America’s Teaching Zoo

America’s Teaching Zoo is the training ground for students at Moorpark College’s Exotic Animal Training and Management (EATM) Program. The 5-acre facility is home to almost 200 different animals and growing through donations and breeding loans from major zoos and research centers.

Students are responsible for most of the care, feeding and well-being of the animals (under close faculty supervision, of course!). Graduates from the program go on to work at zoos and theme parks, train animals for television and films, perform conservation work – even train dolphins and marine mammals.

The Zoo itself takes up a small portion of the training facility’s total area and can be explored in about an hour’s time.

WHY IT’S GREAT FOR NATURE LOVERS
The wild animals, of course! America’s Teaching Zoo offers kids the chance to get up-close views of several engendered animals they might not otherwise see. During our visit, we saw a Galapagos turtle, Bengal tiger, gray wolf, African lioness, spotted hyena, mountain lion, howler monkey, macaws and more.

I must give a word of warning to all the wildlife lovers out there – myself among you, of course: The enclosures are small and certainly don’t represent naturalistic settings. This can be unsettling to see, though usually not for the little ones. I am able to resolve this dilemma by reminding myself that zoos have their place in the wildlife world. They offer children an introduction to the wild and the chance to view animals they might not otherwise see.

PLANNING ESSENTIALS

• Open Saturdays and Sundays only from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for kids
• Free, 15-minute animal presentations are offered at noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.; carnivore feeding demonstrations are at 3:30 p.m.
• Parking is free
• One set of restrooms is located near the front entrance
• No food or drinks are sold inside the Zoo, but picnic tables are available near the front entrance if you bring your own lunch

WHAT WE LIKED

• Rare, up-close views of exotic (and often endangered) animals
• No crowds to contend with
• Small, flat, stroller-friendly setting is perfect for little ones
• Zoo staff/EATM students are friendly and available to answer questions
• Relatively inexpensive

GOOD TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

• Facility is small and provided my 5 year old and I with only about an hour’s worth of entertainment
• This is a no-frills setting sans a petting zoo or many of the more common animals you might expect to see at a zoo
• Younger kids will need a boost to see inside most of the enclosures
• Animals are in small enclosures, not naturalistic settings
• Can get uncomfortably hot during the summer months

MY TIPS FOR A GREAT VISIT

• Catch an animal presentation to discover more about the Zoo’s residents. We learned that hissing cockroaches can live up to two weeks without their heads!
• Consider timing your visit during one of the Zoo’s special events for added entertainment.
• Plan your visit for cool-weather months.
• Combine your visit to the Zoo with some outdoor play at College View Park just down the hill.

America’s Teaching Zoo is located at:

Moorpark College
7075 Campus Road
Moorpark, CA 93021
Directions to the Zoo