Wish List

Support the critical care, community, and conservation work that takes place at your free zoo every day.

African lions are naturally eager to explore. When mother-of-four Zari and her pride-mates at Pepper Family Wildlife Center—Hasira, Cleo, and Jabari—encounter novel items in their habitat, they can practice instinctual behaviors. Keep Zari playing all day with new Kong toys and Jolly Eggs!

May 19 is western lowland gorilla Mondika’s birthday. Keepers fill coconut shells with frozen, diluted fruit juice and sugar-free gelatin, which they hide throughout the gorilla family troop’s habitat at Regenstein Center for African Apes to encourage foraging and healthy snacking for the family. Help celebrate Mondika with some special enrichment!

May 17 marks Endangered Species Day. Several endangered species call the zoo home, including two Jamaican iguanas. This species was considered extinct for four decades until a small population was discovered in 1990. As a part of their diet here, keepers dust insect snacks with a superfine calcium powder to ensure a balanced diet. Help keep the iguanas healthy and strong by providing them with this mineral.

May 29 is World Otter Day, and we are thrilled to celebrate resident Asian small-clawed otters Kevin and Namiko! Keepers place a small water fountain in the otters’ habitat to create novelty and encourage the otters to play. Keep the otters frolicking with a new water fountain!

At Helen Brach Primate House, black-and-white colobus monkey Kutaka keeps close watch over her offspring, Nola, Zinga, and Kean, who spend their days climbing and playing throughout the habitat. All of that activity works up quite the appetite, and one of the troop’s favorite meals is nourishing and delicious browse. Celebrate mom Kutaka and the whole colobus troop with a fresh supply!

At Farm-in-the-Zoo, the domestic cows don’t have to be infants to enjoy the mushy goodness of baby food! Zookeepers use fruit-flavored baby food as frequent food enrichment, but also for training and medication delivery. Keep their supplies stocked with this thoughtful treat!

Naked mole rats live in eusocial colonies with a single breeding female that acts as the queen. Celebrate Lincoln Park Zoo’s resident naked mole rat colony and their queen this Mother’s Day with some nutritious nuts!

Spring has arrived at Lincoln Park Zoo. Beautiful flowers are beginning to bloom across zoo grounds. The horticulture team has a special opportunity to provide pollinators with an exquisite, flourishing habitat across the zoo’s 49 acres. Help us plant pansies, sweet alyssum, and ranunculus for the local wildlife to enjoy!

May 23 is World Turtle Day, and Lincoln Park Zoo can’t wait to celebrate! The zoo is home to several different species of turtles, including the eastern box turtle at Pritzker Family Children?s Zoo. Help give these reptiles a “turtle”-ly awesome day with a helping of one their favorite snacks: insects!

North American black bears Katai and Birch love to snack on wholesome oats. Keepers spread the oats around their habitat to provide them with tasty treats that allow them to engage in natural foraging behavior. Give the bears a “cereal”-ously yummy snack with some oats!

In the wild, Hoffmann’s two-toed sloths are nocturnal, feeding on lettuce, leaves, and fruit. Though Oro is one of the slowest-moving animals at Lincoln Park Zoo, you’d be surprised how quickly he can move for his favorite snack—crunchy lettuce! Keep Oro snacking with a share of delicious greens!

Throughout the zoo, keepers utilize a variety of enrichment items and habitat design features to motivate animals to explore their habitats and use their senses. For example, keepers will place water pumps into Hope B. McCormick Swan Pond to create gentle waves in the pond, which encourage the resident waterfowl to investigate. Keep the waterfowl curious and chip in for a new pump today.

At Regenstein Small Mammal-Reptile House, keepers give the many resident species a variety of special feeders that encourage the animals to search for food throughout their habitat. A bullet feeder—named for its shape—has randomly-placed holes that allow small mammals like northern tree shrews to problem-solve to reach the food inside. Make mealtime enriching today with a new bullet feeder.