Summer Happenings, Otters, and More
Here in the desert, we know how refreshing a pool of cool water is this time of year. Berani and Little Frei, new Asian small-clawed otters at Reid Park Zoo, are settling into their habitat and are a delight to watch as they enjoy diving and darting in their pool with all the grace of Olympic synchronized swimmers. You can meet them in their current space next to the meerkats and across from the lions. The pair will move into a spacious new habitat in Pathway to Asia when it opens in 2026.
When planning your summer visit, remember the Zoo is on summer hours of 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. through September 30. Early mornings can be beautiful at the Zoo as animals explore their habitats and start their day. To thank our community for 60 Wild Years, the Zoo is offering $3 Ticket Tuesdays in July. Each ticket is just $3.00 per person. Or you can check out a Culture Pass from your local library which provides two free admissions to the Zoo.
Another great option is to visit during the cooler evening hours for Summer Safari Nights, which take place every Friday and Saturday from 6-8 p.m. through August 9 with animal encounters, keeper chats, live music, food, cool drinks and activities.
Ongoing Zoo Improvements
New Elephant Ramada Adds Comfort
At the Zoo, we are always looking for ways to give the animals plenty of choices and to ensure their living spaces are state-of-the art, comfortable, and fitted to meet their species-specific needs. We are excited to complete a major project for our elephants, creating a roofed ramada in their habitat that provides shade to protect from rain or sun and has a heater for cool days or nights.
That sounds easy enough, but anyone who has ever done a home improvement project knows that adding electrical, gas, engineering for roof supports and other steps in the process all get complicated quickly — and even more so when you are making it big and strong enough for an elephant! One of the key challenges was finding a way for contractors to work in the area, which is in the elephant habitat, while giving the elephants access to the yard during the construction period over several months.
After consulting with other zoos and lots of internal conversation, we came up with a plan to make a “wall” of shipping containers (the type you see on trains). The containers were connected to each other securely, tested, and allowed workers to be able to labor in the area safely while elephants were out on habitat. We are delighted at the added comfort this will bring for our elephant herd. You can see the structure through the training wall at the elephant habitat.
Pathway to Asia Progress
Construction crews are continuing to make visible progress on the new Pathway to Asia addition, which will bring iconic species of the world’s largest continent to Tucson, from Komodo dragons to sand cats to tigers to red pandas. As you can imagine, creating habitats to meet the unique and species-specific needs of each animal takes careful planning and bringing together teams of experts. Our goal is to ensure that each space represents the native environment for each animal.
One example is constructing a spacious climate-controlled indoor-outdoor space for the red pandas. For a state-of-the-art tiger habitat and breeding facility, this includes climbing structures, pools, and special cubbing dens for these endangered big cats. The Pathway to Asia project is providing hundreds of construction jobs for our local workforce and returning money into our economy. We are grateful for Tucson voters whose approval of a one-tenth of one-percent sales tax is bringing improvements to existing spaces within the Zoo, while making amazing and requested additions like Pathway to Asia possible.
Pathway to Asia’s design is inspired by aspects of the ancient Khmer architecture in Angkor, Cambodia with intricate stone facades and pillars that look as though they are centuries old on the exterior, while housing modern, state-of-the-art environments for the animals on the interior. The process of “aging” the exterior walls starts with a block wall that is then coated in a special process using foam and other materials to create the look complete with cracks, moss and weathering as if you have stepped back ages in time. But the animal habitats aren’t the only ones with this theme. Restrooms in Pathway to Asia are also designed to look ancient. The spacious new restrooms have special amenities designed for added guest convenience and comfort, including a nursing room and both child and adult changing tables.
Elsewhere in Asia, the Robert H. Hamilton Tropical Discovery Center includes an indoor area which will house species including a reticulated python, fruit bats, and a Komodo dragon. The Discovery Center is taking shape with exterior walls and roof already built. The Kasser Family Lotus Pavilion is also coming together in spectacular fashion with an immense wooden domed roof and space for floor to ceiling windows, catering kitchen and ready rooms, complete audio-visual set-ups and spacious seating for up to 200 guests in air-conditioned comfort. The Pavilion will be a unique meeting space for conservation talks, special programs and private rentals from weddings to corporate gatherings.
While construction is occurring, there is no impact to guests coming to the Zoo. All of the activity is contained behind the construction fence at the site of the Zoo’s old parking lot, and there are no barriers to accessing the Zoo. There is a spacious new parking lot – a short, easy walk to the Zoo entrance. An accessible parking area is just steps from the front entrance.
Thank You for Helping Your Zoo to Thrive
As Reid Park Zoo celebrates 60 wild years of connecting people and wildlife, we are grateful for the generous support of our community and donors through the 2017 Future of Your Zoo initiative. It is amazing to see how the Zoo has transitioned from its humble beginnings as a small Prairie Dog Village into a world-class zoo that is a model for some of the best practices in animal care and wellness. You, our community, have helped fuel every leap of our progress, enabling the animals to thrive and your Zoo to remain a community and conservation resource. We appreciate and value your support!
Visit ReidParkZoo.org to stay up to date on all the latest developments. We hope to see you at the Zoo soon!