Zoos in Alaska

Alaska's six listed zoos lean toward wildlife rehabilitation rather than conventional city zoos, and most are not AZA accredited. The Alaska Zoo in Anchorage opened in 1969 on about 25 acres at the foothills of the Chugach Mountains. The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center in Portage, an hour or so south of Anchorage along the Seward Highway, is a sanctuary on more than 200 acres that takes in orphaned and injured animals. Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward, which opened in 1998, is the state's only permanent marine mammal rehabilitation facility and holds AZA accreditation. Sitka adds two smaller stops, Alaska Raptor Center and Fortress of the Bear, while Reindeer Farm is in Palmer.