Philadelphia Zoo Adjusts Hours to Allow Guests to Visit During the Coolest Parts of the Day

Philadelphia Zoo is modifying its hours of operation Thursday, July 2 – Saturday, July 4 as the region prepares for the highest stretch of temperatures yet this year.

The Zoo will be operating on a modified scheduled as follows:

·        Thursday, July 2: 8:30am – 2:00pm, last entry at 1:00pm
·        Friday, July 3: 8:30am – 2:00pm, last entry at 1:00pm
·        Saturday, July 4: 8:30am – 5:00pm, last entry at 4:00pm

The heatwave comes as the Zoo is offering locals and tourists to the region the chance to visit the Zoo at its best prices of the year to celebrate America 250 and the Zoo’s 153rd grand opening anniversary. From Wednesday, July 1 – Sunday, July 5,. guests can enjoy 25% off all general admission tickets with code 4JULY25. Ticket prices vary from $21-29.50 for adults and $17-24 for children; buy ahead and save.

To help guests stay cool in the heat, the Zoo has 10 complimentary water filling stations throughout its 42-acre campus to help guests stay hydrated, all designated on the Zoo Map; shaded pathways and outdoor picnic areas, including Backyard Kitchen and Shamba Yard (next to Flamingo Cove) for guests to take a break; and cool treats for purchase including Kelly’s Water Ice at Urban Green and ice cream at the Scoop Shack.

During intense heat, the Zoo takes extra steps and precautions to ensure all of its animals are comfortable and healthy. This includes allowing animals to have access to shady and air-conditioned spaces as well as creating enrichment opportunities involving ice, sprinklers, pools, mud wallows and more. A few examples include:

·        Fish frozen inside blocks of ice for the giant river otters
·        Carrots frozen inside blocks of ice for the goats
·        Primate chow frozen inside blocks of ice for the gorillas and orangutans
·        Pools and mud wallows for the giant tortoises to take a dip in
·        A massive mud wallow for the Zoo’s white rhino, Tony
·        Kiddie pools at the barnyard for the alpacas to take a dip in
·        Misters inside the Zoo360 trail for big cats
 
Guests can visit philadelphiazoo.org/visit to plan their visit.

About Philadelphia Zoo
At Philadelphia Zoo, the Zoo moves around you! Pioneering Zoo360, a first-in-the-world system of animal exploration trails, Philadelphia Zoo has inspired more than 70 zoos around the globe to design new ways to invite animals to travel and roam through their own campuses. Passing through treetops, crossing over pathways and connecting habitats, Zoo360 provides Philadelphia Zoo’s beautiful big cats, playful lemurs, and lively monkeys innovative ways to explore and marvel at one another and our guests. Visit the all-new Carey Bear Country, home to Andean and sloth bears, meet Mommy the Galapagos tortoise and her world-famous hatchlings at the Reptile & Amphibian House, our quickly-growing orangutan infant in PECO Primate Reserve, the Ankole cattle hillside, Amur tigers at Big Cat Falls, Victorian crown pigeons at McNeil Avian Center, and hippos, zebras and white rhino throughout African Plains. Share a space with critically endangered lemurs as you wander through Lemur Island, look up as you feed the world's tallest animal at Giraffe Experience, or get up-close as you hand-serve colorful birds their meals at Wings of Asia. Philadelphia Zoo is one of the region's foremost conservation and education organizations and home to endangered, and in some cases extinct, animals in the wild. At Philadelphia Zoo, our mission is to flourish as an urban oasis where people and animals thrive, transformative memories are made, and our passion for conservation helps save wildlife. Philadelphia Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and is a non-smoking facility. For more information, visit philadelphiazoo.org. Facebook: PhiladelphiaZoo; Instagram: @philadelphiazoo; X (formerly Twitter): @phillyzoo; TikTok: @philadelphiazoo