Thank you for joining us at ZooFest 2018! We appreciate your support of our organization and for helping us achieve our mission of connecting people with wildlife, inspiring caring for nature and advancing conservation action.

The name “black bear” is somewhat of a misnomer, as these bears can come in a wide variety of colors from light brown to cinnamon to grey. They are excellent climbers, as well as being fast runners and capable swimmers.

Flamingos belong to one of the oldest bird groups alive. There are six types of flamingo, including five separate species. And there are 17 vertebrae in a flamingo neck; humans have only seven.

The Giant Desert Hairy Scorpion is the largest scorpion in North America. They are an aggressive, nocturnal, active scorpion that is usually yellow with a dark top and has lobster-like pincers. They, along with 50 species of invertebrates, are living in the Insect Zoo at the San Francisco Zoo.

Grant’s zebra can be found in the grasslands, savannas, and open country of Africa, including Southern Sudan and Ethiopia, down to central Angola and eastern South Africa. Grant’s zebras are also known as plains zebra or common zebra.

Grizzly bears, once prevalent in California, have been extinct in this state since the 1920s. They have been classified as a "threatened" species in the United States since 1975. Our two female grizzly bears were orphaned as cubs in Montana.

There's no doubt, lions are spectacular animals. Our pride of lions, made up of a female, male and their very handsome son, is consistently one of the most popular species in the Zoo.

The Magellanic penguin is one of 17 penguin species, all of which live in the southern hemisphere. The climate in this species’ range is not that different from our climate here in northern California.

More than half the world's rabbit population resides in North America. They are also native to southwestern Europe, Southeast Asia, Sumatra, some islands of Japan, and parts of Africa and South America. Rabbits are social animals sometimes finding companionship with guinea pigs, cats, dogs and humans. Come and visit our rabbits and their companions in the Children’s Zoo at the San Francisco Zoo.

Red pandas are found in montane forests in parts of China, Nepal, Myanmar and India. They feed mainly on young leaves and shoots of bamboo, but will also eat roots, fruits, eggs or small reptiles when available. Come and visit our red panda, Tenzing, in his Treehouse Masters-built home in the Fisher Family Children’s Zoo.

Reticulated giraffes form loosely organized groups of two to 20 animals. Apparently giraffes have “friends,” and will associate with certain individuals in the group more often than others.

Ring-tailed lemurs are among the best known, most easily recognized, and most intensively studied of all lemurs, and are the only surviving semi-terrestrial diurnal lemur in Madagascar. As one of the most vocal primates, the ring-tailed lemur utilizes numerous vocalizations including group cohesion and alarm calls, and they can be heard throughout the Zoo!

The snow leopard is the only exclusively alpine cat in the world. This rare nocturnal animal is seldom seen, and was photographed in the wild for the first time in 1971. The Zoo has had a very successful breeding history of snow leopards, producing 42 snow leopards since 1958.

Southern two-toed sloths spend most of their time high up in the forest canopy. Because they spend most of their time hanging in trees, their fur grows in the opposite direction of other mammals and has special grooves in it which hosts algae, which serves as camouflage. Southern two-toed sloths are primarily nocturnal and solitary animals and can live up to 20 years in the wild and 30 – 40 years in captivity.

Like most of their New World monkey relatives, squirrel monkeys are diurnal and arboreal. Unlike the other New World monkeys, their tail is not used for climbing, but as a kind of "balancing pole" and also as a tool. Their zoo keepers can tell each of the squirrel monkeys apart based on their unique faces and personalities. Come and visit all of them in the Primate Discovery Center!

Webbing between their toes, when spread, enables Sumatran tigers to be very fast swimmers. They will often run hoofed prey, who are much slower swimmers, into the water. Our 9-year-old female Sumatran tiger has had two litters in five years, so we're thrilled to be able to contribute to the population of these majestic animals.

Here at the San Francisco Zoological Society, as we think of sharing special meals and gifts with family and friends during the holidays, we want to do the same for the nearly 2,000 animals that call the San Francisco Zoo & Gardens home. We know that many of you want to help provide the best care for our animals, and we are truly grateful for your support!

Your support enables us to provide top-notch veterinary care, facilitate award-winning education programs, and support conservation efforts both locally and globally. Join our growing community committed to advancing the Zoo’s mission!

After Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday - or in this case #GivingZOODay - is a chance to give back to the community. By donating to SF Zoo, you help provide the best wellness and enrichment opportunities for the animals and allow San Francisco Zoological Society to implement our mission to connect, care and conserve.