MORE ZOO FUN

Enjoy Experiences and Adventures At John Ball Zoo

All of our experiences are generally available during the summer season. However, occasionally Mother Nature requires that we close them for safety.

Note: Availability is subject to weather. Please call (616)336-2017 for daily availability.

Funicular

John Ball Zoo Gem Company

Budgie Aviary

Face Painting

Sky Trail Ropes Course

Zip Line

Chimpanzee

Pan troglodytes

Facts
Diet: Omnivore

Mainly fruit, supplementing with leaves, flowers, seeds, and insects. Chimps will also cooperate together to hunt and kill monkeys.

Habitat

Humid evergreen forests, tropical rainforests, deciduous forests, and dry savanna woodlands.

Threat Range

Endangered

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

Yes

Region

Populations are found where tracts of forests remain in the equatorial forest belt of central Africa.

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Our Animals
Peggy (1)
Peggy

Female

Sammy (1) (1)
Sammy

Male

Donnie (1)
Donnie

Male

Sanga (1)
Sanga

Female

Susie (2)
Susie

Female

Kiambi (1)
Kiambi

Female

African Lion

Panthera leo krugeri

Facts
Diet: Carnivore

Wildebeest, zebra, Thompson’s gazelle, buffalo, warthog, & antelope.

Habitat

Plains or savanna habitat with a large amount of prey available.

Threat Range

Vulnerable

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

Yes

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa except in the desert and rainforest habitats.

Fun Fact

African lions are special because they live in big families called prides. These prides work together to hunt for food, which they share with everyone in the group according to the social rules they follow.

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Our Animals
African Lion (1)
Kiume

Male

African Lion 2 (1)
Abena

Female

African Forest Edge

IMG_0083-2 (1)

Southern Ground Hornbill

Egyptian Goose

Egyptian Geese

Mountain Bongo (1)

Mountain Bongo

Von der Decken's Hornbill

Tockus deckeni

Facts
Diet: Omnivore

Small ground prey (mammals), eggs, fruits, and insects

Habitat

Forest, savannah, or shrubland

Threat Range

Least Concern

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

No

Region

East Africa, such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and the United Republic of Tanzania

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Our Animals
Merida (2)
Merida

Female

Tockus (1) (1)
Tockus

Male

Experience

Camel Rides

Information

Weather dependent.                                       

Camel Rides are one of our most popular things to do at the zoo! You’ll be greeted by one of the most amazing animals of the world, and even get your picture taken!

General Guidelines: Participants must be a minimum of 34 inches tall to ride without a guardian. Participants may be grouped with other riders at the operator’s discretion. Maximum weight is 300 pounds.

PRICES PUBLIC MEMBER
Camel Ride $8.00 $7.00
Camel Photo $7.00 $7.00
Meerkats

Meerkats

porcupine, mammal, spines-359166.jpg

Cape Porcupine

Snacks & Drinks

Lion's Den

Enjoy Cold Slushies in our Signature Souvenir Bottle, and grab some Fresh Roasted Nuts, Popcorn, or Cotton Candy to go!

Menu

*Open daily

Amenity

Restroom

Description Accessibility
Restroom Men's restroom with Baby Changer
Restroom Women's restroom with Baby Changer
Drinking Fountain 2 drinking fountains with 1 bottle re-filler
First Aide Kit Visit Camel Rides

Southern Ground Hornbill

Bucorvus leadbeateri

Facts
Diet: Carnivore

Mainly insects. Also, amphibians, small mammals, and reptiles.

Habitat

Forest, savanna, or grassland

Threat Range

Vulnerable

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

Yes

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa, from southern Kenya to Botswana in the south.

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Our Animals
Dino (1)
Dino

Male (all red on throat)

IMG_0083-2 (1)
Priscilla

Female (blue coloration on throat)

Egyptian Goose

Alopochen aegyptiaca

Egyptian Goose
Facts
Diet: Herbivore

Grass, grains (mainly wheat), and leaves. Also, some small insects, worms, and frogs.

Habitat

Meadows, grasslands, and agricultural fields. Most of their time is spent in rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, and wetlands.

Threat Range

Least Concern

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

No

Region

Africa and southern Europe. It is especially common in southern Africa, below the Sahara and in the Nile Valley. Introduced into Great Britain, and a substantial population still thrives there today.

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Our Animals
Entrance-1-1
Penny

Female (one horn is bent)

Entrance-1-1
Carrot

Female

Entrance-1-1
Beckson

Male

Mountain Bongo

Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci

Facts
Diet: Herbivore

Leaves, flowers, twigs, thistles, garden produce, and cereals. Bongos have also been known to eat burned wood as a means of getting salt or minerals.

Habitat

Rainforest, scrub forest, & mountains

Threat Range

Critically Endangered

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

Yes

Region

Small populations reside in the montane or highland forest of Kenya and in the Congo. A few remain in the Aberdare Conservation Area.

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Our Animals
Beckson
Beckson

Male

Penny
Penny

Female (one horn is bent)

Mountain Bongo (1)
Carrot

Female

Porcupine, Cape

Hystrix africaeustralis

Facts
Diet: Herbivore

Roots, tubers, bulbs, fruit, bark, and bones. Osteophagia: Eating of bones in areas that lack phosphorous.

Habitat

Savanna, grassland, rocky hills, and outcrops

Threat Range

Least Concern

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

Yes

Region

Sub-saharan Africa, excluding the coastal desert of the southwest

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Our Animals
Rolo (1)
Rolo

Female

Montu (1)
Montu

Male

Meerkat

Suricata suricatta

Facts
Diet: Omnivore

Primarily insects, but will also eat small vertebrates, eggs, and plant matter. Some immunity to venom, so will sometimes prey on venomous snakes and scorpions.

Habitat

Savannahs, shrubland, grasslands, and desert

Threat Range

Least Concern

SSP (Species Survival Plan)

Yes

Region

Southern Africa and the Kalahari Desert

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Our Animals
Meerkats
Kali

Female

Meerkats
Kendi

Female

Meerkats
Dustin

Male

Meerkats
Red

Male