ENCOUNTERS
Gain unprecedented access to animals and experiences in our series of exclusive interactions. Guests can purchase highly-sought feeding sessions with our adorable river otters, take part in a training session with the giraffes, and much more!
Program Booking
Guests can purchase an experience below and then contact our Education Department at education@elmwoodparkzoo.org or 610.277.3825 x 226 to schedule a date (the dates for Otter Feedings, Sloth Encounters and Playtime with Penny are chosen at time of purchase). In your email, please, provide a list of three dates that you would prefer for the experience so the education department may choose the best day for your group! Programs will need to be scheduled at least two weeks in advance.
Payment
Cost of experiences will vary and can be found above.
Cancellation
Cancellations must be emailed to education@elmwoodparkzoo.org 48 hours in advance of the scheduled date. We do not offer refunds, but we will try to reschedule if necessary.
Requirements
All encounters also require at least one adult for supervision of children under 18 years of age. All experiences are limited to a certain amount per group and we do not accommodate under the age of 3 years.
Experience
We cannot guarantee you will get to touch the animals or guarantee any specific activities due to the needs of our animals and the variability of their behavior.
At this time, we ask for information ahead of time to accommodate service animals during Encounters as it may affect our animals’ behavior. If you or a group member have a special need or mobility need, please inform us in advance during booking.
Otter Feeding
Piper is ready to meet you and she heard you have snacks! Enjoy this awesome opportunity to get up close to our otter (through mesh) and feed her some of her favorite treats. Piper will demonstrate her terrific training skills and is sure to make you smile. Keepers will be on hand to answer all your questions and tell you about their favorite otter antics.
Popular
This experience will last 30 minutes.
Admission for up to 2 guests; for ages 12 and up
Available May-Dec. at 2:30 pm or Jan. – April at 2:00 pm, Wednesday through Sunday.
If you need mobility accommodations, please contact the Education department before purchasing this encounter.
This experience involves sitting or kneeling.
Guests are required to wear a mask during the encounter for the safety of our animals.
Our Sloth Encounter is currently unavailable for purchase.
Sloth Encounter
Meet one of EPZ's newest additions to its animal family in this one-of-a-kind experience with Liana, the two-toed sloth. Learn from her keepers all about what it takes to raise and care for such a unique animal.
Guests are not allowed to hold or touch our sloth.
This experience will last 30 minutes.
Admission for up to 4 guests; for ages 6 and up
Available Jan. – Oct. at 9:00 am
and Nov – Dec. at 11:00 am, Wednesday through Sunday.
Giraffe VIP experience
Looking for a TALL adventure? It’s time to get face-to-neck with our VIP giraffe experience! This incredible up-close experience includes a private giraffe feeding with Gerald, Dhourba and Mokolo, a chance to meet our amazing giraffe keepers, and a unique opportunity to observe a training demonstration. Last but not least, before you leave you will have the chance to have a custom giraffe kiss painting made for you by our boys!
This experience will last 30 minutes.
Admission for up to 6 people; for ages 6 and up,
Only available April – October
Playtime with Penny
A little known Zoo fact is that Penny the American alligator loves to play with her toys (enrichment). After helping to choose Penny's enrichment for the day, join one of our keepers to go into the alligator exhibit to learn all about Penny, her training and alligators in general. With this unique experience you will get an up close, but safe, view of Penny and interact with her by tossing her the enrichment before you leave!
Available June to October
This experience will last 30 minutes.
Admission for up to 2 guests; for ages 10 and up. Only available Thursday – Sunday.
Guests under 18 must accompanied by an adult.
If you need mobility accommodations, please contact the Education department before purchasing this encounter. Due to the restricted access of the exhibit, we are unable to accommodate mobility devices in this encounter space.
OWL Obsession
Do you love owls? Enjoy an up-close interactive experience with a few owl ambassadors from our Education Department! During this experience, you will learn about cool owl adaptations and learn the best ways to find owls in their natural habitat. Take as many pictures as you want during this once in a lifetime opportunity!
