Wish List

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

In the wild, polar bears build insulating blubber by preying on seals. At Lincoln Park Zoo, the carnivorous bears indulge in hearty Atlantic salmon and salmon oil to give them the fatty sustenance they need to stay warm all winter long. Celebrate Talini’s birthday on November 22—and help her prepare for the long winter ahead—with a deliciously fatty fish feast!

On November 14, leader of the pride and king of our hearts Jabari turns 7 years old. To celebrate, animal care will provide the African lions at Pepper Family Wildlife Center some special enrichment food items like meaty bones. Show your love for Jabari and pitch in for a share!

As he turns 6 on November 9, De Brazza’s monkey Bomani loves spending time with his elders at Helen Brach Primate House. Puzzle feeders are the perfect enrichment for primates, as they encourage animals to use critical thinking skills to earn a tasty treat. Keep Bomani’s mind sharp with a new puzzle feeder.

Animals don’t have their meals delivered at the same time each day. Here at Lincoln Park Zoo, Animal Care staff use timed feeders to intermittently distribute food at different times and in different locations throughout an animal’s habitat. By randomizing food delivery, animals are encouraged to forage and search. This harvest season, give the birds of prey a moveable feast with a new timed feeder!

North American black bears are strong and powerful animals, so they need enrichment items that are tough, durable, and fun. Heavy-duty plastic balls are guaranteed to entertain Birch and Katai at Pritzker Family Children’s Zoo. Help these bears score a touchdown this Thanksgiving with a new ball!

Green beans aren’t just for casseroles; many animals at Lincoln Park Zoo love this Thanksgiving dinner staple. For pied tamarins, a critically endangered species native to Brazilian rainforests, green beans provide essential nutrients. Plus, when these veggies are scattered throughout their habitat, they serve as an excellent foraging opportunity. Go green and supply these primates with a nutritious snack!

Grey seals have several adaptations, like webbed flippers and strong claws, to help them hunt and catch fish in the wild. Here at Lincoln Park Zoo, keepers will place fish in different puzzle feeders to encourage the seals to use their problem-solving skills at mealtimes. Give the grey seals something to flip for this month with some tasty seafood!

The klipspringers at Regenstein African Journey enjoy a large array of fruits and vegetables in their diet. Keepers present skewered snacks like kabobs to foster natural foraging behaviors. Help Animal Care staff deliver a magical meal with pristine presentation for the klipspringers!

Flemish giant rabbits enjoy a nutrient-rich diet to support their sturdy frames, which can reach up to 22 pounds! Keepers provide the rabbits with leafy greens, grass hay, rabbit pellets, fresh fruits, and vegetables to foster natural foraging behaviors. Show how much you care about these giant hares and help them out.

The ponies at Farm-In-the-Zoo enjoy many different food items. Timothy cubes—pressed cubes made of timothy grass—not only make up their diets, but are also used by keepers as positive reinforcement to encourage them to voluntarily participate in their own care! Treat the ponies with one of their favorite healthy and hearty snacks this fall.

Just as Animal Care staff members work around the clock to keep the fauna of the zoo happy and healthy 365 days a year, the horticulture team works tirelessly to ensure the zoo’s flora is well cared for and looking its best every season. During the coldest months, the team will use a mixture of evergreen branches, colorful dogwood twigs, and other accents to set the scene for winter gardens. Help keep the zoo’s grounds looking beautiful even in icy conditions with hardy yet appealing winter plants.

Dubia roaches are high in protein and low in fat, making them a perfect dietary enrichment item for animals like the leopard gecko. Purchase a share of supper club-rated grub that’s a gourmet treat for insectivores.

Rae, a 6-year-old giraffe at Regenstein African Journey, frequently chooses to participate in operant conditioning at the training wall in the outdoor habitat. Keepers say rye crisp crackers are the way to her heart! Select some today to keep Rae crunching and munching away!

The Chilean flamingo flock’s dazzling plumage certainly makes them stand out from their surroundings. The signature pink coloration is a result of consuming krill—small shrimp-like crustaceans that contain beta-carotene. Give the flourishing flock the opportunity to “brine” and dine this Thanksgiving!

This time of year, there’s nothing better than snuggling up in a cozy bed. For three-banded armadillos, cardboard is the perfect material for making a comfy place to rest. Help the resident armadillos stay snug as a bug this winter with new bedding.

Chimpanzees are highly intelligent primates renowned for tool use. The troops at the zoo uses thin, flexible branches to dig out condiments, like honey, ketchup, and peanut butter, from specially designed feeder tubes—similar to the way wild chimpanzees extract insects from real termite mounds. Help keep the feeders stocked with sticky, savory flavors!

In the wild, African rock pythons can reach up to 27 feet long and feed on a variety of prey, such as large rodents, monkeys, fruit bats, monitor lizards, and even crocodiles. As a part of a specialized diet, keepers feed the resident serpent quail to satisfy meaty cravings. Sneak a snack to a snake today!

To create an exciting challenge for Asian small-clawed otters, keepers at Regenstein Small Mammal-Reptile House put fish—like herring, smelt, and trout—inside a specially designed feeder. This requires Kevin and Namiko to “fish” pieces of their meal out with their dexterous paws. Give the otters and tasty treat with some fish! To create an exciting challenge for Asian small-clawed otters, keepers at Regenstein Small Mammal-Reptile House put fish—like herring, smelt, and trout—inside a specially designed feeder. This requires Kevin and Namiko to get pieces of their meal out with their dexterous paws. Give the otters a tasty treat with some fish!

Zookeepers use wheat bread for training, medication delivery, and as a dietary supplement for a variety of animals at the zoo. From rewarding kangaroos and medicating rhinos to making peanut butter treats that help the gibbons gain weight, this bread represents the upper crust of versatile animal care supplements—and you can help us purchase some!