Wish List

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

This month, Lincoln Park Zoo is thrilled to recognize Oaktober, or Oak Awareness Month. As an accredited arboretum, the zoo is home to many trees, including several species of oak located throughout the zoo. In order to keep these trees thriving for many years to come, the zoo’s horticulture team surrounds their roots with mulch. Show some appreciation for the zoo’s mighty oaks with an infusion of premium mulch!

In the wild, critically endangered red wolves are keen hunters, whose diet consists of rabbits, rodents, and other small prey. Here at Lincoln Park Zoo, keepers satisfy Becca’s carnivorous cravings with a variety of proteins, including rabbit—one of her favorite snacks. Provide Becca with meaty morsels to keep her snacking all month long!

On October 1, we celebrate the birthdays of not one, but two fabulous felines at Pepper Family Wildlife Center. African lionesses Hasira and Cleo are turning 6 years old and we are roaring with excitement! Help us treat the sensational sisters with meaty bones and other tasty morsels perfect for lions.

October 20 is International Sloth Day! Resident Hoffman’s two-toed sloth Oro, who can be found at Regenstein Small Mammal-Reptile House, spends his days hanging around and snacking on leaves, fruits, and veggies. Show your love for the sloth with some delicious lettuce, which is his favorite!

In the wild, snowy owls prey on small animals like rabbits and rodents. Their excellent eyesight helps them spot prey as they cruise low to the ground or keep a lookout from perches. At Lincoln Park Zoo, carnivorous birds receive their prey already unalived for safety reasons. However, keepers use a special vibrating food dish called a vivicator to simulate natural prey movement and foster natural hunting behaviors. Help us bring the birds’ meals to life with a new vivicator!

In their native Australia and Tasmania, tawny frogmouths spend nighttime hours hunting for insects and small animals. With their camouflage, it’s nearly impossible to see them hiding among trees. Then, the birds will pounce on and subdue their prey with powerful beaks. The frogmouths at Lincoln Park Zoo enjoy a steady supply of mice to stay active and healthy. Pick them up some nourishing mice!

Pumpkins are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals and they’re chock full of fiber, making them a zoo superfood! In addition to receiving fresh pumpkins in season, many animals at the zoo also enjoy canned pumpkin as part of their regular diet. Give the animals “pumpkin” to talk about with a hearty supply of the squash they crave!

The African painted dog pack spends hours chomping on delicious bones. These bones not only provide protein-packed enrichment, but also foster natural hunting behaviors, such as snatching the bones away from their cohabitants. Supply some “gnaw”-some enrichment with nutritious bones for these canine companions!

It’s Fall Fest at Lincoln Park Zoo and the animals are getting in on the fun. The white-cheeked gibbon pair Burma and Murray enjoy celebrating Fall Fest with their favorite treat: popcorn! Pitch in for this seasonal snack.

Corn on the cob is a favorite veggie for many zoo animals, including the chickens at Farm-in-the-Zoo! Keepers serve the plucky birds corn to start off their day in an a-“maize”-ing way. “Pop” a share into your cart and provide the chickens with corn on the cob!

Did you know that it takes approximately 3,600 tulip bulbs to make the beautiful spring display on the zoo’s Main Mall? Horticulture staff will plant them in the fall in preparation for the upcoming spring. Purchase some bulbs today so you can enjoy beautiful blooms when warm weather returns next year!

Egyptian fruit bats love a sweet treat! Their long muzzle helps them chow down on favorites like pears, apples, grapes, and bananas. You won’t need echolocation to find this perfect item—select a share of this delectable fruit medley for the bats today!

Reaching up to 9 feet tall and 285 pounds, the ostrich is the largest living bird and the fastest bird on land. To ensure proper nutrition for resident ostrich Willow, Lincoln Park Zoo provides a diet of seeds and plants and supplements her daily fare with oyster shells to boost calcium intake. Don’t be “shellfish,” shell out some oyster shells for Willow!

Red pandas are unique tree-dwelling mammals that inhabit bamboo forests in their native South Asian range. Bamboo is the main staple of their diet, and red pandas spend most of their waking hours munching on the tender shoots and leaves. In fact, they can consume more than 10 pounds of bamboo per day! Keep red pandas Xiaobo and Nisha snacking with a substantial serving of this fibrous favorite.

Scent enrichment is a feline favorite at Pepper Family Wildlife Center. Keepers will spread dried spices and perfume throughout the habitats of lions and snow leopards to entice the big cats. Give the zoo’s feline residents some fragrant enrichment as they explore!

Celebrate Halloween with a “smashing” display of pumpkins, which becomes rolling enrichment for animals throughout the zoo! From rhinos and red wolves to monkeys and mongooses, turn mealtime into playtime with a “gourd”-geous array of vitamin-packed pumpkins!