Planning a Hampton Roads staycation for spring break this year? Here’s what to know before making your plans to visit the Virginia Zoo!  The Zoo will be requiring advance reservations and timed-entry tickets from March 30 through April 7, 2024. These measures help ensure a great visitor experience from parking, eating at the restaurant, riding the train and even visiting our newborn Siamang! Both Zoo members and non-members** are required to reserve tickets in advance. No onsite tickets will be available, and admissions will be limited. Reserve tickets here. When you arrive at the ..read more

The World of Reptiles & Friends is one of the most unique experiences the Virginia Zoo has to offer. When you walk through the front doors, you are immediately greeted by a royal sight – the king cobra! As you wander deeper into the winding building, you can visit with many scaley, slimy, and scuttling friends. Guests can see the newest reptile and amphibian babies in the nursery, come face-to-face with a critically endangered Siamese crocodile and behold the larger-than-life reticulated python in the Hall of Giants.  And now, after being closed for almost a year, the Conservato ..read more

A female siamang is seen holding a newborn baby in her lap at the Virginia Zoo on March 19, 2024. Siamangs are lesser (meaning smaller) apes which are native to Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand and are listed as endangered. The Virginia Zoo is thrilled to announce an endangered siamang baby made its entrance into the world on March 15, 2024, to mother Malana and father Bali. This birth marks the fourth ever siamang to be born at the Virginia Zoo and is the result of a breeding recommendation from the Siamang Species Survival Plan®, which coordinates population management for the species with t ..read more

The Virginia Zoo has been celebrating Black History Month by highlighting important Black historical figures and moments throughout the month. Check out the stories we covered below and what they mean to some of our staff: The first Black zookeeper Mary Wilson was the first Black Senior Zookeeper at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. She started her career in 1961, at a time when most women that worked as zookeepers predominantly worked with smaller animals. However, Wilson had the opportunity to work with larger mammals such as gorillas, big cats and elephants. After 38 years at the zoo, she reti ..read more

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has selected the Virginia Zoo to receive funds to launch a state-of-the-art composting project benefiting the Zoo and Norfolk community. The Zoo is one of the recipients across the country awarded funding in the USDA’s Composting and Food Waste Reduction Program. This program is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act and a collaboration between the USDA’s Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production and the National Institute for Food and Agriculture. The Zoo will be using the awarded funding to purchase the key composting equipment, a Big Han ..read more

From the Africa: Okavango Delta section to the Asia: Trail of the Tiger to the Zoo Farm, our Bird Keeper Team flies around the Zoo caring for a variety of bird species. As is the case with all of our animal keepers, the Bird Team’s job is to care for and monitor the wellbeing of most of the birds that call the Virginia Zoo home. This includes preparing diets, providing enrichment, training, giving medications, cleaning exhibit areas and anything else the animals may need. The team works hard every day to not only care for our Zoo’s feathered residents, but also to build relationships and trust ..read more

Shop for everyone on your list! Looking for a gift that gives back this year? Support the Virginia Zoo and find unique, animal-themed items by shopping in our gift shop! All items in the gift shop will be 20% off on Black Friday, 11/24, and all online Zoodoptions will be 20% off on CyBEAR Monday, 11/27 (use promo code CYBEAR23). Roarin’ Roast Coffee Fuel your wild side with the Virginia Zoo’s exclusive coffee blend! Roarin’ Roast is made by local coffee roaster Rich Port Coffee. While you’re at it, grab a decorative Zoo mug to enjoy your cup of joe. $15+ Train Punch Cards Share the magic of ..read more

The Virginia Zoo is thrilled to announce the birth of a female southern white rhinoceros on November 9, 2023 at 5:40 a.m., bringing our crash up to five. The calf is the second rhinoceros ever born at the Virginia Zoo and the second offspring to 17-year-old father Sibindi and 10-year-old mother Zina, who birthed the Zoo’s first rhino calf, Mosi, in 2021.  “Zina is an incredible mom and while she is still very protective of her calf, she is much calmer around the staff than she was with her first, which is a true testament to how hard the Africa team works to bond with the animals within t ..read more

We’ve got some turtle-iffic news – 26 turtles have moved into our upcoming Turtle Oasis habitat, which will house wood turtles, spotted turtles, Blanding’s turtles, alligator snapping turtles and additional species in the future! While our Animal Care and Horticulture teams work hard to prepare this space for a springtime grand opening, the turtles will spend the colder months brumating – essentially a reptile’s version of hibernation.   Herpetology keeper, Darcy, lowers a female alligator snapping turtle into the new Turtle Oasis exhibit. What is brumation?  Brumation is a period o ..read more

Have you ever wondered how places like the Virginia Zoo manage their animal populations? Both of our female red river hogs, Mrembo and Tikiti recently visited our Animal Wellness Campus to receive birth control implants as part of their regular exams!   Mrembo receiving her physical exam. Our girls received a complete workup with each body system being assessed by our veterinarian. To ensure the checkup would run smoothly, the hogs were put under anesthesia while the vet team performed a complete blood panel, radiographs of the hogs’ chests, and abdominal ultrasounds. Their heart rat ..read more