Zoo Boise — Attraction in Boise

My husband and I recently visited this zoo, and to say we left feeling disturbed and disheartened would be an understatement. This place is an absolute disgrace to the idea of animal care, education, and ethical tourism.

Nearly every animal we saw was confined to small, pitiful enclosures—barely enough space to stretch, let alone move freely or behave naturally. It was gut-wrenching to watch lions, bears, and primates just lying around, clearly bored, lonely, and mentally checked out. Their habitats were not only cramped but incredibly underwhelming—some even had peeling paint and fake, poorly done sky murals on the walls that looked more like a kindergarten art project than an attempt to recreate a natural environment. It was honestly depressing.

Even worse, at least half of the exhibits were completely empty. No signage explaining where the animals were, no activity happening—just fenced-in, forgotten spaces that made the zoo feel more like an abandoned roadside attraction than an actual functioning facility.

To top it off, we noticed rotting food in some of the enclosures, literally covered in flies. It was disgusting and clearly not fresh or monitored. It’s incredibly concerning to think animals are expected to eat off of that.

The staff? Equally disappointing. No one was welcoming, cheerful, or even remotely engaged. When we expressed concern about a penguin who seemed injured or sick—he was the only one not swimming—a staff member told us he was “just faking it.” I’m sorry, what?! Faking? We pushed a little and she ended up admitting he had arthritis, so not only did she initially brush us off with an absurd excuse, but she also lied about a legitimate medical condition like it was a joke. It was insulting and honestly alarming. If that’s how casually they treat animal health concerns, it makes you wonder what else they’re hiding.

And finally, on top of the overpriced admission, they actually charge you extra if you want to feed any animals. Nothing is included, which felt like a cash grab. For a place that clearly needs money to improve conditions, you’d think they’d at least justify the fees with decent experiences—but no. It felt like we were being nickel-and-dimed at every corner while watching animals suffer in silence.

This zoo should be ashamed. It needs serious oversight, inspections, and reform—or better yet, shut down until it can meet even basic standards of animal welfare. I would never recommend this...

We recently held our wedding reception at Zoo Boise, and overall, it was a fantastic venue! Although it’s not widely advertised, the zoo offers a fun and affordable option for after-hours weddings. While we only hosted the reception there, our guests had a wonderful time exploring the zoo. The venue also accommodates a traditional DJ and dance reception, which added to the festive atmosphere. Although we hired a personal planner, the zoo staff was highly supportive, assisting with decor setup and ensuring a great guest experience.

While our experience with the venue itself was positive, we did encounter some challenges with their in-house catering service, Taste Catering. Initially, we were excited about the convenience of having catering available on-site. However, about three months before the wedding, the catering management changed, and we found ourselves working with a new point of contact. Unfortunately, this transition led to a decline in communication and responsiveness, with it typically taking 7-10 days to receive replies to emails or phone calls.

Securing a tasting was difficult, and the food provided did not fully align with the menu descriptions. Additionally, key deadlines outlined in our contract were missed, which required multiple follow-ups on our part. We were unable to finalize the contract and guest count until the week of the wedding due to the lack of communication from the new catering manager. The whole experience felt like forcing the catering manager to do her job for a day we were paying thousands of dollars for. It was very stressful to have no idea what was to be expected the day of due to the lack of communication.

Despite these frustrations, the catering team did deliver on the day of the event. The food was well-prepared, and our guests gave positive feedback. However, the lead-up to the wedding was far more stressful than it should have been due to the issues with Taste Catering.

Overall, we do recommend Zoo Boise as a unique and enjoyable wedding venue. However, we encourage couples to be mindful of potential communication challenges with the required...

Zoo Boise has done an notably excellent job creating caring habitats for their animals and offering Boise residents (tax payers) a memorable example of quality animal conservation efforts, especially given the limited funding and support the City is currently investing in the evolution of our Zoo.

The Zoo has challenging space limitations, restricting the kinds of animals they can house there and ensure they are as healthy as possible. This limits the Zoo's ability to bring in many of the most popular large animals, the kind that become popular Boise icons, attract repeat guests and appeal to willing Zoo patrons/sponsors. Gorillas being a clear example of this in other Zoos.

In order for the Zoo to evolve as a truly compelling Boise activity venue and conservation education resource, our City leaders must find creative ways to expand the Zoo's available space. This investment would ensure Zoo Boise becomes a self-evolving, continually more popular attraction for Boise, a requirement for increasing Zoo sponsorship.

Boise city's current size offers several viable locations for a "Wild Animal Park"; a zoo property where animals can roam, and guests are fenced. This would support Zoo Boise as a truly effective breeding zoo! San Diego Zoo has been extremely successful with this model. Becoming a breeding zoo is the hallmark of a class-act Zoo attraction.

IT IS TIME! At Boise's current growth rate, the required/available property for expanding the Zoo the right way, will shrink significantly over the next 5 years.

Please help: Communicate with City leaders. Talk to your friends about doing the same Express your support for the City prioritizing Zoo Boise as an investment in Boise's future. Visit the Zoo. Get to know the wonderful animals there. Become a zoo sponsor! Become a conservation advocate. Help your children become conservation advocates.

Finally, help by offering the Boise Parks and Rec. leaders your ideas for how/where we can increase the space available for Zoo Boise's animals that live...