Closure Notice for Zoo Guardians Mobile Game

Zoo Guardians opened its mobile gates more than two years ago connecting players to wildlife and teaching what it takes to care for zoo animals from real-life conservation heroes. On Dec. 31, 2022 our mobile app will close. The game has been removed from app stores and current players can no longer purchase ZooPasses and gems. However, JumpStart Games will continue to support current users until 9 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST on Dec. 31, 2022.

We hope your interest for building your own zoo and saving wildlife in-game will inspire you to visit your local zoo or us in Washington, D.C. Conservation starts when people make a choice to act. Please follow us on FacebookInstagram and Twitter to learn more about animals and our team working to care for, study and save species.

Thank you for joining the league of Zoo Guardians around the world.

Meet the Zoo Guardians

  • A digital illustration of a Zoo senior curator with a lemur leaf frog. To the right is the text "Dr. Singh, Senior Curator" and the Smithsonian sunburst logo

    As the devoted senior curator, Dr. Singh does everything in her power to see the zoo succeed. She is committed to the Young Guardians Initiative, as teaching the next generation holds a special place in her heart.

  • A digital illustration of a female zookeeper with a cheetah. To the right is the text "Zoe, Savanna Mentor" and a hexagonal icon featuring a sun

    Savanna keeper and team mentor, Zoe, "herd" you wanted to join the Young Guardians Initiative! She appreciates a good animal pun, gets creative when it comes to problem solving and is passionate about fighting poaching and the ivory trade.

  • A digital illustration of a zookeeper with a ring-tailed lemur. To the right is the text "Mac, Tropical Mentor" and a hexagonal icon featuring a flower

    Love rainforest animals? Then tropical forest keeper and team mentor Mac wants to take you under his wing! With a big heart and a brave soul, Mac is devoted to helping animals in need and protecting their homes from deforestation.

  • A digital illustration of a zookeeper with an owl. To the left is the text "Penn, Polar Mentor" and a hexagonal icon featuring a snowflake

    Ready to chill with polar keeper and Team mentor, Penn? Their care for cool creatures and passion for conservation comes through in everything that they do, especially in the fight against climate change.

  • A digital illustration of a zookeeper with a giant panda. To the right is the text "Pandora, Temperate Forest Keeper" and a hexagonal icon featuring a pinecone

    A friend of the forest is a friend to temperate forest keeper Pandora! With her outgoing personality and enthusiasm for the environment, she befriends animals and humans alike. She cares about critters who call the trees "home" and combats habitat degradation.

  • A digital illustration of a zookeeper with a crocodile. To the right is the text "Helaku, Wetlands Keeper" and a hexagonal icon featuring wetland grasses

    Go with the flow like wetlands keeper Helaku. His easy-going attitude makes him a great teacher and problem-solver. To Helaku, protecting habitats against fragmentation is paramount. He believes in inspiring future generations to ride the wave of caring about conservation!

  • A digital illustration of an animal keeper and a sea turtle with text on the righthand side that says "Otto, Oceans and Coasts Keeper" and an icon featuring a wave.

    Make a splash with Oceans and Coasts keeper Otto! A quiet and kind-hearted keeper, Otto is eager to spread kindness in the world. He combats pollution and illegal fishing to help protect the animals that dive in the sea and sun themselves on the shore.

  • A digital illustration of two young people wearing lanyards and badges. In between them is the text: Miguel and Alex, fellow young guardians

    Just like you, Alex and Miguel are budding Zoo Guardians. Alex aspires to be a veterinarian, and Miguel dreams of becoming a biologist. Together, the three of you will learn about what it takes to run a zoo!

  • A digital illustration of three shadowy villains with the text "Villains"

    There are forces at work against global conservation efforts. Each villain represents a very real threat to wildlife: climate change, deforestation and habitat loss. Can you help the Zoo Guardians defeat them and save animals from extinction?

