It’s Little Joe’s 27th birthday, and you’re invited to the party! The gorilla exhibit will be festively decorated, and the gorillas will enjoy treats made especially for them. Guests will also have the opportunity to sign a giant birthday card for Little Joe and enjoy cake from Montilio’s Baking Company, available first come, first served. After you’ve had your fill of cake, be sure to explore the rest of the Tropical Forest, where there will be special zookeeper chats and crafts for February school vacation week. In honor of Little Joe’s birthday, help gorillas by recycling your own phone or tablet. Franklin Park Zoo has teamed up with Eco-Cell, a company that partners with zoos across the country, to collect your recycled cell phones and refurbish them for reuse.
Go green with Franklin Park Zoo on Saturday, March 16! Watch some of the animals receive green-themed treats in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. Guests can get creative at the arts and crafts table and test your animal knowledge at the education station.
Longing for an island getaway? Escape to the Tropics with the Zoo’s emerging leaders group, The Wild Things, at Franklin Park Zoo! Join us in your best luau gear as you dance and limbo your way through the Tropical Forest with friends! Watch the ring-tail lemurs as they discover tropical themed enrichment in their decorated exhibit, and don’t miss special opportunities to meet some of the Zoo’s animal ambassadors. Join Zoo staff to learn more about the free-flight birds, including scarlet ibis, yellow-billed storks, hadada ibis and more!
Lion brothers Dinari and Kamaia turn 11 in March, and guests are invited to celebrate the occasion. This roaring good time will include special birthday enrichment items for the lions and an opportunity to meet with one of our expert zookeepers and learn more about our lion brothers and the species as a whole. Get creative with lion-themed arts and crafts and pick up some new facts about lions to impress your friends and family at the education table! Guests will also have the opportunity to learn more about the work being done to conserve and protect African lions and their habitat in Kenya. Tina Ramme, a wildlife biologist and CEO of the Lion Conservation Fund, will be at the event with fun interactive activities to educate about lions.
Brush off your detective hat and magnifying glass and head over to Franklin Park Zoo during February school vacation week! Visit Detective Headquarters in the Tropical Forest, where you’ll make your trusty clue notebook, receive your mission for the day, and learn about the suspected animal culprits. Along to help you crack the puzzle is Maxine, the two-toed sleuth. Don’t be deceived by the slow reputation – Maxine is quite the quick-witted sloth, and ready to get to the bottom of this case as swiftly as possible. For all the help, Maxine has posted a reward for this case: a behind-the-scenes experience with the sloth family at Stone Zoo!
WHAT: Looking for a great way to end the year? During your winter school vacation week, connect with incredible wildlife and spend a memorable day with family and friends exploring Franklin Park Zoo. Be sure to visit the education station inside the Tropical Forest, where you’ll learn about the amazing adaptations of animals during the cold winter months. There will also be fun winter-themed activities, crafts, zookeeper encounters and much more to explore! WHEN: December 26, 2019 – January 4, 2020.
Dogs are trained to track many, many things. Drugs, guns, prey -- but turtles? That is the case for Koda, an Australian shepherd mix. Koda has been specifically trained to track and find eastern box turtles, which are a locally rare species in Massachusetts due to habitat loss. After a year of training, Koda got to test her her abilities in Franklin Park in late August -- and succeeded quite well!
Feel like you’re in a fairytale at Franklin Park Zoo! Meet and pose for photos with the princesses and learn how you can be a pirate under the instruction of Captain Jack and his crew. There will also be crafts, special animal encounters and an education station. Kids are encouraged to come dressed in their favorite fairy tale outfit, and don’t forget the camera!
Join us as we celebrate International Red Panda Day at Franklin Park Zoo. Learn all about these species during zookeeper chats. Meet author Gemmesa Johnson and listen to a reading of her book Seacoo. Books will be available for purchase in the gift shop. Come discover how you can help save red pandas!
In honor of World Lion Day on August 10, visitors to Franklin Park Zoo will have the opportunity to learn more about these majestic animals and why conservation efforts on their behalf are so important. Visitors of all ages have the opportunity to see 10-year-old lion brothers Dinari and Kamaia at the lion exhibit located within Kalahari Kingdom. There will be lion themed crafts and activities for children, as well as the opportunity to learn more about these incredible animals by visiting with the Zoo’s education staff. During special zookeeper talks, guests can learn what it’s like to care for these animals each day as well as the threats lions face in the wild.
