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Saturday 9am - 4pm Sunday 9am - 4pm

Animal Park NC

We believe in educating people, caring for animals, and advocating for species

Reservations required Have you ever looked a tiger in the eye?
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Felt the whole-body impact of lions "oofing"? Watched wolves howl from 5 feet away? These and other once-in-a-lifetime experiences are possible at the Animal Park, a haven for over 70 animals with a focus on educating people, caring for animals, and advocating for species. An "oofing" at the Animal Park is an experience you'll have to feel to believe. It's an earth-shaking sound our lions make to

communicate with one another. Our tour guides call to them on every tour, and you may have the opportunity to hear them from just 5 feet away! You'll also get up close and personal with tigers, leopards, wolves, lemurs, binturongs, and other exotic species. Tours, adoptions, memberships, and other donations support our work, so every visit from you helps us help them. Come visit a world to explore, right next door!

08/28/2026

Our residents at the Animal Park are not pets. But we love each of them dearly for the individuals they are. So on this Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day, we honor the animals we've lost this year:

💜 Enoch Lion, July
💜 Sweetness New Guinea Singing Dog, April
💜 Kira Lion, April
💜 Nyasha Serval, March
💜 Pacino Lion, January
💜 Cleo Domestic Cat, January

Saying goodbye to a resident, even elderly animals like these, always brings deep sadness. But the joy of remembering them never goes away.

Love to all who are thinking of an animal friend today. 🌈

08/26/2026

For our next animal artist, we're spotlighting Kabaka Lion.

His works for the silent auction at Lions, Tigers & Beer include "Serengeti at Golden Hour"—a meditation on the fiery colors and timeless rhythms of sunset on the savanna.

Remember: You can only bid on, win, and take home your favorite piece by being present at the event September 11.

Learn more and get tickets now at https://animalparknc.org/tours/events/ltb/.

08/19/2026

It's World Photography Day, and we're sending oofs, howls, and chuffles of thanks and admiration to our many talented volunteer and staff photographers at the Animal Park!

Did you know you can visit the Park for a behind-the-scenes Photo Safari under the supervision of a trained staff member? They can show you all the best vantage points ... though we think it's pretty clear that each of our residents is amazing from any angle, as Bianca Tiger, Jeremiah Lemur, William Serval, and Bagheera Leopard demonstrate. Learn more at https://animalparknc.org/tours/photo-safaris/.

08/17/2026

One of the most popular parts of our Lions, Tigers & Beer fundraising event? The silent auction featuring art created by our animals! This year we'll have more masterpieces than ever—and you can only bid on, win, and take home your favorites by being present at the event September 11.

Curious about our residents' creative process? Take a peek inside the fennec fox studio with Tiya and Tito. As you can see, their work is quite, um, tasteful ... thanks to a few treats offered as incentive for them to explore the animal-safe paint.

Once the foxes had left their mark, our enrichment coordinator picked up on their nature-themed vibe and helped them put the finishing touches on their diptych. Have you ever seen a more compelling homage to spring blossoms?

Tickets to the event are limited, so nab yours now at https://animalparknc.org/tours/.

08/14/2026

We're only one month away from the wildest fundraising event of the year: Lions, Tigers & Beer!

Grab your tickets now to join us September 11 for tasty bites and sips created and donated by local chefs and beverage makers.

Before you dig in, you'll take a premium Twilight Tour of the Park. You can also bid on exclusive silent-auction items (we've got intel that our animals have been creating some amazing artworks!) and enjoy live music from Kevin Holdson.

All proceeds go directly to caring for our animals. Can't wait to see you there! Book today at https://animalparknc.org/tours/events/ltb/.

08/13/2026

"Big bad wolf" or important keystone species?

Today is International Wolf Day, created to help set the record straight about these fascinating and often misunderstood animals.

At the Animal Park, tour guests enjoy learning about gray wolves and their ecological role through species ambassadors Sitka, Rayne, Elric, and Geralt. Learn more at https://animalparknc.org/residents/gray-wolf/.

08/10/2026

At the Animal Park, we sometimes frame the decline of wild lion populations like this for our visitors:

➡ In 1994, when the original Lion King movie debuted, wild lions in Africa numbered up to around 50,000.
➡ By 2019, when the photorealistic version of the movie was released, that number had dropped by more than half.
➡ That's in just 25 years. Looking back further, around 200,000 lions roamed the savannas a century ago.

This World Lion Day, we're saluting organizations like and that work to preserve lions and their landscapes.

08/08/2026

International Cat Day is the perfect opportunity to celebrate our August birthday cats at the Animal Park:

🎂Renato Geoffroy's Cat turns 13 on 8/9
🎈Asher Caracal turns 12 on 8/15
🎁Naomi Lion turns 11 on 8/16
🎉Jabari, Omot, and Kabaka Lions turn 7 on 8/17
🎊Muraco Bobcat turns 10 on 8/18

Honoring these and all other cats around the Park—and the world—today!🐈🐅🦁🐆

08/07/2026

Weekend goals from Slomo. Who's ready to tune in to their inner Linnaeus's two-toed sloth?

Once you've had your fill of just hanging around, remember—we're open for tours Saturday and Sunday at the Animal Park! Reserve yours at https://animalparknc.org/tours/.

08/02/2026

Naomi Lion may not LOOK overly impressed. But we think she secretly loves the animal-safe treats, toys, and experiences created and offered by our volunteer enrichment-maker extraordinaire.

Naomi's too young to remember the Lawrence Welk Show, but clearly your social media correspondent is NOT.... Look it up.

Address

Burlington, NC

Opening Hours

Saturday	9am - 4pm
Sunday	9am - 4pm

Telephone

+13364210883

Website

http://www.AnimalParkNC.org/, http://linktr.ee/AnimalParkNC

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