ZOO in Forest Park and Education Center

Home
United States
Springfield, MA
ZOO in Forest Park and Education Center

Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from ZOO in Forest Park and Education Center, Wildlife sanctuary, 293 Sumner Avenue, Springfield, MA.

The Zoo in Forest Park is a 501c3 non-profit organization with a mission to inspire its community to respect and value the natural world through education, conservation and rehabilitation.

08/30/2026

The capybara FOMO is real 👀🥔🍠

Not had the chance to get up close and cuddly with Russet and Sweet Potato, The Zoo's adorable capybaras? Not a problem! Bookings for capybara encounters are now open through September! Head to forestparkzoo.org/encounters to book your spot now.

Capybara encounters are 30 minutes and include an introduction from a Zoo Educator and greens to feed the capys. Participants must be at least 3 years old.

08/29/2026

Zoo School is back in session this fall! This program serves children ages 6-12 and provides a unique opportunity to experience The Zoo with a Zoo educator by their side. During these 60-minute programs, participants will have the chance to interact closely with a variety of Zoo ambassador animals while also participating in The Zoo's two-time national-award-winning Kids Go Wild curriculum. Each session includes a STEAM activity that meets Massachusetts state education standards in literacy, science, math, engineering or art.

For more information or to register your child, visit www.forestparkzoo.org/zoo-school

08/24/2026

We are back up and running with our daily operating schedule. You can visit The Zoo every day of the week from 10-4, with last admission at 3:30. 🐾

Want to get even closer during your visit? Check out the encounters we have available at www.forestparkzoo.org/encounters. 🦜🦝🐢

08/22/2026

We’re open!!!!

We’re back to our daily operating schedule of 10-4 daily, with last admission at 3:30.

Another HUGE shoutout to our volunteers from MassMutual and Meyers Brothers Kalicka, P.C. who were here Thursday and Friday helping us prepare The Zoo for opening. We are so grateful for the role they played in allowing us to open today!

08/21/2026

🗣️🎉 WE’RE REOPENING! 🎉🗣️

The Zoo will reopen TOMORROW, Saturday, Aug. 22, from 10-4! After a long two weeks of cleanup, hard work, and an incredible outpouring of support from our community, we’re so excited to welcome you back. 🥳🐾

We’ve been working hard to get our gates open as quickly as possible, which means we’ve had to get creative with some temporary solutions, and we are asking our guests to kindly mind the mess while we continue to fix and rebuild what was broken. Guests will also be re-routed through the field and around the emu enclosure, the area most heavily impacted by the storm. We appreciate your patience as we continue working to restore this area.

We cannot thank our community enough for rallying around us over the past two weeks. From donations and fundraisers to offers of time, equipment, services, and encouragement, your support has meant everything. Our team has worked tirelessly every day to care for our animals and get The Zoo ready to reopen, and we can’t wait to see you back!

Come say hi to all your favorites this weekend, and bear with us as we continue putting things back together.

08/19/2026

A HUGE thank you to our volunteers from Tighe & Bond who have spent their morning clearing branches, sticks, leaves and other debris as we work towards an Aug. 22 reopening. We’re making progress one step at a time and their help has been invaluable! 👏🏼 🐾

08/17/2026

Today is , and given the incredible response to our recent storm updates, we thought it was the perfect time to share a little more about who we are and how The Zoo operates.

The Zoo in Forest Park is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located inside a city-run park, but we are not operated or funded by the City of Springfield. As an independent nonprofit, The Zoo is responsible for raising the funds needed to operate, care for our animals, maintain our facilities and carry out our mission. This is done mainly through admissions, programming and fundraising.

At The Zoo, our mission is to inspire our community to respect and value the natural world through education, conservation and rehabilitation. We work with wildlife rehabilitators across the country to provide permanent homes to animals that cannot survive on their own in the wild. By caring for native wildlife, we have the opportunity to introduce our guests to the animals in their own backyard to foster an appreciation for the natural world around them.

