San Francisco Zoo & Gardens
Our mission is to connect all people with wildlife, inspire caring for nature and advance conservation action.
- More Big Game treats with red panda, Little Mebo, scoring some snacks!
- The Big Game is this weekend and our meerkats got into the football spirit, playing like the champions they are!
- Today is both Armadillo AND Hedgehog Day, how lucky are our Animal Rescue & Conservation Center is home to some amazing ambassadors of each! Maisie is a 3-banded armadillo, Chester is our 9-banded armadillo, and Aloe is a hedgehog.
- Here’s what happens to a snowman in California – it becomes partially melted because of the sunny weather! Greater one-horned rhino Gauhati didn’t seem to mind, as he first investigated the oddly shaped snow creature, then proceeded to use his prehensile lip to see what all the fuss was about!
- Your mid-week snack attack, courtesy of black-and-white ruffed lemur, Mojito
- See if you can spot someone hiding in plain sight!
- Some big birthdays celebrated this past week! Female hyacinth macaw Beyoncé turned 8, while Nigerian dwarf goats, half-brothers Mica and Onyx turned 3! Their caretakers presented delicious treats on their special days!
- On this Penguin Awareness Day, Megan, the primary caretaker of our Magellanic penguin colony, shares some recent vids; be sure to stay thru to the end! We love how she interacts with them! You can see them daily at Penguin Island, with two feedings daily, at 10:45 a.m. and 3 p.m.
- To top off a big three-day holiday weekend with epic crowds, we celebrated the sweet 16th birthday of Camilla! (She thought everyone came out just to wish her a happy birthday!).
- Ahhh! There’s nothing like rolling around on your back in a pile of leaves! Bajkit, our female Przewalski’s horse, recently turned 25 years old! Horses often roll on their backs to scratch themselves, or self-groom, like a natural dust bath. 📷: Steve Franks
- Jimmy G striking an elegant, regal pose. The snow leopard’s gray fur with dark spots and rosettes offers natural camouflage in this species’ rocky terrain and snowy landscape. At the Zoo, you sometimes have to take a closer look to find our pair! #sfzoo #Caturday
- We are celebrating both of our Aldabra tortoises 11th birthdays today! Ida turned 11 a few days ago and Earl’s birthday is today! They were treated to a special platter of their diet, and if you look close enough, you can see their names spelled out.
- Finger-licking good! Today marks female Coquerel’s sifaka Karen’s 15th birthday! And how about that decadent heart-shaped cake made with leafeater biscuits, peanut butter glazed icing, sprinkled with crushed walnuts & almonds! She also received a new pink monkey toy (Neil likes it too!).
- A happy 50th birthday to Henry! Henry is a red-footed tortoise, and resides in our South American Tropical Rainforest and Aviary. His birthday “cake” was made up of his favorite fruits on a bed of dandelion greens and Belgian endive. Look how excited he was! Yum!
- Check out that form! Our giraffes received new enrichment – a barbell! Similar to a barbell, the “weight plates” are instead containers stuffed with hay and browse. Do you think they’re contenders for the Olympics?
- Last week’s rainy weather washed out female Western lowland gorilla Monifa’s 28th birthday celebration, so her caretakers threw an epic party today! The winter wonderland theme featured snowflake decor, ice treats and more! Happy belated birthday Monifa! 📷: Andrew Nesheiwat
- Judy’s face! She is our cover girl of the week! 📷: Steve Franks
- Boop! Opossum Dozer is quite the charmer! Come see him, his bro Hank the Tank or newcomer Tux, our young skunk at Critter Hill in front of the Animal Rescue & Conservation Center, daily at 10:30 a.m & 3:30 p.m.
- Check out 11-year-old brother and sister emerald tree boas, Bert and Spot, looking cozy and sharing a tree branch together! We thought this pic might elicit some “likes!” These beautiful snakes are distinguished by their bright green color with white zigzags and a cream-colored belly.
- The holidays may be over, but what remains might be what’s on so many New Year’s resolution lists – weighing in and losing some of that cookie weight! For our Zoo animals, we weigh everyone on a regular basis, as it is an important part of their health care. (More)
- We are all Cecil on New Year’s Eve!
- Michael has the right idea after indulging over the holidays - keeping it healthy!
- A festive Caturday as Jasiri and Marvella were presented with even more trees and presents post-holiday!
- Male Komodo dragon Rinca has this enrichment thing figured out! Let’s see…smells like there’s a treat inside the bucket, knock the bucket over, roll the bucket around until the treat falls out. That works!
- Happy Holidays from our zebras and all of us here! We hope you are creating fond memories on this joyous day. SF Zoo is open today and every day. Thru Dec. 31st, we are offering a special BOGO offer. Come on by!
- ‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house… Oh dear! Black-and-white ruffed lemur Aang received coal in his stocking! Luckily, there were plenty of treats around the lemurs’ fireplace for all!
- A Christmas tree for ocelot Pepita (and she found all her goodies!). 🎄🎁
- Here’s Cuy, our male red-tailed boa who recently turned 14-years-old! You can find Cuy, a long-time Zoo resident, in our South American Tropical Rainforest, where you can see his striking colorations, striping and tail colors.
- We recently welcomed a trio of animals now residing at our Animal Rescue & Conservation Center (ARC), and will serve as ambassador animals. Tux is our young skunk. Now seven-months old, he came to us from the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, and while he is shy, he is already a favorite among ARC staff! 1/2
- Male Komodo dragon Rinca Damai knows there’s something under the Christmas tree (or in this case, on top of, or perhaps tucked in somewhere!).
- No matter the size, cats will be cats! Happy Caturday! 📷: Steve Franks
- Your post-Thanksgiving Day look-a-like! (Well, only if you over-indulged and need to rest!). Come by and visit our Chacoan peccaries!
- A Happy Thanksgiving from all of us to all of you! We are so grateful for your on-going support. SF Zoo is open on this beautiful Thanksgiving Day (and every day!). We hope to see you with the whole fam!
- One of our favorite times of year! SF Zoo is open 365 days a year, and so many families are enjoying our great Thanksgiving Week weather! Come on out for a visit!
- Come to the Family Farm at 11 a.m. on both weekdays and weekends when our goats – LaMancha goats, Nubian, and Nigerian dwarf goats – receive their mid-morning snack! View them up-close as they forage from a variety of feeders, which is always a fun experience for young kids and adults alike!
- Giant anteater Jade loves her giant mobile enrichment, and it’s always fun to “catch her in the act” of interacting and playing with it!
- Andale, one of our two-toed sloths, recently took a field trip to Lenity Vet Specialists + Emergency Care for a whole-body CT scan as part of a routine checkup. Sloths have unique anatomy, including extra vertebrae and ribs compared to other mammals.
- Anyone getting Titanic vibes?
- Yawning is certainly an art! Male African lion Jasiri demonstrates his yawning technique – wide open, somewhat open and open even more! There are reasons why lions yawn so much. It’s a way to stretch the jaw muscles, and to alert the pride that it’s time to move. 📷: Steve Franks
- Our education team can sometimes be found in our Zoo Library, like today! On this International Day of Zoo Educators, we celebrate our intrepid educators, who can always be counted on to know just about everything! Thank you for teaching young minds and connecting them with the wonders of wildlife!
