Animal Encounters

Explore the extraordinary chance provided by the Brandywine Zoo to engage with captivating species from the animal kingdom.

Led by our dedicated zookeepers, you will gain fascinating insights on our zoo residents and possibly participate in feeding sessions or training activities. These special, up-close encounters serve as essential forms of animal enrichment; just like when working with the keepers, the animals have the choice to participate in feeding and training opportunities.

Help us by playing a vital role in ensuring the welfare of the animals in our care and learning about our conservation activities.

Please check in at the front gate no later than 15 minutes prior to your experience. Due to the nature of this experience, late arrivals will not be permitted, and tickets will be forfeited without refund.

For questions about the experience or to learn more, please call 302-407-4419.

Things to know

Encounter price does not include admission to the zoo.
Capacity for the encounter is 4.
Minimum age 6 years old. Children 6-17 must be accompanied by an adult with a paid ticket.
No open-toed shoes allowed.
Program will occur rain or shine. The Zoo reserves the right to reschedule the experience due to weather.
Registration for the program closes 48hrs prior to the encounter date.

Red Panda Animal Encounter

CHOOSE A DATE FOR YOUR
RED PANDA ANIMAL ENCOUNTER:

Saturday December 14: 10:30am
Sunday December 15: 10:30am
Saturday December 21: 10:30am
Sunday December 22: 10:30am
Saturday December 28: 10:30am
Sunday December 29: 10:30am

Lemur Animal Encounter

CHECK BACK FOR ADDITIONAL DATES IN THE SPRING

All guests will be required to sign waiver prior to the animal encounter in order to participate.
Please keep in mind, just like when working with the Zoo Keepers, the animals have the choice to participate in feeding & training opportunities; interaction with animals may vary and is not guaranteed.
Cancellations or changes must be made 24hrs in advance of the scheduled experience. Please call Reserve America at 1-877-987-2757 for assistance. Refunds will be given to those cancellations that are made at least 24 hours in advance. The $0.50 transaction fee is non-refundable. No refunds will be issued to those reservations that are cancelled less than 24 hours before the start of the program. Should the park need to cancel a program for weather or other unforeseen circumstance, you will be issued a full refund

Testimonials

We had a wonderful time at our animal encounter today! The whole zoo team was great, and Connor (the zookeeper) especially was very friendly and knowledgeable. We left with a greater understanding of red pandas and some great photos of our time feeding our new furry friends. Thank you!

Allyson and the entire team made our lemur encounter the BEST experience! We learned so much about the lemurs and loved seeing their personalities during the feeding.

This was awesome and super informative! We loved feeding the red pandas and learned a lot about them from Emily.