Our mission at Zoology Foundation is to inspire positive connections between people, animals, and the environment through animal interactions and by providing sanctuary to animals. We talk a lot about how we provide sanctuary to animals, the animal’s stories, and how we care for them. But what exactly do we do to inspire connections? And what types of animal interactions do we offer? We inspire connections through three main types of programs. These are public tours, offsite events/booths, and partnering with local groups who work with adults with disabilities.
Most people who see the foundation, see it through our public tours. Tours are a close up, intimate, small group experience. During this experience you will get to meet a variety of animal species which will hopefully lead to some new experiences such as: smelling a ferret, racing a 100lb tortoise, feeding a sheep with an overbite, or getting a kiss from a camel! Regular tours are capped at 12 participants per group to make sure everyone can get the most out of the experience and have all of their questions answered. They are also led by one of our very own animal care professionals. This makes our tours really special because your tour guide is not just at the foundation to do programming, but has personal relationships with many of the individual animals as well as in depth knowledge of the species. We run tours all year for all ages! We do allow larger group tours on a case-by-case basis depending on the number of participants, so feel free to ask if that interests you! Contact info is at the bottom.
The second way we inspire connections is by hosting booths at offsite events. In the past we have been to Larkspur’s Music in the Park, DDFL’s Furry Scurry, and the YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day! Although we do not bring animals to these events, we still have a blast! Many of our animals are not used to large groups of people and loud noises, so big events can be stressful. But we do bring information and activities to engage children and adults. It’s a wonderful way for us to meet people in surrounding communities who may not have heard of us. We also have fun drawings for a chance to win free tours, ZOFO swag, and behind the scenes experiences! To keep up on our offsite events, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
One of our favorite ways to connect with our community is through our partnerships with adults with disabilities organizations! During these programs, participants come to the sanctuary to get hands on experience with the animals. With the help of our staff and their group leaders, they learn how to care for the animals and do various tasks on the farm. They learn how to do the nitty gritty tasks such as scooping poop, mopping, cleaning out dirty straw, and washing windows. As well as more fun tasks such as grooming cats, enriching alpacas, and creating fun treats for rabbits! The talents and personalities of the members of these groups truly lift our spirits every time they are here…and the cats LOVE the extra attention! Shout out to Wellspring Community and Skycliff Center for your willingness to work with us!
If you are interested in getting inspired through any of these programs please contact our general manager, Anna Miller, at amiller@zoologyfoundation.org. Or visit our website at www.zoologyfoundation.org. We hope to see you soon!
