2023 was a year of innovation for the Saint Louis Zoo …
we aimed to try new things, stretch our creativity and adopt ideas that made us better. It’s always at the top of our minds to offer the best experiences for our guests and better connect them to animals and the natural world.
Here are a few of the brand-new experiences we offered in 2023.
Winging It
Soaring into the Zoo in 2023 was Winging It, a bird show presented in partnership with World Bird Sanctuary, which is continuing with a new season in 2024. Birds great and small – an African grey parrot, black-crowned night heron and bald eagle, to name a few – can be seen at the Lichtenstein Sea Lion Arena throughout the spring and summer.
In this free-flying presentation, birds demonstrate their natural abilities, and some even take flight over the audience. With the help of these fine feathered ambassadors, trainers clear up facts from fiction about birds and their behaviors. The show keeps guests on their talons with audience participation and pop quizzes, fun and fascinating conservation facts, and tips on how people can help protect wildlife and animal habitats.
Giraffe Feedings
We took animal encounters to new heights with giraffe feedings in 2023. This brought many people closer to wildlife than ever before, and we’ll continue to offer this experience in 2024. Guests can meet reticulated giraffes face to face when they offer them crispy lettuce leaves to eat — one of their favorite foods. The giraffes use their 18-inch-long prehensile tongue to retrieve the lettuce from the end of a stick.
Our herd also got bigger in 2023 with the addition of three new giraffes: Luna, Gomer and Honey!
Endangered Species Day
A priority of ours is connecting guests to animals as well as educating them about animals that need our help. May 19, 2023, was our first-ever Endangered Species Day event at the Zoo. We spotlighted several species that, unfortunately, are on the brink of extinction. But, never wanting to end on a note of “gloom and doom,” we had several Zoo experts who talked with guests about those animals and ways that everyone can help save them and their habitats. It was an informative yet fun day that was filled with activities for families. We hope that guests left the Zoo inspired and hopeful that, even with small actions, we can work together to help the natural world.
HullabaZoo presented by Mid America Chevy Dealers
Over the summer, we invited guests to come join us for some Friday night family fun at HullabaZoo, which took the place of the former Jungle Boogie concert series. We offered unique, themed evenings that highlighted different animals and cultures — including food, drinks and entertainment — on the Fridays of the event. Kids participated in educational activities focused on conserving animals through the Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Institute. Guests especially loved the HullabaZoo Passport and collecting stamps throughout the summer.
