FONZ and the National Zoo host a variety of fun and educational special days throughout 2013 to celebrate some special animals.

These family-friendly events offer educational and fun activities for children, keeper talks, and animal demonstrations. No tickets are required. Featured Creature Days are free and open to the public.

Details for each event will be posted as they become available.

2013 Featured Creature Day Schedule

June 8: World Ocean Day

Location: Invertebrate House
Join us in celebrating World Ocean Day. Come by the Invertebrates exhibit for a fun family-friendly event offering educational activities for children, keeper talks and aquatic animal demonstrations. Learn about the world's oceans and the fascinating creatures that live in them. See special feedings and talk to National Zoo staff about what you can do to help preserve healthy oceans.

June 29: Bear Awareness Day

Location: Asia Trail/Andean Bear Exhibit
Become more Bear Aware at our free family-friendly event celebrating bears of all kinds. This event offers educational and fun activities for children, keeper talks and animal demonstrations. Learn how to bear-proof a camp site, compare bears from around the world and take the Bear Awareness pledge!

July 13: Reptile & Amphibian Conservation Day

Location: Reptile Discovery Center
Meet scientists at the Reptile Discovery Center to learn about conservation issues facing reptiles and amphibians in the wild and what the National Zoo and other organizations are doing to help these incredible animals. This is a free family-friendly event that offers educational and fun activities for children and adults, keeper talks and animal demonstrations.

August 7: Gorilla Day

Location: Great Ape House
It's Gorilla Day at the National Zoo! Visit the Great Ape Exhibit to see these magnificent creatures up close. Speak with keepers and Zoo scientists and learn about projects that help protect gorillas in the wild. This free family-friendly event offers educational and fun activities for children and adults, keeper talks and animal demonstrations.

August 24: African Wildlife Day

Location: Cheetah Conservation Station
Join us at the Cheetah Conservation Station to learn about African Wildlife and to see what the National Zoo is doing to preserve these amazing animals. This is a free family-friendly event that offers educational and fun activities for children and adults, keeper talks and animal demonstrations.

September 7: Sloth Day

Location: Small Mammal House
Turn your world upside down at the National Zoo's Sloth Day event. Visit the Small Mammal House during this fun family-friendly event and learn all about Sloths and their habitats. Take part in educational and fun activities for children and adults, listen to keeper talks and watch live animal demonstrations.

September 22: Asian Elephant Day

Location: Elephant Community Center
Celebrate Asian Elephants at this fun family event. Meet elephant care professionals and research scientists working to study and protect Asian elephant populations in Zoos and in range countries. Learn about the cultural and ecological importance of elephants, watch animal demonstrations and find out what you can do to help save these amazing creatures.

October 12: Celebrate Cat Day

Location: Lion/Tiger Circle
This family-friendly event offers educational and fun activities for children and adults, keeper talks and animal demonstrations. Take a look into the fascinating lives of big cats. Learn how keeper staff care for these incredible animals in the Zoo and find out about the threats different cat species face in the wild.

November 2: American Wildlife Day

Lcoation: American Trail
Take a walk along American Trail and learn about the wonderful animals of North America. Find out about the fascinating lives of sea lions, what it takes to care for a wolf and what bald eagles eat. This free family-friendly event offers educational and fun activities for children, keeper talks and animal demonstrations.

The above activities are subject to change in the event of inclement or unseasonably cold weather.

Did you know?

You can recycle your cell phone and other electronic devices, and help the Zoo and wildlife at the same time? Bring your old cell phones, chargers, accessories, MP3 players, handheld game systems, GPS handheld units, laptops, E-readers, digital cameras, and portable hard drives to the Zoo. You can drop them in a receptacle at the Great Ape House! Friends of the National Zoo (FONZ) sends them to our partner ECO-CELL to be safely recycled or refurbished. FONZ then receives money for these items that is used to support conservation efforts around the Zoo.

Recycling electronics helps reduce mining for coltan, a metallic ore used in cell phones and laptops. The mining of this material is a great threat to the gorilla’s habitat! Recycling and refurbishing these items keeps dangerous materials out of landfills.