance
There is a single gift shop located at the entrance. They had limited store capacity and the building was spacious enough you could avoid those inside. They had a really good selection of both zoo memorabilia and animal themed toys. They had a huge wall of plush animals featuring different zoo animals on one side and then toys, books, and children’s clothing on the other side. They had some good toys that even I would buy, but I behaved myself. On the other end of the store, they had a section geared towards adults. This area included Sacramento Zoo branded clothing, mugs, keychains, etc. They also had animals inspired sculptures, art, and stationary. I got this adorable mug of the California flag made up of the silhouettes of different animals. I have already used it multiple times and it is great! While the store isn’t huge, they make the best of the space and carry something for everyone in the family. You can visit their online store here.

- Cost

Admission into the zoo is not going to break the bank. It makes it better that every dollar you spend goes back to the zoo so they can provide the best care for their animals. The current cost of admission is $19 for the general public, $18 for seniors (65+), $14 for ages 2-11, and free for children one and younger. You can buy tickets here. For me, it was totally worth the cost!

- Parking

Parking was a huge plus for me! The zoo itself does not have designated parking but the park it is in has free parking both in lots and on the street! Who doesn't love free parking? I would recommend getting there early for a spot as the lot across from the zoo fills up quickly with visitors going to the zoo and other attractions.

- Covid-19 Procedures

Many distancing signs used animal puns
All tickets for the zoo must be purchased in advance online, both for the general public and zoo members. The zoo has limited capacity for each day and the tickets you buy are for a specified entrance time. On zoo grounds, and in public spaces, masks/facial coverings are required to be worn at all times. No cash is currently accepted, only credit cards. One of my favorite things is that they had signs everywhere reminding people to social distance and keep their masks on. They did not just have boring signs but had very creative and engaging ones. All around the grounds there are spacious pathways where you can easily avoid others. The only places I felt a little packed was near the giraffes and meerkats. Even then, I still was able to get away from the crowds and have a good view of the animals. There was one pathway leading to the red pandas that was a bit narrow, but back up was easily avoided by the zoo making the pathway one way. Another protocol taken was that the inside of the Kampala Café was closed. Food was ordered at one window and picked up at another. As mentioned before, there was tons of seating that was nicely spaced apart for people to eat. Overall, I think they did a great job of following proper protocols and keeping everyone safe.

- Future Plans

Some of the zoo’s residents were moved from their normal exhibits on the zoo map. The kangaroos, wallabies, and emus were moved next to the red river hogs near the conservation carousel. This is because their old exhibit over by the okapis is being renovated into a cheetah exhibit. I love cheetahs and I am very excited to see the exhibit once it is done! I am not sure when it is opening, but I will definitely make the trip to go and see it.

The zoo is looking to relocate and expand in order to house more species for conservation purposes, but also provide an immersive experience for their visitors. The current 14 acres does not leave much room for expansion or the addition of new or renovated exhibits/animals. As of December 2020, the proposed relocation was to be discussed at the next City Council Meeting. Who knows what the future holds for this zoo and whether or not it will relocate, but its renderings of new exhibits do look amazing. Read more about the updates here. I am very interested to see what comes of this as they have put a lot of work and money into renovating current enclosures on the grounds in the last few years. The new proposed location of the zoo is over 200 acres, although I am not sure how much of the land they would get. Whatever the future holds, I am excited to see what is in store for the Sacramento Zoo!

- Final Thoughts (TLDR)

My dad and I at the entrance
Overall, I really enjoyed the Sacramento Zoo. They pack a lot of things to see in their 14 acres, but it does not take too long to see everything. It took my dad and I about two hours to get through all the exhibits, and that is with me spending a long time at each one like I usually do. I was not disappointed with any enclosure and could spend even more time at each watching the animals. When all the attractions are open, I could see it taking three to fours hours minimum to do everything. Parking was a breeze, admission was smooth, and covid-19 protocols were easily maintained and reminded with creative signage. During ticket scanning, I told the woman it was my birthday, and she gave me a birthday sticker and a train ride voucher which was awesome and very thoughtful! Viewing every exhibit was easy and I was impressed with the naturalistic look and enrichment found in the enclosures. All the animals seemed at ease and I did not notice any stereotypical behaviors that would indicate stress. There is plenty to do and explore both in the zoo and in the surrounding park. Kids will be thoroughly entertained by the animals and the non-animal activities. There are ample places for food and for resting both in the shade and in the sun. Do not forget to visit the gift shop on your way out for some fun toys and zoo merchandise. I would recommend visiting the Sacramento Zoo if you are ever in the area or as a weekend get away from surrounding areas.

If you have any questions, concerns, or just want to know more about my experience, please do not hesitate to contact me through the blog, email, Facebook, or Instagram. You can also leave a comment below! I would appreciate some feedback on what you guys would like to know more/less about for when I do these reviews in the future. I hope you enjoyed my first Zoo Review blog post!


Additional Sources:

https://www.cityofsacramento.org/ParksandRec/Parks/Park-Directory/Land-Park/William-Land

https://www.saczoo.org/

https://www.aza.org/becoming-accredited 

https://www.waza.org/about-waza/

https://giraffeconservation.org/giraffe-species/

 

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