Utica Zoo

It’s #WildlifeWednesday! Believe it or not, it's common to encounter young wildlife on their own, especially during the summer. It's important to remember that in most cases, the best thing you can do for them is leave them alone. Most of the time, an adult animal is nearby, even though you may not be able to see it. Adult animals, like deer, spend most of the day away from their young to reduce the risk of a predator finding them. ... If you find young wildlife and it has been alone for more than 24 hours, or you have ANY questions regarding wildlife, reach out to your regional NYS DEC office or a wildlife rehabilitator near you. (The UZ is not a wildlife rehabilitation facility, but here’s a helpful link: https://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/261.html ) If you care, leave them there.

Today is recognized as World Rainforest Day, highlighting the impact and successes of rainforest and environmental guardians, bringing awareness to the need to protect rainforests and other vital ecosystems, and activating our global community for the work that has yet to be done. Come join us on Wednesday, June 30, as we celebrate Rainforest Day the UZ way! Say hi to some of our Rainforest Ambassador Animals as they are on a walkabout, discover "Which Rainforest Animal Are You?" with a fun quiz, and go on a scavenger hunt to win a prize. Rainforest Day activities are from 10-3 p.m. included with admission. See you then!

The Utica Zoo is Excited to Announce its Signature Events Dates for 2021! In addition to the return of Brewfest on Saturday, Aug.7; the Utica Zoo announced dates for Wine in the Wilderness, which will be held 6-9 p.m. on Saturday, September 25 and Bright Nights starting Black Friday, Nov. 26 and running Thursday through Sunday evenings, 5-7 p.m. until Thursday, Dec. 23. Pictured at today's press conference, from left to right, Bright Nights Committee Member and Genesis Grou...p Executive Director Ray Durso; Utica Zoo Board Member Andrew Biernat of Gilroy Kernan & Gilroy; Utica City Councilperson Celeste Friend; Utica Mayor Robert Palmieri; Utica Zoo Executive Director Andria Heath; Utica Zoo Board Member and Herkimer County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Michele Hummel; Greater Utica Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kari Puleo; and Utica Zoo Board Member Dan Brockway of One Realty. Tickets for Brewfest are now on sale at uticazoobrew21.eventbrite.com. To stay updated on these events and all things Utica Zoo-related, visit UticaZoo.org or follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at @uticazoo.

Happy Father's Day from the Utica Zoo! Dads get free admission today, sponsored by Braden Packaging Supply! Take a picture with Dad during your visit and be sure to tag #UticaZooFathersPride and Braden Packaging Supply. We are open from 10AM to 4:30PM.

It may have seemed slow going, but the weekend's here! It's a perfect day to visit the Utica Zoo! Mosey on down. We're open until 4:30 p.m.

Furlow has always been a fan of our snowy weather, and his beard and coat make it that much more comfortable. Bactrian Camels grow a dense winter coat, beard, and hair on their heads to help deal with the frigid winter weather in their natural range in the Gobi Desert of China and Mongolia. Make like Furlow and bundle up for a visit to the Zoo! We are open until 4pm and will also be open tomorrow from 10am-4pm for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. ... Jim Tavares

Good morning and Happy Caturday everyone! Let’s play Caption this Photo-drop your best caption to this photo in the comments! Despite our blanket of fresh snow, we are open at 10am until 4pm today! We don’t have quite enough yet to open the snowshoe trail, but we will update you if the trail is safe for use! Either way, it’s a beautiful Mohawk Valley day to visit the one and only Utica Zoo!

How would you like to see this face up close? We have a last minute opening for a Red Panda encounter on Wednesday, January 27th at 2pm. Act fast; first come first served! Visit UticaZoo.org/encounters to grab this awesome opportunity!

How cool is this?! We don't often film from this perspective, but Murphy and Coky were incredibly intrigued by @natgeo film "Great Migrations". Keeper Melanie set-up a TV outside of their habitat as enrichment, and as you can tell, they loved it! Their favorites were Humpback Whales and Wildbeest They stayed and watched for a few minutes, but found the migration of Red Crabs not to their liking.

We will be open for visitors on Monday, January 18-Martin Luther King Day. We are open our regular hours of 10am-4pm 363 days a year. We can't wait to see you!

Load up the kids and head to the Zoo on Tuesday morning for Story Time at the Utica Zoo! Zoo Educators will lead a story and introduce listeners to one of our ambassador animals! Story Time takes places on Tuesday, October 27 at 11am and is included with Zoo admission. This week's story is "Fletcher and the Falling Leaves".

Only a few days left to submit your photo for the 2021 Utica Zoo calendar contest! If you have some great photos you have taken at the Zoo over the years, submit them at UticaZoo.org/calendarcontest Submissions close on October 28 at 12pm!