How to Care for Animals

  • Side profile of a wood thrush, a medium-sized songbird with bright brown plumage on its upper parts and a creamy white chest with brown spots,
    Flutter into how animal keeper Becca Zurlo cares for the iconic wood thrush—the official bird of Washington, D.C.—in the newly renovated Bird House!
  • Clouded leopard in a tree.
    Meet the four clouded leopards who call the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute home. Pounce from Washington D.C. with Asia Trail keepers Kaitlyn Adkins and Jenny Spotten, to Front Royal, Virginia with animal keeper Jessica Kordell to learn more about these cool cats.
  • Two female American bison stand in a snow covered yard.
    National Bison Day is the first Saturday in November and the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute has a big reason to celebrate these iconic animals! Wallow in the autumn leaves with the Zoo’s bison, Lucy and Gally, and animal keeper Regina Bakely, as she shares her stories and the institution’s history of caring for American bison.
  • Male red-colored eastern screech owl, Canyon, perchs on a twine rope.
    Four new sets of owl eyes have joined the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute family this year in Washington, D.C. Give a hoot for Bird House keeper Heather Anderson and American Trail keeper Jackie Spicer as they talon their stories of caring for native owl species. 
  • Female golden lion tamarin Gemma crouches on a branch in an indoor exhibit.
    As August comes into full swing, get to know the golden lion tamarins from Kenton Kerns, assistant curator of Small Mammal House!
  • Fennec Fox sitting on rock
    Many of the Zoo’s animals are built for extreme temperatures, including the fennec fox! Learn how animal keepers care for these desert dwelling foxes.
  • Two newly hatched Bourret’s box turtles and an adult box turtle sitting on moss
    Slow down for a minute and meet the Zoo’s turtle-y awesome Asian box turtles! Read on to find out what it takes to care for Bourret’s box turtles and other species.
  • A hellbender lies on colorful gravel. Behind the salamander is the edge of a large rock
    Snot otter, devil dog, or hellbender? Whatever name you call them, they are largest salamander in the Americas. Check out how animal keeper Matt Neff cares for and studies these unique salamanders!
  • Harbor seal, Rabbit lays on his side on the right side of the photo. He is looking at a white "cake" made of ice with orange and blue beach shapes and fish on it. He is outside on hard, slippery-looking ground.
    With a seal of passion for pinnipeds, American Trail keeper Diana Vogel dives into how she cares for harbor seals!
  • Animal keeper Dell Guglielmo trains Amur tiger Pavel.
    Use your tiger eyes to see what it takes to care for the largest cat in the world and 2022’s Lunar New Year animal: the tiger! Get a peek inside the world of animal keeper and real-life Zoo Guardian Dell Guglielmo, who cares for the Zoo's three tigers.
  • Male two-toed sloth, Vlad, hangs by all four feet from the top of his exhibit. His head is tilted toward keeper, Ann, who is standing below and to the right of Vlad. Ann has a piece of food in her right hand, which is raised up toward Vlad.
    From smart shrews to clever coatis, every animal in Small Mammal House receives enrichment. Learn how the animal care team puts together puzzle feeders, sprinkles spices and comes up with creative elements that ensure animals keep physically active and mentally sharp.
  • Zoo nutritionist, Erin, holds screaming hairy armadillo, Sherman. Erin is wearing a black mask, navy jacket and light blue latex gloves. Sherman's front paws rest on Erin's left hand as he too looks at the camera.
    Food for thought: Nutrition forms the foundation to living a healthy life. Get a taste of the challenges Clinical Animal Nutritionist, Erin Kendrick, faces as she formulates diets for all animals at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo.
  • Asian elephants Maharani (foreground) and her mother Kamala (background) explore the Elephant Trails habitat.
    Raise your trunks for the world’s largest land mammal: the elephant! Find out how animal keeper, Rebecca Riley, cares for Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s Asian elephant herd.
  • Animal keeper, Vicki Lake, sits on her knees inside a black-footed ferret enclosure. There is a blue storage bin on the left with a black-footed ferret poking it's head out of a make-shift hole, and a green bin on the right with another ferret looking out
    September 26 marks 40 years since black-footed ferrets were re-discovered in the wild, kick-starting today’s breeding and reintroduction program. Find out what it takes to care for Zoo Guardians' September Animal of the Month and Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s black-footed ferrets from animal keeper Vicki Lake!
  • Keeper Nicole MacCorkle and Bao Bao.
    Celebrate giant panda cub Xiao Qi Ji’s birthday—and Zoo Guardians’ first anniversary—with giant panda keeper and real-life Zoo Guardian, Nicole MacCorkle!
  • Animal keeper, Ashley Graham, crouches next to a wooden stool-like perch. Her left arm rests on the perch. Male bald eagle, Tioga, perches on Ashley's arm with his wings spread, facing her.
    With a 6-foot wingspan, sharp talons and an intimidating stare, bald eagles are majestic birds. Meet Tioga and Annie—both of whom were injured in the wild and rescued—at Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s American Trail. Swoop into their care and conservation with animal keeper Ashley Graham.
  • Southern two-toed sloth, Athena, hangs from the ceiling of her enclosure. Her front left arm is extended toward the camera, reaching to grab it.
    Slow down with Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s three southern two-toed sloths. Keeper Kara Ingraham works with Athena and Vlad in the Small Mammal House, and keeper Denny Charlton tends to Howie in Amazonia. Find out what it takes to care for these unique animals!
  • Francesca Vitali takes a knee in a sandy area of Kenya. She's wearing a navy Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute shirt and is pointing to wildlife footprints in the sand.
    Crash into May with black rhinos! Dr. Francesca Vitali is a wildlife veterinarian and Morris Animal Foundation postdoctoral fellow with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s Global Health Program. She is currently working with our Smithsonian partners in Kenya to help conserve Eastern black rhino populations.
  • Matt Evans holds a brown tree frog in an outdoor workspace in Panama.
    Leap into learning what it takes to care for some of the frogs found at Smithsonian’s National Zoo from Matt Evans, assistant curator of the Reptile Discovery Center.
  • 	An animal keeper stands behind a bobcat that is sitting on a wooden perch in its outdoor enclosure.
    Get the extended ‘tail’ of what goes into caring for the Zoo's three bobcats, straight from animal keeper Charlie Shaw!
  • Small Mammal House Keeper stands next to the Zoo's four wallabies in their yard.
    Hop into caring for and discovering new things about Bennett's wallabies with animal keeper Esther Wray! 
  • Amahle, the Zoo's 6-year-old female lion, lays with one of the enrichment balls in an indoor enclosure.
    Lions, tigers, cheetahs and bobcats – let’s play! Keepers Katy Juliano, Adri Kopp and Amber Dedrick know how to get the big cats they work with pouncing, roaring and purring for enrichment.
  • Steve Sarro poses in front of some African Penguins
    Waddle along with Small Mammal House Curator and African Penguin Species Survival Plan coordinator, Steven J. Sarro, as he shares his experiences working with zoos and penguins!
  • Primate keeper, Emily, feeds orangutan, Bonnie
    Swing along with primate keeper Emily Bricker as she shares her stories about caring for orangutans.
  • Kyle holds 4-year-old Cuban crocodile, Jésus
    Animal keeper Kyle Miller leaps into his experience caring for Cuban crocodiles!
  • Keeper Mariel Lally asks red panda Jackie to stand on his rear feet.
    Animal keeper Mariel Lally shares the fluffy scoop on caring for red pandas!