2024 VIP – Meet and Feed the Zoo’s Otters

Tour Details

Tour Dates: March 16 (sold out), April 27, May 18. (sold out), July 20, August 10 (sold out), September 21, October 19

Tour Time and Meeting Place: 11 a.m.; Meet at the Bob Cat Habitat at the upper end of the Streamside Habitat Cluster in the North American section of the Zoo.

Minimum Age: Children must be at least eight years old to attend. A paying adult must accompany children younger than 18.

Tour Overview: This tour usually ends between noon and 12:15 p.m. Guests go behind the scenes at the Streamside Habitat to learn about the care and feeding regimes keepers follow with many of the Zoo’s reptiles, amphibians, fish, and arthropods. Toward the end of the program, guests have the opportunity to get close to and feed one or more of the Zoo’s otters. Because otters are highly susceptible to COVID-19 infections, guests must wear masks and non-latex gloves when feeding the otters.

ADA Status: This tour is not ADA Accessible

Important Health and Safety Restriction

Because otters are known to be vulnerable to COVID-19 infections, special restrictions are in place to protect their health during these tours. All guests must wear masks when they come within 6 feet of any of the Zoo’s otters. Guests will also be required to wear gloves while feeding an otter. We cannot waive this requirement for any reason.

Safety Note: To accommodate the needs of our staff and guests, we limit the size of the group attending this tour to 10 people. Guest must follow the keepers’ and guides’ instructions from the keepers and guide on how to feed the animals safely. Guests should not try to touch or pet any otters and may not approach or try to touch any other animals on this tour unless invited to do so by a keeper. If an invitation is extended, guides and keepers will explain how an animal can be held or touched safely. Our goal is to keep everyone safe and the animals comfortable and stress-free.

Current Health Requirements: Guests must wear masks and gloves while feeding an otter. The Zoo may implement additional health measures (e.g., requiring guests to wear gloves) if new or more serious medical hazards emerge to threaten the well-being of our animals, guests, or staff. 

If we change the medical restrictions noted on the tour after selling tickets to the program, we will email ticketholders about these changes and will also report them in the following paragraph. Ticketholders who cannot accommodate these introduced changes can receive a full refund for their tour purchase or, if they prefer, may sign up for an alternate tour with acceptable health restrictions.

Original Health Requirements Are Unchanged: The Zoo Society has not adjusted any health requirements since first posting information on this tour.