Nuts are favorite treats for many of the Zoo’s animals! Come
observe the animals dive into packages filled with nutty enrichment. Watch
as some of the birds and monkeys crack a hearty Brazil nut with
one chomp!
Come and join Binder Park Zoo as we celebrate some of the rarest
animals in the world. Zookeepers will meet with guests
and discuss what it is about these animals that make them so
unique and rare. Also learn what Binder Park Zoo is doing to
conserve these beautiful creatures, and what you can do to help.
Training animals to cooperate in some of their day to day care
can be fun for the animals as well as the zookeepers. Watch
the keepers’ techniques as they train and use enrichment
activities to motivate the animals.
Watch as the animals dive into yummy, wiggly Jell-O molds in
order to dig out their favorite treat items. It may surprise
you at which animals find Jell-O as tasty as you do!
Humans are not the only ones that watch their carbs! Some
animals here at Binder Park would find a meatball more delicious
than a peanut butter sandwich. Enjoy in the excitement
as the meat-eaters attack their enrichment.
Leaves, glorious leaves…watch the animals tear through
piles of branches and leaves as they are given fresh browse cut
right here at the zoo by the horticulture staff. *all browse is approved for the animals by the vet staff…certain
types of browse can be dangerous to some animals.
Could you fit a whole watermelon in your belly? Some animals
in the Zoo can! Who will be the fastest? Enjoy
seeing the juice run down the chins of your favorite animals
as they chomp on watermelons in the summer sun.
Come celebrate in the fun as the animals open up piles of presents. See
which gifts they treasure the most. Some will enjoy the
boxes and wrappers more than what is hidden inside!
Help save the endangered cheetah by walking, running or jogging in
Binder Park Zoo’s Cheetah Chase, Saturday June 23, 2007. This
exciting new chip timed running/walking event will take participants
through portions of the Zoo including Wild Africa. Choose from
three different races; The Gazelle Gallup 5K run, 5K Sloth Walk or
the Lemur Lap, a 1 Mile Kid’s Fun Run. 1st, 2nd and 3rd
place winners for both men and women will be rewarded with prizes! Participants
in the Cheetah Chase will be provided with snacks, a free t-shirt,
a zoo pass for the day and health and sports fitness information,
provided by vender booths representing Healthy Lifestyles. To
register for the Cheetah Chase visit www.binderparkzoo.org or
contact the Zoo at 269-979-1351 ext 153 or 156 for more information.
July 22
Going Bananas (Animal Play
Day)
It may surprise you which animals will devour a banana faster
than you! Watch as some of the animals eat these healthy
fruits peel and all!
12:00 - Lemurs
12:00 - Watusi Cattle
1:00 - Miller Children Zoo
1:00 - Duikers
2:00 - Aldabra tortoises
2:30 - Red Pandas
3:00 - White Handed Gibbons
3:00 - Savanna
3:30 - Red Capped Mangabeys
4:00 - Colobus Monkeys
August 4 & 5
Reptile Weekend
Saturday, August 4, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, August 5, 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Binder Park Zoo and the Michigan Society of Herpetologists (MSH)
are proud to once again feature Michigan’s largest Reptile
Weekend event held at Binder Park Zoo! Members from the Michigan
Society of Herpetologists will share insight on the many misconceptions
that plague reptiles and amphibians. This fascinating event,
geared towards both kids and adults, will allow reptile enthusiasts
to see and touch over 100 different reptiles and amphibians from
around the world!
Visit with our Giant Aldabra Tortoises and their keeper!
Saturday 11-4
Sunday 12-4
August 11
Bagels, Bagels, Bagels (Animal
Play Day)
Bagels aren’t just for breakfast anymore….enjoy
observing these animals tear into a few fluffy bagels-minus the
cream cheese of course!
12:00 - Miller Children Zoo
12:30 - Cockatoos
1:00 - Bennett’s Wallabies
2:30 - African Wild Dogs
3:00 - Red Capped Mangabeys
3:30 - Colobus and Gibbons
4:00 - Watusi Cattle
August 19
Chillin' On a Summer Daze
(Animal Play Day)
Zookeepers keep the animals cool on the hot Michigan summer
days in many ways. Come watch the animals escape the scorchers
by licking and chewing ice with treats frozen right inside!
12:00 - Lemurs
12:30 - Cheetahs
1:00 - Miller Children Zoo
2:00 - Mexican Wolves
2:30 - African Wild dogs
3:00 - Red Capped Mangabey
4:00 - Watusi Cattle
September 3
Boiled Egg-stravaganza! (Animal
Play Day)
Watch this egg-stra special enrichment day get started in the
Conservation Discovery Center as the cotton-top tamarins show
you just how delectable a boiled egg can be. Some animals
peel them for themselves, and some need a helping hand to get
the fun started.
Sweet corn on the cob is one of the animals’ absolute
favorite treats. These creatures eat it raw, and some peel it
for themselves! Watch as the keepers dole out the fresh
cobs to a variety of zoo animals.
12:00 - Lemurs
12:30 - Cockatoos
1:00 - Rodent Building located in the Miller Children’s Zoo
2:00 - White Handed Gibbons
3:00 - Red capped Mangabey
3:30 - Colobus monkey
September 29 & 30
Howl-a-Palooza
The stories from Little Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs
are how many folks learned about wolves, but these stories contain
very few true facts. Come to Binder Park Zoo to learn
the truth about wolves and help us kick off Wolf Awareness Week!
October 6
Harvest Day (Animal Play Day)
As fall approaches, the animals join in the fun too! Piles
of leaves, corn stalks, pumpkins, and squash provide tons of
fun for many of the critters.
Gather the kids and get your costumes ready because Binder Park Zoo’s
annual Great ZooBoo is just around the corner! This Merry-Not-Scary
event begins mid October and runs through October 30th. Visit
some of your favorite animals as you and your family trick-or-treat
through trails of lighted jack o’ lanterns and dozens of displays!
Don’t forget to take a ride on the Z.O. & O. ZooBoo Express
and try your luck at the Booville Carnival, where kids can play games
and win cool prizes! Experience one of southwest Michigan’s
largest family Halloween events at Binder Park Zoo.
Have a question? Need more info? Let us know!
Binder Park Zoo History
Binder Park Zoo opened in 1977 and is located outside
of Battle Creek, Michigan on 433 acres of glacier-formed rolling terrain
of natural forests and wetlands. In the past 26 years it has grown to be
one of the leading cultural attractions in the region. It has been created
on the model of an entrepreneurial self-supporting nonprofit organization
and is managed by a zoological society board of directors to "nurture
empathy, understanding, and conservation of nature". In the last several
years a conservation education center, a 40-acre (16 hectare) natural wetlands
exhibit, and the 50-acre Wild Africa exhibit have been added to the original
26-acre zoo. 60,000 people are served annually in 30 different types of
formal education programs. In addition, we are heavily invested in conservation
of wildlife and habitats. In Binder Park we are preserving extensive wetland
and deciduous habitat. In cooperation with The American Zoo and Aquarium
Association (AZA) and others, we are actively working to conserve a wide
array of species some of which are black duiker, Mexican wolf, cheetah,
red panda, cinereous vulture, trumpeter swan, bontebok, roan antelope, and
Karner blue butterfly.
