National Zoo Day: See What’s Happening At The Detroit Zoo

ROYAL OAK, MI — If you’re looking for something to do while the kids are out of school, a visit to the Detroit Zoo might be just the ticket. Thursday, Dec. 27, is National Visit the Zoo Day.

“This event is a great way for families and friends to extend their holiday time together in a magical setting,” said Gerry Van Acker, Detroit Zoological Society chief operating officer. “The activities we have planned will provide guests of all ages with an appreciation for the cold-weather creatures who live at the Detroit Zoo.”

Scheduled talks with animal care staff and fun learning elements will feature animals who are active during the winter as well as indoor viewing areas where guests can stay warm. A new Detroit Zoo Trek – an interactive mobile map system – will debut on December 27 in conjunction with the event, offering a guided route with a winter theme so guests can navigate the landmark’s 125 acres from the palms of their hands. To launch the trek, visit dzoo.org/treks.

“Winter is a fantastic time to visit the Zoo – many animals are especially active this time of year including red pandas, wolverines, snow monkeys and wolves,” Van Acker said. “In addition, our Conservation Campus is conveniently located near the main entrance, where guests can view animals indoors while being protected from the elements.”

National Visit the Zoo Day activities will include zookeeper talks that highlight penguins, mantella frogs, reticulated pythons and arctic foxes. Educational activities will be held in the Matilda R. Wilson Free-Flight Aviary, National Amphibian Conservation Center and Holden Reptile Conservation Center throughout the day.

Visitors can even experience summer in winter while exploring the Butterfly Garden, which is kept at a balmy 75 degrees Fahrenheit, the optimal temperature for the more than 25 species of butterflies to take flight. Hundreds of these winged wonders can be observed feeding on flower nectar and basking in the sun from the massive skylight. The Ford Education Center is another spot to take respite from the chilly temps while viewing the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, with 100 stunning images from the world’s largest and most prestigious wildlife photography competition.

It’s also the last weekend for the zoo’s hit tradition with more than five million twinkling LED lights will brighten the evening sky and illuminate buildings, trees and 265 sculptures – more than 220 of which are animals – throughout the front half of the Zoo.

Tickets are $11-$17 in advance – based on the hour and day – and $17 at the gate for guests ages 2 and older (children under 2 are admitted free); parking is $8. Timed-entry tickets can be purchased online or at the admission gate. A limited number of tickets are also available at all Michigan Kroger stores.

Wild Lights guests can take in the lights and sights while enjoying holiday entertainment and activities, including ice carving and choral performances on select nights. The Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, highlighting some of the world's most spectacular photography, is included with admission.

Zoo exhibits have changed significantly over the years. Before the 20th century, animals were often kept in cages with bars that left them very little room to move around, let alone explore their surroundings. In today’s zoos, enrichment activities — things the animals enjoy doing and that demonstrate their species-specific behavior — are viewed as essential to animals’ welfare as proper nutrition and veterinary care.

The Detroit Zoo also just welcomed a baby otter. Learn more about her here.

Tell Us: What’s your favorite exhibit at the Detroit Zoo and why? Tell us what you think in the comments.

Zoo animals’ habitats have expanded, too. The movement to house animals in a more “natural” space began in the early 1900s when Carl Hagenbeck, whose family was involved in the wild animal trade, created “Tierpark” in Stellingen, Germany.

Gone were the bars and cages and in their place were moats to separate some of the animal groups, according to Smithsonian Library blog written by Polly Lasker. Hagenbeck encouraged trainers to treat the animals kindly and use gentle coaxing rather than some of the harsher methods that were typical at the time.

“What is now taken for granted by almost every visitor to a zoo — moated exhibits in a landscape simulating nature; gregarious animals of mixed species kept in herds in large enclosures; and animal performances based on conditioning and sensitivity, not on brute force and intimidation — all started at Hagenbeck’s Tierpark,”Herman Reichenbach wrote in “New worlds, new animals: from menagerie to zoological park in the nineteenth century.”

Photo courtesy Detroit Zoological Society