While we are eager to welcome back our community, The Zoo will remain closed to the public this week as we continue to recover from the storm. Our goal is to begin welcoming visitors back to The Zoo on Saturday, Aug. 22. We will continue to share updates here as we work toward reopening.

Thank you for continuing to support The Zoo and a huge thank you to all who have donated while our gates remain closed to the public. If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution, you can do so www.forestparkzoo.org/donate. 🐾💚

08/13/2026

STORM UPDATE

We are overwhelmed by the incredible support our community has shown us since Saturday’s devastating storm.

To everyone who has donated, we cannot thank you enough. Your generosity is helping us navigate the enormous challenges we are facing; every gift is a reminder that our community loves The Zoo as much as we do.

We have also received SO many offers to lend a hand, donate time and services, provide equipment, and help us in countless other ways. Businesses and community members have organized fundraisers on The Zoo’s behalf. Organizations have reached out to check on us and offer assistance and moral support. We are incredibly grateful for every act of kindness you have shown us.

We know many of you are itching to roll up your sleeves and help with clean up. We see the offers and we are appreciative to all who are willing to do the hard work needed to get us up and running again. However, at this time, we are still working to make The Zoo safe for volunteers to come in and assist.

Today, a team from the City of Springfield's Forestry Division started the arduous process of removing fallen trees and dangerous hanging limbs throughout The Zoo. Once that work is complete, we can begin assessing the damage underneath and determining what repairs will be needed as well as any potential volunteer work.

Through all of this, one thing has remained constant: Our animal care team continues to show up every single day. No matter what is happening around them, our animals still need food, water and care, and our team is here to provide it. We are incredibly grateful for their dedication and resilience.

We know many of you are asking how you can help. Right now, the most immediate and impactful way to support The Zoo is through a donation. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit, the money we make during our open season helps sustain us during the winter. Every day we are closed is another day of revenue lost. If you would like to donate, you can do so at www.forestparkzoo.org/donate.

Whether you have already given, are considering making a gift, or have shown your support in countless other ways, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We are endlessly grateful to know that we have our community behind us every step of the way.

08/10/2026

STORM UPDATE

We are incredibly lucky that, despite the severity of Saturday’s storm and the damage it caused, no animal was injured or lost. They are always our top priority. All our animals are safe, and our dedicated team is continuing to care for them as we figure out what comes next.

The damage to The Zoo itself, however, is substantial. Massive trees have been torn out from their roots, enclosures have been destroyed, and our team is still working to triage the full extent of the damage to create a plan forward. The Zoo will remain closed until further notice while we work to clean up the aftermath and ensure The Zoo is safe before welcoming back our community.

As a seasonal nonprofit, every day we are closed during our open season has a significant financial impact. The loss of admission revenue, combined with the unexpected costs of cleanup, repairs, and rebuilding, will be a tremendous challenge for The Zoo.
If you would like to help us as we work to rebuild and reopen, tax-deductible donations can be made at www.forestparkzoo.org/donate.

We look forward to welcoming you back to The Zoo as soon as we are able.

08/09/2026

UPDATE 8/10: The Zoo will remain closed to the public until further notice.

The Zoo is closed today, Sunday, Aug 9.

Last night’s severe storm caused extensive damage in Forest Park, including several downed trees inside The Zoo. Our team was on site last night to assess the situation and ensure the well-being of all animal residents. While we are happy to report that all animals are safe, there is property damage and extensive cleanup that requires The Zoo to close to the public. Our team is back on site this morning, and we will provide updates as soon as possible.

Address

293 Sumner Avenue
Springfield, MA
01108

Telephone

+14137332251

Website

http://www.forestparkzoo.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when ZOO in Forest Park and Education Center posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to ZOO in Forest Park and Education Center:

Want your organization to be the top-listed Government Service in Springfield?