Love at the Zoo Returns

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 20, 2021

TACOMA, Wash.—Whatever your age, Love at the Zoo is the perfect way to celebrate Valentine’s Day and show your love for our furry, feathered and finned friends! It’s a safe date, too, with one-way open-air pathways to follow as you walk through the zoo holding hands (with your kids or your significant other- or whomever your quarantine buddy may be!). Love at the Zoo runs Feb. 13-15 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

There will be plenty of love in the air. Watch as animals big and small enjoy special Valentine’s enrichments, like ice frozen in the shape of a heart. Participate in a Valentine’s themed scavenger hunt and keep your eyes peeled for the 12 giant hearts hidden around the zoo. Find each heart and follow a QR code to discover fun facts and lovable stories about 12 different animals.

Will Zoo Be Mine?

Make a paper Valentine at home for any of the zoo’s animals and drop them in a decorated mailbox inside the front entrance- we’ll make sure they’re delivered. No treats, please (they’ll get plenty of enrichments from their keepers already!).

Here are some fun ideas for your card:

• Will you be my significant otter?
• I turtley love you!
• I think you are porcu-fine!
• You octopi my thoughts!
• We’re purr-fect together!
• My love will never tapir!

We can’t wait to see what you come up with!

The Perfect Gift

Flowers and chocolate are great gifts, but stand out this year with an even more unique present: a 30-second Animal Shoutout wishing your better half a happy Valentine’s Day! Animal Shoutouts are a fantastic way of sending a customized video greeting to a friend or loved one- complete with their favorite animal! Hear one of our zookeepers speak your message alongside a sloth, seal or other adorable animal.

Enhanced Safety Protocols

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium is following all public health and safety guidelines for Gov. Jay Inslee’s Healthy Washington- Roadmap to Recovery plan.

• Face coverings required for anyone 5 and over.
• Timed online tickets required.
• A limited number of tickets available each day to ensure social distancing.
• Hand-sanitizing stations are placed around the Zoo.
• Guests follow one-way paths.
• Indoor and high-touch areas, like aquariums and the carousel, are closed.

Love at the Zoo is free with admission to the zoo.

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Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, the Northwest’s only combined zoo and aquarium, practices and promotes responsible stewardship of the world’s resources. A member of the Metro Parks Tacoma family, the zoo creates a legacy of sustainability for future generations through education, conservation, research and recreational opportunities; it also embodies Metro Parks’ mission of creating healthy opportunities to play, learn and grow. The zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) and the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums (AMMPA). The Zoo Society, a 501(c)(3) organization, is an instrumental partner in the conservation, animal-welfare and education initiatives.

Media Contacts

Whitney DalBalcon, 253-278-6343 or whitney.dalbalcon@pdza.org
Tessa LaVergne, 253-686-6927 or tessa.lavergne@pdza.org