10/16/2026
Zoo Boise Wins International Award for Red Panda Passage
Zoo Boise’s Virginia R. Bartak Red Panda Passage received Top Honors in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) 2026 Exhibit Award competition, the zoo and aquarium profession’s highest recognition for exhibit design. The award was announced on September 30, 2026 during the AZA Honors and Awards Luncheon at the organization’s annual conference in Portland, Oregon.
AZA represents the global gold standard for modern zoos and aquariums, accrediting 255 leading facilities in 12 countries. Its annual Exhibit Award recognizes excellence and innovation in exhibit design at AZA-accredited institutions in the United States and around the world.
Zoo Boise, a division of Boise Parks and Recreation, was the only institution to receive Top Honors in its category. Under AZA’s award guidelines, only one Top Honors award may be presented in each category. Entries are evaluated by a panel of professionals from AZA-accredited institutions who serve on the organization’s Honors and Awards Committee. Zoo Boise competed in the category for institutions with annual operating budgets of less than $12 million and exhibit project budgets of less than $10 million.
“This award recognizes the best of the best in the global aquarium and zoo community,” said Dan Ashe, president and CEO of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. “The work being done at Zoo Boise further strengthens the impact of our entire community and is something Boise can be proud of.”
The Virginia R. Bartak Red Panda Passage opened in May 2025 as part of Zoo Boise’s long-term master plan. Developed in consultation with the Red Panda Species Survival Plan, the quarter-acre complex includes three interconnected outdoor habitats, a year-round indoor habitat, six configurable denning spaces and elevated transfer pathways that allow the red pandas to move throughout the complex.
The habitat was designed to strengthen the connection between animal well-being, guest experience and conservation. A study conducted after the exhibit opened found that observed active behaviors among the red pandas—including climbing, walking, eating, socializing and playing—increased by approximately 96% compared with the former habitat. Currently, four red pandas call Zoo Boise home including two-year-old Rylan, four-year-old Stevie, five-year old Miss Dolly Parton, and 11-year-old Pumori.
“This prestigious recognition reflects the expertise, collaboration and dedication of the entire Zoo Boise team,” said Boise Parks and Recreation Director Sara Arkle. “The Red Panda Passage is an outstanding example of what can be achieved when exceptional animal care, thoughtful design and a shared commitment to conservation come together.”
The project was funded by more than 2,000 donors who supported the first phase of the Friends of Zoo Boise’s Heart of the Zoo capital campaign. It was designed with animal well-being, conservation and sustainability at its core.
You can visit Zoo Boise’s red pandas daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with last admission at 4 p.m.
About Zoo Boise
Zoo Boise has transformed the act of visiting the zoo into a conservation action. Since 2007, visits to Zoo Boise have generated more than $4.5 million toward the conservation of animals in the wild. Zoo Boise is a division of Boise Parks and Recreation and accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA), a national organization that supports excellence in animal care, conservation, education, and science.
