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Zoo Animals That You Can Touch

Animals typically serve as ambassadors in zoos. In certain facilities, zookeepers will take animals to a central area, where visitors have the opportunity to touch them and receive information on the specific animal and on conservation issues in general. Animals used for these educational programs are normally small and safe to handle. Tortoises, young constrictors and hedgehogs are common examples, as are the hand-reared young of monkey and big cat species. You can visit certain creatures, such as lorikeets, in their walk-through aviaries, where you can touch and often feed the birds.

Lorikeets
- Lorikeets are strikingly colored parrots from the Australian rain forests. These active little birds have specialized tongues for feeding on nectar. They are often housed in walk-through aviaries, where the public can visit them. Zoos often sell small cups of nectar for visitors to feed the lorikeets. During these interactive sessions the lorikeets will fly down and sit on the shoulders and arms of the visitors.
Snakes
- Zoo visitors are both fascinated by and afraid of snakes. Young pythons and boas, which are tame enough not to bite and far too small to constrict, are very popular reptiles for a zoo's interactive program. Zoo visitors enjoy learning about the individual snakes and zoo educators use this opportunity to spread a conservation message. Many zoos will allow the participants in these interactive programs to drape the snakes around their neck for a photo opportunity.
Baby Carnivores
- Hand-reared lion and tiger cubs are frequent guests in a zoo's interactive or touch program. The cubs of any of the big cats tend to draw large crowds. Cubs will often have their bottle during such interactive sessions and zoos may allow visitors to have their photograph taken with the babies.
Stingrays
- Many zoos incorporate an aquarium and offer the public an opportunity to touch underwater creatures. Stingrays are popular "touch pool" creatures. These smooth-skinned fish are typically placed in shallow pools for visitors to feel and feed. Rock pool creatures are equally popular and the zoo visitor is invited to touch a sea anemone or starfish. Most of these animals are on a rotation program and return to their standard accommodation on alternate days or after spending a specified period of time in the touch pool.

Animals & Science