Virginia Zoo

Today kicks off the start to #NationalVetTechWeek and we wanted to shout out our amazing vet tech, Leah! ?? Leah has been with the Virginia Zoo for 20 years and is a vital part of our animal care staff. Several of our animals have given Leah resounding patient testimonies, including Solaris, the Bornean orangutan, and all three of our red river hogs. But it's not just the animals that leave fantastic reviews - our human teams do, too! Leah always welcomes new staff with open arms and is ready to share her infinite wisdom about our animals. Be sure to thank Leah for her hard work this week, or really any week, that you visit the Zoo!

The Virginia Zoo got a new mermaid! ??♀? Well an old mermaid statue with a new look!??♀? Today the refreshed mermaid statue was unveiled and is ready to greet visitors at the Zoo entrance. This new design comes from Bob Langston, a local artist from Virginia Beach with over 36 years of art experience. Bob found inspiration in the animals that call the Virginia Zoo home and the wild environment around them resulting in this beautiful, animal-centric design. ?? As a part of the City of Norfolk, VA, we are ecstatic to have this rejuvenated symbol of our community welcoming guests into the park with a taste of what they are set to experience during their visit! ??

Looking for a fun way to get a exposure for your company or organization during spooky season? Sign up to be a vendor for ZooBoo! As a vendor you will be the host of one of our trick-or-treating Candy Stations (we provide the treats!) where you will have the chance to interact with upwards of 4,000 people each day! ZooBoo is our most popular and most attended event, so it's a great way to meet people from throughout community! Learn more and sign up on the Virginia Zoo website at https://lnkd.in/ekhHKHFC

Calling all teachers! ?? We know school just started but it's never too early to start planning your next field trip to the Zoo! ???? Our Education Programs are now open for booking for the 2024-2025 school year! Visit this link to learn more about our Education Programs and book your Field Trip today: https://lnkd.in/egYZc7xu. But don't wait because spots are filling up fast!

What a ZOO-pendous celebration! Last night we honored our Zoo Crew volunteers at an awards dinner for their hours of service. ?? Interested in spending your time at the Zoo? Sign up to become a Zoo Crew Member! Current applications are due by October 31st so get yours in today ?? Visit this link to sign up today! https://lnkd.in/efC4Vttw

OH BABY, this girl still needs a name and we're calling on all our supporters for help! ???? There is less than a WEEK left to make your donation and suggest your favorite name for this little one! With a donation of $5 or more you can submit the perfect name AND support our Keeper Fund which provides enrichment for all the animals at the Zoo ?? Submissions will be accepted until September 16th and the top 3 suggestions will be given to the orangutan baby's mother, Dara, in enrichment to select on September 21st at 9:45am. Visit this link to submit your name today ??: https://lnkd.in/eHw3Cm3E

The Virginia Zoo is excited to announce groundbreaking of the new Macon and Joan Brock EdVenture & Exploration Campus. This $16.2 million dollar project will offer five exciting, bold, mission-centric initiatives that will enhance our educational impact and deepen our connection to local forward-thinking education & conservation organizations. In attendance at the groundbreaking was Dr. Kenneth Alexander, Mayor of Norfolk, as well as city officials, major campaign donors and Virginia Zoo Board Members. Help us reach our goal with the Brock Challenge! Your gift now goes further with every dollar raised is matched up to $350,000. Your gift will create double the impact. Learn more and join us today at https://lnkd.in/dWT7FufP

This year at our Virginia Zoo Member Nights we celebrated our Zoo's 3 C's of Conservation: Connection, Care & Community. Last night we wrapped up the series highlighting how we can join forces with our community to save wildlife and their habitats. We were honored to be joined by special guests Action for Cheetahs, the Turtle Survival Alliance, and Cape Henry Audubon Society as they all shared the important wildlife conservation work they contribute every day. Additionally, we were especially excited to show our support through a gift of $10,000 each to the Turtle Survival Alliance and Action for Cheetahs in Kenya (who also received an additional matching donation from an anonymous donor for a total of $20,000!). These gifts will make a direct impact on animals in the wild and are thanks to supporters like you! Make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome organizations to learn more!

We were blown away by the support and turn out for our Back to School Event hosted at the Zoo earlier this month! Thanks to a slew of generous donors, we were able to make an impressive gift of supplies to Big Homies Community Outreach Program and Reck League for local children to use this upcoming school year. We want to extend a rhino-sized thank you to our Zoo supporters, Rivers Casino, and everyone that made this event a success and helped us give back to our community! ??

International Youth Day is the perfect time for us to show appreciation for our Conservation Youth Team! ?? These teens have dedicated their time to the Zoo through educating the public about conservation, building enrichment for our animals, conducting community science, presenting animals for programs, and leading our campers for activities around the Zoo. We are immensely grateful for their contributions and the care they put into everything they do for our animals and guests alike! Our Conservation Engagement Manager, Nick shares "Our Conservation Youth Team brings energy, education, and fun to our zoo guests. The CYTs learn about conservation efforts and hope to bring change and action to preserve our animals and our environment." ?? Do you have a teen interested in conservation that would love to be a part of the Conservation Youth Team? Applications will be available starting on December 1 to join the team, so stay tuned!