Lincoln Park Zoo

Starter Homes
These nest baskets encourage laughing thrushes to nest and reproduce.

Flower Power
Animals enjoy flowers, too. These assorted orchids, bromiliads and tillandsias will be used to spruce up tropical-frog exhibits and make them feel at home.

Extreme Home Makeover
Naked mole rats live in a warren of chambers and tunnels. These new acrylic cylinders will update their space, providing plush new digs in which they can make a home.

Make a House a Home with Plants
Spanish moss adds complexity to exhibits such as the dwarf crocodiles’ in Regenstein Small Mammal Reptile House.

Exotic Spices
Rich scents of exotic spices can provide a multi-sensory experience for many animals.

For Picky Eaters Everywhere
Leaf-cutter ants are finicky. They won’t touch store-bought produce, and finding natural browse during a Chicago winter can be challenging. Satisfy their selective palates with tasty treats like winter creeper and pachysandra.

Stymie Their Nimble Fingers
Many of our apes are so smart and agile that they are able to untie ropes. Zookeepers must use these quick-link fasteners to secure enrichment items within the gorilla and chimpanzee exhibits.

It’s a Jungle in Here
Birds like the Guam Micronesian kingfisher need a certain environment to breed, including private spots and lots of cover. New potted plants will enhance the jungle-like environment.

Built from Scratch
Lincoln Park Zoo keepers use lumber and other supplies to build nest boxes for woodhoopoes and kookaburras. These new, cozy digs encourage breeding and provide spots to raise young.

Give a Zebra a Pedicure
Hoofed animals need their hooves maintained, too! This hoof blade does the job safely for both animal and zookeeper.

Do-It-Yourself Nests
Sphagnum, raffia and grasses help broadbills and tawny frogmouths build comfy nests.

Ladybug, Ladybug…Clean Up My Home!
Ladybugs are nifty natural housekeepers whose voracious appetite keeps bird exhibits free of pests.

Find a Shady Spot
Species like the Patagonian cavy seek out shade to relax and feel at home. Olive trees provide the perfect cover for a luxurious afternoon nap.

Calling in the Pool Man
When you eat your meals in the pool, it gets messy and falling leaves don’t help, either. This leaf bagger/spa vacuum enables zookeepers to keep the gray seals’ home clean and comfortable.

A Big Cookie Jar for Primates
These large browse containers enable zookeepers to sort and keep tasty browse before they are fed to the monkeys and apes. They’ll also hold and keep browse fresh through the long Chicago winter.

That’s Quite an Ice Cube
Lincoln Park Zoo’s polar bear loves toying with these enormous 200-pound blocks of ice. They are enriching and cooling at the same time!

An Iceberg…In Chicago?
Everybody loves pool toys, including our polar bear. This huge plastic iceberg is perfect for pouncing and plunging!

Get a Room
Red Pandas need privacy, especially if they’re courting. We hope these special nest boxes will help create conditions for breeding.

It’s Raining, It’s Pouring
Make it rain indoors. Misting systems like these create rainforest-like conditions for tree frogs in their exhibit – let it rain, let it rain, let it rain!

What Big Teeth You Have
Geoffrey’s marmosets use their long incisors to penetrate tree bark and gobble up the gummy sap - and fig trees provide just that! Enhance their exhibit with an enticing new fig tree.