Monterey Zoo

About Monterey Zoo

Monterey Zoo is a zoo at 400 River Road in Salinas, California. It is operated by the Monterey Zoological Society, a nonprofit organization. According to the zoo's website, the society's mission is to provide exemplary animal care while offering an entertaining yet educational and conservation-minded experience that fosters public awareness and respect for all wildlife.

The zoo's website describes the property as part of the 51-acre Vision Quest Ranch, which also operates a bed and breakfast with overnight stays. The zoo says its collection includes more than 100 exotic animals, organized on the website into categories: big cats, small cats, bears, rhinos, hoofed and toed animals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, primates, and a group of other mammals the zoo calls fascinating mammals.

The zoo lists accreditation by the Zoological Association of America, which it says it has held since June 2020. It also lists membership in the American Association of Zoo Keepers and the Elephant Managers Association, and participation in Zoological Disaster Response, Rescue, and Recovery. The zoo is not accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

History

The zoo's website traces its origins to founder Charlie Sammut. It says Sammut established the business in 1994 as Wild Things Animal Rentals, Inc. The website relates that Sammut worked in law enforcement as a young man, and that a suspect he arrested told him about a pet cougar that would need a new home, which Sammut took in. He later acquired a lion cub named Josef, which the website says had a calm and sweet temperament and appeared in commercials and films, including The Lion King. The site says Sammut calls Josef the single most important influence in his life and credits the lion with turning a hobby and business into a passion for educating people about animals. The conservation page refers to Sammut as the zoo's founding director.

The zoo's website lists several recognitions. These include a Zoological Association of America exhibit award in 2023 for its rhino exhibit, a ZAA in-situ conservation award in 2024 for rhino conservation work, a 2024 Family Favorites award from Monterey Bay Parent, and a 2023 Best Education Destination listing from Study.com. It also reports a gold transparency rating from GuideStar and a three-star rating from Charity Navigator.

Exhibits and habitats

The zoo organizes its animals on its website by category, and the pages name many individual animals.

Big cats. The big cats page lists five African lions: Michael, Thelma and Louis, and a brother and sister pair named Zeus and Athena that arrived in 2016. It lists three Bengal tigers, two of them royal white tigers and one a golden tabby, kept separated by sex. It also lists two leopards: Picasso, a melanistic African leopard, and Zeya, an Amur leopard.

Small cats. Cougars named Johnny, Cosmo and Loretta, after characters in the film Moonstruck, are listed alongside a caracal named Bartley, Siberian lynx named Nadia and Vladimir, a serval named Skully, and a bobcat that the page describes as a non-releasable animal from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Bears. The zoo's Big Bear Habitat is home to four California black bears named Stuart, Martha, Peyton and Mikey. The page says they were captive-bred at other facilities or orphaned at sanctuaries and hand-raised by keepers.

Rhinos and hoofed animals. The rhino page describes southern white rhinoceros in what the zoo calls a multi-species Africa Savannah exhibit. The hoofed and toed page lists zebras (Damara and Grants), blue wildebeest named Larry, Mo and Curley, a swamp buffalo and a river buffalo, warthogs named Harley and Fiona, dromedary and Bactrian camels, alpacas, llamas, a miniature donkey named Dominic, and a zedonk named Elsie. It states that the wildebeest share a five-acre habitat with the rhinos, zebras and water buffalo.

Primates. The primate page lists black and white ruffed, red ruffed and ring-tailed lemurs, tufted and black and white capuchins, squirrel monkeys named Pip and Penny, and two female African baboons.

Birds. The bird page lists parrots including macaws, Amazons and cockatoos, red-tailed hawks, great horned owls, turkey vultures, an American bald eagle named Arrow that the page says was disabled in a vehicle accident, ravens and crows, and brown pelicans and gulls described as non-releasable ambassador animals.

Other mammals and reptiles. The fascinating mammals page lists a two-toed sloth pair in a rain forest exhibit, red kangaroos, Bennett's wallabies, spotted hyenas, coatis, binturongs, fennec foxes, muntjac, African crested porcupines, American badgers, striped skunks, ferrets, opossums and cavies. The reptile page lists pythons, boa constrictors, cobras, alligators that the zoo says are all confiscated pets of illegal owners in California, lizards, turtles and tortoises, and spiders.

Conservation and programs

The conservation page describes Conservation Hall, launched in 2022. Visitors receive a wooden quarter to place toward the conservation effort of their choice among displays representing more than 40 conservation organizations. The zoo reports a running total raised through the program as of December 2024. On November 11, 2023 the zoo held a Saving Rhinos fundraiser, described as its first formal fundraiser dedicated to a single species. The zoo says it covered all overhead costs so that all funds raised went to the International Rhino Foundation and Care for Wild.

For African lions, the page names the Niassa Lion Project and Zambeze Delta Conservation as partners, and says the zoo participates in African lion animal management programs and Species Survival Plans in captivity.

The education page lists on-site presentations of one to one and a half hours that can be tailored to different age groups or to specific animal subjects or curriculums, off-site programs at schools and events, discounted entrance for schools and large organized groups that reserve in advance, and a Safari Camp for ages 7 to 12 held in full-week sessions from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Camp dates listed for 2026 are June 22 to 26 and July 13 to 17. An optional evening Roar and Smores add-on includes a nocturnal flashlight safari, a campfire dinner with staff, games, and participation in Crunch Time and the rhino bedtime activity. The zoo also takes volunteers and interns, who must be 18 or older and have health insurance.

Planning your visit

As listed on the zoo's website, the zoo is open every day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and closes on Easter, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Daily tickets are sold in the zoo gift shop with no reservations needed, and the zoo asks groups to call for group pricing and reservations. Ticket prices are listed on the zoo's website.

The zoo's experiences page lists several add-on experiences, some of which are scheduled after the zoo's general closing time. Rydables are mobility-style electric carts dressed as stuffed animals, rented to seniors and visitors with disabilities or booked for group events. VIAP tours run about three hours with close contact with four animals and a catered lunch. Walk with the Rhinos is a walk to the five-acre rhino habitat with keepers that, as listed, starts at 11:30 daily; children must be seven or older. Crunch Time, a big cat feeding experience, is listed as generally held between 4:15 and 5:15 p.m.; children must be four or older. Buddy's Bedtime, a rhino bedtime tour, is listed as starting at 5 p.m.; children must be four or older. Walk with the Animals is an all-day experience of up to six hours, reservable by phone only. The page states that strollers are not allowed on Walk with the Rhinos, Crunch Time, Buddy's Bedtime or Walk with the Animals.