Memorial Day Weekend Kick-Off to Summer

Thu May 22 09:00:44 PDT 2025

Become a Member (https://www.sfzoo.org/membership/)   |   Donate (https://www.sfzoo.org/donate-today/)    |   Get Tickets (https://www.sfzoo.org/?keyword=General%20Admission)
UPCOMING EVENTS
Visit Memorial Day Weekend

In honor of the brave military members who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, we are offering free admission to all active or retired military personnel on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26, 2025. Please show a valid military ID at the ticket window; free admission is not available online. Please note that the standard military discount is also available to guests of military members on Memorial Day.

In addition, over Memorial Day weekend and weekends all summer long, be sure to be sure to catch scheduled Animal Connections including special talks and animal feeding times:

10:45 a.m. - Penguin Feeding, Penguin Island
11 a.m. - Goat enrichment, Family Farm
11 a.m. Sundays - Lemur Keeper Talk, Lemur Forest
11:30 a.m. - Animal Meet & Greet, Critter Hill at ARC
12:15 p.m. - Prairie Dog Keeper Talk, Exploration Zone
2:30 p.m. Saturdays - Insect Zoo Keeper Talk
2:30 p.m. - Przewalski's Horses Keeper Talk, Near Bear Country
3 p.m. - Penguin Feeding, Penguin Island
Tickets Now Available for Roar & Pour!
https://www.sfzoo.org/roar-and-pour/

Celebrate summer with Roar & Pour (https://www.sfzoo.org/roar-and-pour/) , an all-new outdoor wine tasting event with a wild twist! This special fundraising event takes place on Friday, June 27 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Zoo. Guests can enjoy a fun evening, sipping, strolling and socializing while tasting a variety of wines from top wineries and artisan food samples, while seeing animals such as African lions, grizzly bears and Magellanic penguins.

Roar & Pour guests will also receive a commemorative tasting glass, free rides on the historic Little Puffer miniature steam train and Wild Explorer virtual reality film experience. A DJ will be on hand, spinning a mix of summer vibes!

Two ticket levels are available: General Admission at $125 and a VIP Experience at $250 and offers an exclusive Premium Wine and Food Experience and giraffe feeding (limited space available). Learn more or purchase tickets here (https://www.sfzoo.org/roar-and-pour/) .

Roar & Pour supports the Zoo's wildlife conservation programs.  Open to ages 21+ with ID; children or strollers will not be admitted. Refunds will not be issued for purchased tickets.  Parking is complimentary.  The event will take place rain or shine.
Register for Walk to Cure Arthritis
https://events.arthritis.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.event&eventID=1757

SF Zoo is the official host of the Northern California 2025 Walk to Cure Arthritis taking place on Saturday, May 31st. As the Arthritis Foundation's nationwide signature event, the Walk to Cure Arthritis serves to unite communities across the country to put an end to arthritis and honors the nearly 60 million Americans battling the disease.

Registration is now open for this fundraising walk, which starts at 8 a.m.  at the Zoo, and includes a festive opening ceremony, a walk around the Zoo and concludes at 11 a.m. Visit the Arthritis Foundation's event site (https://events.arthritis.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.event&eventID=1757) to register and learn how you can start a team, join a team or walk as an individual. As a participant, your efforts to collect donations will go to better treatments and a cure.

The Arthritis Foundation works to champion life-changing solutions and medical advancements, and also to provide ways for people to connect, break down barriers in health care and join the fight for a cure.
Celebrate the Zoo's Birthday on June 14!

As we countdown to our big 100th birthday in just a few years, we are pulling out all the stops to celebrate each year leading to the Big 100!

Join us for a fun Zoobilation on Saturday, June 14 with a fun kid's dance party and watch as our animals enjoy birthday-themed enrichment! The party will take place around the Elinor Friend Playground area, with live DJ music, craft tables and more!

Be sure to check the schedule of animal enrichment presentations, which include lemurs, gorillas, flamingos, tapir, giraffe and zebra, Komodo dragon, orangutan and animals in the ARC, Family Farm and Exploration Zone. More info soon!
Father's Day BikeAbout
https://www.sfzoo.org/tours-2/

Hey Dads! We're offering a special BikeAbout j (https://www.sfzoo.org/tours-2/) ust for you on Father's Day!

