Posts Tagged ‘Zoos’

The Greenville Zoo is Planning an Awesome Giraffe Encounter

Get up close and personal with giraffes at the Greenville Zoo in Greenville, SC with their new feeding platform, expected to be finished by early summer.

Ever wanted to feed a giraffe and get a selfie in front of the cool creatures? You’ll be able to do that soon at our very own Greenville Zoo. Thanks to private donations, the Jim and Janice Cordes Giraffe Encounters should be finished by early May but won’t open to the public until the early summer. Don’t worry, we’ll let you know as soon as it is open to the public.

Photo courtesy of the City of Greenville

The Giraffe Feeding Platform

Visitors will be able to walk up a concrete ramp and, with the help of a zookeeper, feed the giraffes by hand. Giraffes are the tallest living animal on Earth, reaching heights between 14-19 feet tall. And they are herbivores, which means guests don’t need to worry about handling raw meat when feeding them!

The giraffes will get some tasty leaves or biscuits from guests who make use of the feeding platform when they visit the Zoo.

“It’s going to bring lots of children who are going to find that to be a lot of fun,” said Jim Cordes, one of the lead donors. “And they’ll bring their parents and their grandparents, and it will not only bring people to the zoo but to Greenville.”

The project budget was around $400,000 and was paid for by private donations.

The Giraffe Feeding Experience

Feeding the giraffes will be an extra cost to visitors who want to purchase leaves or biscuits to give to the animals. We don’t have those costs yet.

Even though the platform is expected to be completed in early May, the zookeepers need time to acclimate the giraffes to the new thing in their lives.

“Giraffes are a little timid,” said Zoo Director Bill Cooper. “They’ll see this new thing out in their exhibit and they’ll gently explore it at first and then eventually get used to it. We hope to complete training and have them ready to interact with the public in June.”

The zoo is currently home to Masai giraffes Miles and Autumn, who are part of the Species Survival Program. Many baby giraffes have been born at the Zoo in the past ten years, including Kiko, Kellen and Providence.

Zoo giraffe feeding platform — Photo courtesy of the City of Greenville

Greenville Zoo
150 Cleveland Drive, Greenville

Zoos, Nature Centers, & Aquariums Within 2.5 Hours of Greenville

Looking for a zoo or aquarium to explore in the southeast? What kid doesn’t love getting up close and personal with a gray wolf, black bear, a giant shark, or a creepy tarantula? Families can check out all of those animals and more with the many zoos, nature centers, and aquariums all within a two-and-a-half-hour drive or less from Greenville.

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Greenville Zoo Ready to Welcome Visitors Back!

The Greenville Zoo will begin reopening on May 29, 2020 to members only and then reopen to the general public on June 8, 2020.

The governor of South Carolina gave the go-ahead to reopen museums, zoos, and other attractions on May 20, 2020 after being closed because of the novel coronavirus but many of these places need to implement new policies, obtain correct signage, and install barriers, hand sanitizing stations, and take other precautions before they can safely open up.

The Greenville Zoo will initially open for a special members-only weekend on May 29 – 31. If you were thinking about getting a membership to the zoo, you can still do so and be included in the special opening weekend.

The general public will be welcome to visit starting on June 8.

Limited Tickets

The Zoo will be limiting the number of visitors to ensure safe social distancing and a certain tickets will be available each day, which you can purchase online.

You must have an online reservation to enter the zoo, including members.

Masks are encouraged for guests ages 3 and up and can be purchased at the ticket booth if needed.

The playgrounds and water fountains within the Greenville Zoo will remain closed for the time being. Concessions will be open and guests will be allowed to bring their own food and eat at the properly spaced picnic tables.

Admission to the Greenville Zoo is $9.75/adults, $6.50/kids ages 3-12, and $8.75/seniors ages 65+. Household memberships start at $70 per year.

Summer Camps

Right now, the Greenville Zoo is offering Summer Camp Kits that will be delivered via the Zoomobile (within 30 miles of the Zoo) or USPS. Kits are for ages 5-7 or 8-11 and will be either half or full day adventures.

The kits and virtual summer camp will mirror in-person camp experiences with things like zookeeper meets, zoo tours, animal encounters, and special events.

Questions can be directed to the Education Department at [email protected] or 864-467-4850.