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Love Animals? We Do, Too!

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There has never been a more important time for the mission of the Louisville Zoo than now. In our current age of distraction, we continue to be the first choice for family fun in the region, helping you and your family create lasting memories. We pledge to continue to be your trusted expert on animal care and the educators for your friends and neighbors about conservation issues and sustainability. This is the Zoo’s mission — the heart and soul of what we do.

Today, we are asking for your support with a gift to the Louisville Zoo Fund.

Your Louisville Zoo Fund protects our botanical collection while providing for the daily care of the vulnerable, endangered and threatened species that call your Zoo home. This includes shelter, enrichment, healthcare and food.

And we have BIG appetites around here — our grocery bill alone is over $600,000 a year! We hope we can count on you to help us meet the needs of our 1,200 animal ambassadors. All gifts, regardless of size, can truly make a difference.

Here are a few ways your gift to the Louisville Zoo Fund can make an impact:

  • A gift of $1,000 could provide a 2-week supply of fish for our seals and sea lions. These animals eat an average of 100 lbs. a day, so we need roughly 36,000 lbs. a year. That’s a lot of fish!
  • A gift of $500 would purchase 1-day supply of produce for our gorillas in Gorilla Forest. Gorillas love to eat broccoli, lettuce, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, apples and oranges.
  • A gift of $250 could plant a tree that will become part of our browse garden for animals or purchase a 2 ½ week supply of bones to use as food and enrichment for large carnivores such as tigers, snow leopards and lions. The bones also give them necessary vitamins, minerals and help them to maintain good dental health!
  • A gift of $100 could provide 200 lbs. of bananas for all of our animals. For example, Sindi, one of our southern white rhinoceros, eats an average of 30 pounds of bananas a week! Other animals that enjoy bananas are fruit bats, orangutans and babirusa pigs.
  • A gift of $50 would give elephants Mikki and Punch a day’s worth of hay. Collectively, they consume about 275 lbs. per day. That’s over 100,000 lbs. a year — just for our two elephants!

We strive to be the best zoological garden for our animals and for you, our dedicated supporter. However, we need your help. With your passion for animals and our zeal for their welfare, let’s work together to create a better future for us all. Please make your gift to the Louisville Zoo Fund today. A gift at any level will help us reach our goal. Thank you for considering support of your Louisville Zoo.

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P.S. Spread your gift to the Louisville Zoo over an entire year! Recurring gifts can make a real impact on the animals in our care. Donations can be received on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis.


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Supporter Stories

Because of 50 Years of Support

Since 1969, the Louisville Zoo has continuously grown and evolved thanks to you — our generous supporters. Louisville Zoo donors have helped us accomplish remarkable projects that provide amazing guest experiences and care for the animals, while shaping the future of zoos around the world … continue reading here…

Keeper Feature: Jane Anne Franklin

Can a trip to the Zoo be life changing? Yes, just ask Jane Anne Franklin.
As a pre-veterinary student, Jane Anne was ready to spend her career taking care of animals. A love of animals has been with her since childhood. While in college, she worked as a veterinary tech and took a course to learn how to train dogs.

On a fateful day in 1990, Jane Anne found her true calling …continue reading here…

Turning Memories Into Action

From the moment Walter and Lisa Clare arrived in Kentucky, the Louisville Zoo had always been an important part of their lives. Walter fondly recalls spending countless days with Lisa at the Zoo after stressful days or weeks of work because the Zoo offered them time to relax and reconnect in a peaceful setting. He and Lisa enjoyed observing the animals, talking with staff, seeing the botanical collection come to life and hearing the laughter of children. After their own children arrived, the Zoo continued to offer their family a peaceful escape and gave Walter and Lisa the opportunity to show their children the animals they had only seen in books or on TV.

In the months following Lisa’s death in 2015, Walter decided that he wanted to honor Lisa, her compassionate nature, and her kind and generous spirit continue reading here…