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Santa Barbara Zoo Come see the amazing animals and learn about conservation at the Santa Barbara Zoo! Santa Barbara Zoo welcomes dialogue with the public.
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Trick or treat! Boo at the Zoo is back! 👻🍫🦇Boo at the Zoo starts this week and tickets are on sale now! Join us for Hall...
10/14/2026

Trick or treat! Boo at the Zoo is back! 👻🍫🦇

Boo at the Zoo starts this week and tickets are on sale now! Join us for Halloween fun with Daytime Boo, Nighttime Boo, and the first-ever Boo at the Zoo Adult Night.

🍭 Daytime Boo takes place October 16 - 31 from 10 AM to 3 PM with a Halloween-themed scavenger hunt and prize, daily costume contest and parade, Halloween story time, candy station, hay maze, and more.

🌙 Nighttime Boo returns October 23 - 25 from 5 PM to 8 PM with fun for the whole family including trick-or-treating, costume contests, bounce houses, DJ + dance floor, animal encounters, train rides, and more.

👻 Adult Night is on Thursday, October 22 from 6 PM to 10 PM and features a DJ + dance floor, costume contest, cocktails, complimentary b**r and w**e tastings, train rides, animal encounters, photo booth, and more for guests aged 21+ only.

For tickets and more information: https://www.sbzoo.org/boo-at-the-zoo

Hi! 👋 Bye! 👋Slender-tailed meerkats dig elaborate networks of tunnels. These tunnel systems sometimes reach two or three...
10/13/2026

Hi! 👋 Bye! 👋

Slender-tailed meerkats dig elaborate networks of tunnels. These tunnel systems sometimes reach two or three levels deep and can connect with as many as 15 entrances and exits! Meerkats dig tunnels to escape the heat and to shelter themselves and their young from predators.



📸: Keeper Kelli

10/11/2026

Spend a “spook-tacular” night at the Zoo with a special Halloween edition of our Safari Sleepover! 🏕️🎃👻

Enjoy a night at the Zoo on Saturday, October 17, filled with behind-the-scenes tours, s’mores, Halloween-themed crafts and experiments, and more. Come dressed in costume and join the costume parade as you experience the Zoo after hours with plenty of festive surprises along the way!

To get more info and to register: https://www.sbzoo.org/safari-sleepovers

10/10/2026

Step on snek! 🦊❌🐍

This snake-shaped puzzle feeder is doubly enriching for the fennec foxes. In the wild, fennec foxes hunt small snakes as part of their omnivorous diet. They’re also known to defend their young from slithering predators despite lacking venom resistance. Instead, they rely on their acute reflexes and physical agility to dodge potentially lethal bites.

📸: Keeper Wyatt

10/10/2026

Dr. Julie Barnes is here with an exciting update on the Santa Catalina Island fox: He is recovering exceptionally well following surgery to remove his left hind leg.

The Animal Care & Health team took X-rays and CT scans last week, and at the recommendation of a veterinary orthopedic specialist, it was decided that removing the hind leg was the best option. Even with three legs, foxes, like dogs and cats, remain able to do all the things they could with four legs.

This fox is moving around well, has a healthy appetite, and is recovering quickly. The Zoo will work with our partners to determine the best long-term home for him once the stitches are taken out and he's fully recovered.

10/09/2026

It’s not her birthday, but the puzzle feeder is full of presents for Gigi the white-faced saki! 🙉🎁

📸: Keeper Carissa

Alt-text: Gigi the white-faced saki riffles through a puzzle feeder to find sunflower seeds and other snacks to munch on.

10/07/2026

Heads up, it's hydration time! 💧

Like most birds, toco toucans can't suck up water through their beaks, so they rely on gravity to do the heavy lifting.

We’re beating the heat by the coast! ☀️😎Although well-adapted to arid environments, even animals like fennec foxes and s...
10/06/2026

We’re beating the heat by the coast! ☀️😎

Although well-adapted to arid environments, even animals like fennec foxes and slender-tailed meerkats like to escape the sun on particularly hot days. If you’re having a hard time spotting the Zoo’s residents on a toasty day like today, focus your attention on shady spots where the animals can hide from the heat!

📸: Keeper Wyatt

Home is where the twigs are. 🪺Pigeons around the world have earned a reputation for making poorly built nests, but blue ...
10/06/2026

Home is where the twigs are. 🪺

Pigeons around the world have earned a reputation for making poorly built nests, but blue crowned pigeons know just what they're doing! These birds gather sticks, leaves, and other plant materials to make their messy-looking nests. As the nests are reused and compacted over time, they become more structurally sound.

Alt-text: A blue crowned pigeon rests in a nest, closely watching the camera with one red eye.

Join us in wishing our keepers a happy International Zookeeper Day! 💖🦘Preparing diets, educating guests, and looking out...
10/04/2026

Join us in wishing our keepers a happy International Zookeeper Day! 💖🦘

Preparing diets, educating guests, and looking out for each animal's welfare at the Zoo is just a small part of what our fantastic keepers do every day. Thank you for all your care and hard work!



1st 📸: Keeper Summers
2nd 📸: Keeper Kelli

Alt-text: In the first photo, Keeper Brooke holds out a target for Ajax the western gray kangaroo to touch with his snout. Next, Katili the meerkat sits in Keeper Kelli's shadow and looks up at her. The last photo shows the Animal Care & Health team gathered on the Verandah for a group shot.

Address

500 Ninos Drive
Santa Barbara, CA
93103

Opening Hours

Monday 9:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 9:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 9:30am - 5pm
Thursday 9:30am - 5pm
Friday 9:30am - 5pm
Saturday 9:30am - 5pm
Sunday 9:30am - 5pm

Telephone

+18059625339

Website

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