The weather is looking much nicer today than yesterday, so come get spooky with us today from 10-4! Pumpkin Enrichment for the animals, treat bags for kids in costume, Little Jordanos for all of your concession needs, and of course plenty of spooky decor for a family fun visit to the Zoo!

The Spooky Season fun continues tomorrow too! Grab those costumes and enjoy some fall season fun! We also have our Wild Weekends taking place from 1-3pm in the Auditorium. Learn about the important role that animals play in farming and meet some of our ambassador animals! We can't wait to see you!

International Gibbon Day falling on our first day of Spooky Season is quite fitting due to the fact that White-handed gibbons are an endangered species. Yoda and Snowflake are excellent ambassadors to their wild counterparts, but we need to take action to help save endangered animals around the world. Many of the the threats to wild animals are completely avoidable and can be corrected with minimal changes to our daily lives. Keeper Marley put together these wonderful posters to help educate our visitors on what they can do to take action to save animals from extinction. Stop by and visit to learn more and visit these beautiful apes.

We want to send a very special THANK YOU to everyone at Price Rite on Bleecker St in Utica for their generous donation of candy for our Spooky Season visitors! We miss the trick or treating too, but we are so glad to have community support like this to provide a fun opportunity for our community.

The boys love their pumpkin enrichment! Coky; not so much. Caturday, Spooky Season, and Gibbon Day all at once; tons of activities at the Utica Zoo! Come visit until 4pm!

Fear not friends; a little rain and wind can't stop us and it won't stop us! We are open our regular hours today from 10am-4pm; come enjoy the season and spend some time with your favorite animals. Make sure to get the kiddos in their costumes; all visitors aged 13 and under will receive a treat bag when they arrive in costume. We will also have pumpkin enrichment for our animals throughout the day today. Little Jordano's Grill Cart is here for all your concession needs, and the Docent Organization will have some seasonal snacks and drinks as well. Also, practice your "hooooooootttts" and your "whooooooops" for International Gibbon Day today! Yoda and Snowflake are excited to see you

As we swing into the weekend, make sure to take advantage of today's fantastic weather and come up for a visit! We're open until 4pm today. Tomorrow, kicks off Spooky Season at the Utica Zoo, PLUS it's also International Gibbon Day! Come learn about our favorite apes and watch Yoda and Snowflake enjoy their favorite enrichment! On Sunday, Spooky Season continues, plus Wild Weekends and "Happy Harvest!" where visitors can learn about animals who are important to farming and h...ow we grow our food. To quote the cinematic classic, "THERE'S SO MUCH ROOM FOR ACTIVITIES"... AT THE UTICA ZOO!

Spooky Season is upon us at the Utica Zoo! We hope you can join us for some seasonal fun, plus kids 13 and under get a treat bag when they wear their costume to the Zoo. PLUS, this Saturday is International Gibbon Day, so make sure to come visit Snowflake and Yoda for some extra special enrichment and decorations!

While we care for small number of amphibians, our reptile collection is far more vast. Lizards, turtles, snakes, alligators, geckos, skinks; a wide variety of reptiles call the Utica Zoo home. Reptiles are generally terrestrial animals, or live on land. However, some reptiles such as alligators and turtles, can live in water as well. Unlike amphibians and their porous skin, reptiles generally have dry, hard, or scaly skin that also functions as protection for the animal. Reptiles also lay eggs on land with hard shells which are fertilized internally. While many of our reptiles are part of our Education Ambassador collection, we also care for a few reptiles that are viewable in their regular exhibits. Do you have a favorite reptile at the Utica Zoo? Tell us in the comments!

Today is Reptile and Amphibian Awareness Day! Whether you like them wet and slimy, or dry and scaley, reptiles and amphibians are vitally important to their respective ecosystems. Did you know that in the continental United States, there are over 450 different species of reptiles and amphibians? Here at the Utica Zoo, we care for 3 different species of amphibian frogs; Gatsby the Leopard Frog, Chip the Milk Frog, and Veruca the African Bullfrog. Amphibians have permeable skin..., are ectothermic, or cold-blooded, and can live either in water or on land. Amphibians also lay soft, gel-covered eggs that are fertilized outside of the womb of the mother. Other than the 3 species of frog we care for here at the Zoo, there are approximately 300 other species of frogs, plus toads, newts, salamanders, and caecilians that make up the various species of amphibians.

It's Wolf Awareness Week! We are supremely fortunate enough to care for 4 beautiful Mexican Gray Wolves up on North Trek Trail. Did you know Mexican gray wolves were once declared extinct in the wild? Thankfully, the work done by zoos and conservation organizations have reversed that declaration and have reintroduced Mexican gray wolves back into their natural range.