This experience will last 45 minutes.
Admission for up to 4 guests; for ages 5 and up.
REPTILE Rendezvous
Are you one of those people that adore all things reptile? During this experience you will meet different reptiles from our ambassador collection. Love turtles? We can focus on them! Prefer snakes or lizards? No problem, you can meet them too! No matter which reptiles you love, you will get to learn about their different habitats and the conservation efforts that protect them.
This experience will last 45 minutes.
Admission for up to 4 guests; for ages 5 and up.
Chinchilla Treatment
Ever heard of puppy treatment when you have a bad day and just want to cuddle a group of puppies? Try Chinchilla Treatment and come have play time with our ambassador chinchillas from the Education Department! You will get to feed, play, and possibly even train the chinchillas that you might have seen us use during programs here at the zoo.
This experience will last 30 minutes.
Admission for up to 4 guests; for ages 5 and up.
Snacks with Pokey
Who has 30,000 quills and love snacks? Pokey, our North American Porcupine. Join us to feed Pokey his daily snacks and get an opportunity to meet a porcupine up close and personal. Educators will be on hand to answer all your questions and snap plenty of photos.
This experience will last 30 minutes.
Admission for up to 4 guests; for ages 6 and up.
Flight of the Vulture
Experience first hand the power and beauty of a bird's flight in this Elmwood Encounter! You will personally participate in a training session with our black vulture, getting an up close look at several different behaviors and how we train them. This includes a flight demonstration where you will have the opportunity to catch our vulture on the glove and hopefully gain a new appreciation for the unique adaptations and importance of these misunderstood birds!
This experience will last 45 minutes.
Admission for up to 4 guests; for ages 10 and up
RABBIT RETREAT
Ever heard of puppy treatment when you have a bad day and just want to cuddle a group of puppies? What about a rabbit retreat? During this encounter, you will have the opportunity to feed our rabbits snacks, take plenty of photos, and interact with our rabbits that live behind the scenes at the zoo!
This experience will last 30 minutes.
Admission for up to 4 guests; for ages 4 and up.
Skunk Soirée
What’s black and white and loves to meet new friends? Pesto, our striped skunk! Come meet Pesto and his trainers and learn all about skunks, their incredible adaptations, and their important role in our ecosystem! Skunks can sometimes get a ‘stinky’ reputation, but this is your opportunity to better understand these incredible and valuable animals that share our backyard!
This experience will last 30 minutes.
Recommended for ages 5 and up, for up to 4 guests
Guests are required to wear a mask during the encounter for the safety of our animals.
Hedgehog Hangout
Do you love hedgehogs? What better way to show your love of hedgehogs than to book a Hedgehog Hangout with these prickly pals. Our educators will answer all your questions about hedgehogs while they romp around, enjoying enrichment and snacks!
This experience will last 30 minutes.
Admission for up to 4 people; for ages 4 and up.
JUST ROLL WITH IT! AN ARMADILLO EXPERIENCE
Come have a BALL with this experience! Meet Franklin, a southern three-banded armadillo, while he enjoys some exercise and explores fun enrichment! Guests will participate in the enrichment design and get to be up close and personal with Franklin and one of his keepers as they learn all about armadillo adaptations during this one-of-a-kind encounter.
This experience will last 30 minutes.
Available Wednesday through Sunday.
Admission for up to 4 guests; for ages 5 and up.
TRAIL OF THE JAGUAR BEHIND THE SCENES EXPERIENCE
Come behind the scenes at our Trail of the Jaguar Exhibit! You will get a tour of the building and learn about how the zoo cares for jaguars, bobcat, ocelot, white-throated woodrats and more! You will have the unique opportunity to observe a training demonstration with one of the jaguars, and you'll take home a painting made by one of our jaguars!
This experience will last 45 minutes. Admission for up to 4 guests; for ages 10 and up. All guests under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Available for scheduling beginning March 2025. Encounter will begin at 2:30 PM on the scheduled date.
Guests are required to wear a mask during the encounter for the safety of our animals.