Wish List

Support the critical care, community, and conservation work that takes place at your free zoo every day.

Did you know that in 2019 Lincoln Park Zoo received arboretum accreditation from ArbNet? Celebrate Arbor Day and help the zoo grow by purchasing some woody plants for zoo grounds.

Currently, there are more than 330 species of trees, shrubs, and woody plants represented at Lincoln Park Zoo. In order to keep this plethora of plants in tiptop shape, the zoo’s horticulture team prunes them annually. Keep the zoo’s arboretum looking its best with new pruning saws.

Lincoln Park Zoo is celebrating giraffe Rae’s birthday on April 26! With the arrival of sunny and warm weather, Rae and Finley will soon be spending more time exploring the outdoors. At the end of a long day of play, the giraffe duo loves to nestle into pine shavings for some quality rest and relaxation. Help Rae get cozy on her birthday with more pine shavings!

On April 17, resident Canada lynx Buttercup and Thistle will celebrate their fourth birthday! In the wild, these predators use their large paws to keep from sinking into the snow while they hunt their prey of choice: snowshoe hares. Here at Lincoln Park Zoo, the lynx sisters enjoy a diet that features large mice, chicks, and rib bones. Make Buttercup and Thistle’s birthday at Pepper Family Wildlife Center one to remember with a meaty feast.

This April 18 at Pepper Family Wildlife Center, supermom Zari will celebrate her fifth birthday. The African lioness has been a mother to four cubs and can be seen lounging and playing with her sisters, Hasira and Cleo, and adult male Jabari. Help the pride celebrate Zari with hearty helping of meaty bones!

Welcome spring and celebrate Earth Day with some fresh fertilizer! Across zoo grounds, Horticulture staff will use it to create beautiful annual floral displays for spring and summer. Help us purchase a fresh supply today–and enjoy beautiful blooms throughout the spring!

Klipspringers will jump at the opportunity to nibble on some alfalfa cubes. These crunchy grass morsels are the preferred treat for the dwarf antelopes after a day of rock climbing at Regenstein African Journey. Spring for this sweet snack!

Flemish giant rabbits enjoy a nutrient-rich diet to support their sturdy frames, which can reach up to 24 pounds! Keepers provide the rabbits with leafy greens, grass hay, rabbit pellets, fresh fruits, and vegetables to foster natural foraging behaviors. Show how much you care for these giant hares with by giving them their favorite veggies!

At Lincoln Park Zoo, many of the resident animals love to feast on worms and insects. One such insectivore is the emperor newt. Emperor newts’ diets consist of protein-packed insects and worms. Bloodworms, which are typically found in shallow water and can grow more than a foot long, are a favorite of the amphibians. Serve up a slithering side dish of yummy bloodworms today!

Avocados are a favorite snack of Lincoln Park Zoo’s resident aardvark, Paatsy. Keepers stuff termite mound-shaped feeders with this green fruit to encourage natural foraging behaviors. Loaded with nutrients, these green goodies will have Paatsy “guac”-ing and rolling all day long!

There’s nothing more important for the eastern black rhinoceroses at Lincoln Park Zoo than proper nutrition! In one year alone, the rhinos collectively munch through more than 700 bales of hay. Provide a nutritious meal for the rhinos this spring!

In their native habitat of western Mexico, venomous Rio Fuerte beaded lizards feast on birds, eggs, other lizards, and small invertebrates. At Lincoln Park Zoo, keepers feed them quail eggs, a savory enrichment item, as part of their specialized diet. A quail egg is a hard treat to beat–help the beaded lizards enjoy this tasty meal today!

Japanese macaques, Francois langurs, swamp monkeys, gorillas, and other primates throughout the zoo enjoy foraging for sugar-free gelatin that keepers tuck into coconut shells for a tasty surprise. When they’re done, the primates like to play with or gnaw on the remaining shells. Help the primates jiggle with joy with some tasty gelatin treats!

Corn is a versatile vegetable at Lincoln Park Zoo. Several animals at the zoo enjoy corn on the cob, including the Bourke’s parrots at McCormick Bird House. Give these pinkish parrots an a-“maize”-ing taste this spring.

Often mistaken for an owl, the tawny frogmouth is actually a member of the nightjar family and is named for its large mouth. At Lincoln Park Zoo, the tawny frogmouths eat insects and small mammals. Don’t miss your chance to give these birds the VIP treatment with a delicious meal of mice!