Bring the whole family and join us for this unique riding tour around the Zoo on Sunday, June 15 starting at 8:30 a.m. This 60-minute bicycle tour will focus on what paternal care looks like throughout the animal kingdom. And as an extra special treat after your tour, you will get to meet our family of reticulated giraffes where you will get a chance to get up-close and personal!

Pre-registration is required and participants must provide their own bikes and bike locks. No strollers or scooters are allowed. All bikes need to be outside of the Zoo by 10 a.m. when we open to the general public.

Zoo Member - $45 per peddler
Non-Member - $55 per peddler
Free for children piggy-backing on an adult's bike.

Zoo admission is not included. Discounted admission is available for purchase at ticketing windows on the day of the tour. Parking is included. Visit the Tours (https://www.sfzoo.org/tours-2/) page for more information and register online.
CONSERVATION
Spotlight on Western Santa Cruz Giant Tortoise
https://www.sfzoo.org/western-santa-cruz-giant-tortoise/
One of the larger subspecies of Galapágos tortoise is the Western Santa Cruz Giant tortoise (https://www.sfzoo.org/western-santa-cruz-giant-tortoise/) (Chelonoidis porteri), one of 13 living subspecies that still exist today.  The different subspecies of Galapágos tortoises have different shell shapes, depending on the ecology of their island. Tortoises like the Western Santa Cruz Giant tortoise that live in more humid and densely vegetated islands have domed shells and short necks and limbs, while the smaller tortoises found on drier islands with sparser vegetation have saddlebacked shaped shells and longer limbs and neck. The variation of shell shapes between the islands helped Charles Darwin formulate his theory of evolution!

As one of the larger subspecies, males can grow up 600-700 lbs. and females 300-400 lbs. As an ectothermic or cold-blooded animal, their larger size helps them to regulate temperature variations. Found on the southwestern end of Santa Cruz Island in the Galapágos Island chain of Ecuador, this subspecies is listed as critically endangered by the IUCN Red List due to habitat destruction and introduced species, with approximately 3,400 Western Santa Cruz Giant tortoises in the wild. You can find our pair across from the east end of the Lion House.

On Friday, May 23, join us as we celebrate World Turtle Day! This special day is dedicated to protecting turtles and tortoises and their habitats. Turtles and tortoises are threatened by habitat loss, poaching and the illegal pet trade.
Fantastic New Video of Yosemite Toads!
https://youtu.be/k8dKS-VD5p8?si=VUOgeFoLltSYiuRy
Our partners from Yosemite Conservancy recently posted an outstanding video about Yosemite toads on their YouTube Channel, a species that our Conservation team rears on-site and of which 118 zoo-raised toads were released into Yosemite National Park in 2024. As the only zoo in the U.S. rearing this threatened species for release, our goal working with National Park Service has been to re-establish extirpated populations to Yosemite National Park post wildfire and document the impacts of meadow restoration and toad recovery.

The video, produced by Steven Bumgardner, editor of Yosemite Nature Notes, offers rare footage showing the toads both in their natural habitat and at the SF Zoological Society/Yosemite National Park Conservation and Recovery Facility. The nearly 10-minute video includes amazing audio of toads vocalizing and interviews with park staff.

To view the video, visit Yosemite Conservancy's YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8dKS-VD5p8) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8dKS-VD5p8page.
NEWS TO KNOW
Calling All Nature Trail Volunteers!
https://www.sfzoo.org/nature-trail/
You can be a part of our most popular youth volunteer program with the return this summer of Nature Trail (https://www.sfzoo.org/nature-trail/) , which offers guests up-close encounters with our ambassador animals along a winding, wooded trail. What makes this program so special are the teens who manage each animal station, providing fascinating facts about animals and conservation.

If you're between the ages of 12-14 and have a sincere interest in animals, enjoy working with people and are enthusiastic and dependable, this program is for you! This summer program runs from Memorial Day through Labor Day, where you will assist in presenting animals, from armadillos to chinchillas, tortoises, lizards and snakes known as our ambassador animals as part of the Koret Animal Rescue and Conservation Center. Your responsibilities will include engaging with guests, sharing fun and educational facts and fostering a deeper appreciation of the natural world.

Importantly, you'll come away with valuable experience, such as public speaking and building lifelong friendships and sharing a unique camaraderie with fellow Nature Trailers and Zoo staff.

Learn (https://www.sfzoo.org/nature-trail-program/) how you can become a Nature Trail volunteer!
San Francisco Zoo & Gardens connects all people with wildlife, inspires caring for nature and advances conservation action.

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