Reid Park Zoo

08/30/2026

Rhino's horns are primarily made up of the same material that is found in our fingernails, keratin. Rhinos will scrape their horns on different parts of their environment, like logs and rocks, to create the iconic shape we think of when we think of a rhino silhouette.

You can recognize Fireball by his impressive horn, which comes to a sharp point thanks to his diligent maintenance. Yebonga, our geriatric female rhino, has her horn maintained by her care team.

08/30/2026

It’s a generation celebration on Sunday, September 13! Grandparents with a paying child or adult grandchild of any generation will receive free admission. Spend time learning about animal families and discover if there are any similarities to your own family.

08/29/2026

“One type of enrichment that is often offered is foraging enrichments. In the wild, animals aren’t served food in a bowl,” Enrichment Committee Co-chair Jessica said. “They have to hunt, climb, swim, or dig to find it."

Learn more about what goes into providing new enrichment our recent blog post: https://reidparkzoo.org/fixing-up-animal-enrichment-items/?fbclid=IwY2xjawUANARwZG9mAWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAGJyaWQRMWgxd1dGRmtmVlNpNm1SSVpzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeCgQCyddoWS07Gd3XrMDvM3y_Jpm6GEXviJcavbuy6F6gZBFcW3l737IIP7I_aem_nowL5UZ5XwhlRHSvHJiTvA

Reid Park Zoo’s Enrichment Committee builds, fixes, and uses their creativity to produce items for the animals at the Zoo.

08/29/2026

Save with early bird tickets for Tucson’s most anticipated evenings at Reid Park Zoo, ZOOcson! Friday, October 2, starting at 6 p.m. the zoo will be transformed with the most decadent cuisine and signature drinks from premier restaurants and beverage partners. Partake in a live auction with exclusive zoo experiences that are not offered at any other time of the year!

Discounted tickets are only available now through August 31.
https://reidparkzoo.org/event/zoocson-2026/

08/28/2026

Conserving wildlife and resources, Reid Park Zoo actively chooses to invest in sustainable practices that reduce water use, provide native plants for local wildlife, compost to reduce waste in our landfills, and more!

“Sustainability is integrated into our daily operations because protecting wildlife, whether our native wildlife or the wildlife represented by animals at the Zoo, begins with protecting the natural resources we all depend on” Director of Conservation & Education Erin Gleeson.

Read more about the Zoo's sustainability practices in this Local First Arizona article.

At Reid Park Zoo , protecting wildlife isn't something that happens only inside an animal habitat. It influences how buildings are constructed. How landscapes are planted. What gets composted. How products are purchased. And even how much water flows through a sink, toilet or pool. That connecti

08/28/2026

Wear your support for wildlife rangers! In addition to the Wildlife Ranger Challenge walk we are hosting on Saturday September 19 (registration is still open) Reid Park Zoo is raising funds for rangers with a t-shirt sale.

Even if you cannot joins us on our roughly 2 mile walk around Reid Park, you can support the wildlife rangers in Africa by purchasing the commemorative shirt:
https://www.bonfire.com/rpz-wildlife-ranger-challenge-2026/

Proceeds help fund wildlife rangers in Africa with anti-poaching patrols, educational programs, and community support initiatives.

Register for the walk here: https://reidparkzoo.org/event/walk-for-conservation-2026-wildlife-ranger-challenge/

08/27/2026

Stop by the Conservation Learning Center by the World of Play playground to visit with all three Schmidt's red-tailed monkeys. Hear from Jed Dodds and Keeper Tessa all about Alan, Charlie, and Ziggy's individual personalities in this News 4 Tucson - KVOA Zoo 4 You:

Reid Park Zoo just welcomed three new Schmidt's red-tailed monkeys,...

08/27/2026

September is jam packed with opportunities for kids (and families) who love animals:

🐐 Drop off your child to adventure behind-the-scenes for a day in the life of a zoo keeper with our Junior Zoo Keeper program on Saturday, September 19 (ages 6-12)

🩺 Independent kids (ages 8-12) can step into the shoes of a Zoo veterinarian at Dr. Zoo on Sunday, September 6 at 8:30 a.m. in this drop-off program

🐝 Be together with your little one as you discover the animal world together during our Little Critters programs on Thursday, September 17 or Sunday, September 20 at 9:30 a.m. (ages 3-5; one adult is required and is included in the program price)

Wear clothes that can get messy and register in advance to save your child's spot: https://reidparkzoo.org/events/category/education-programs/

08/26/2026

🐝 One out of every three bites of food you eat is there because of pollinators. To show our appreciation, there are double the opportunities to help pollinators on Sunday, September 6 at Reid Park Zoo:

🐞 Parks for Pollinators Bioblitz: 8:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
🦋 Monarch Butterfly Presentation: Begins at 10 a.m.

As part of Zoo admission, join the BioBlitz by helping us identify as many different native plants and animals as possible. The BioBlitz is part of the annual National Recreation and Park Association Parks for Pollinators campaign, which collects this data throughout the month of September to support local pollinators.

Sign up for the free Monarch Butterfly Presentation to learn how to make your outdoor space monarch friendly. Space is limited so register in advance here: https://reidparkzoo.org/event/monarch-butterfly-presentation/

08/26/2026

It's World African Painted Dog Day and we're highlighting these amazing African wild canines.

Reid Park Zoo is a proud supporter of the The Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Saving Animals from Extinction (SAFE) African Painted Dog program. Since its launch in May 2022, the program has raised more than $164,000 to support priority conservation efforts across the painted dogs’ range.

Learn more about this community-led conservation here:
https://www.aza.org/connect-stories/stories/more-than-funding-how-partnerships-create-hope-for-african-painted-dogs