{"id":115708,"date":"2025-03-17T12:00:12","date_gmt":"2025-03-17T16:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/?p=115708"},"modified":"2025-03-19T00:40:10","modified_gmt":"2025-03-19T04:40:10","slug":"fort-wayne-zoos-opening-day-20250328","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/2025\/03\/17\/fort-wayne-zoos-opening-day-20250328\/","title":{"rendered":"Fort Wayne Zoo&#8217;s Opening Day &#8211; 3\/28\/2025"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/tFortWayneZoo_logo-1024x498.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"696\" height=\"338\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-115296\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/tFortWayneZoo_logo-1024x498.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/tFortWayneZoo_logo-300x146.jpg 300w, https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/tFortWayneZoo_logo-768x373.jpg 768w, https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/tFortWayneZoo_logo-1536x747.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/tFortWayneZoo_logo-150x73.jpg 150w, https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/tFortWayneZoo_logo-696x338.jpg 696w, https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/tFortWayneZoo_logo-1068x519.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/tFortWayneZoo_logo-864x420.jpg 864w, https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/tFortWayneZoo_logo.jpg 1711w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The Fort Wayne Zoo will kick off its season-long 60th birthday party on Friday, March 28, 2025.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Fort Wayne Zoo news release:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Fort Wayne Zoo Opens Friday, March 28, 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Fort Wayne Indiana (March 17, 2025) \u2013 The Fort Wayne Zoo will kick off its season-long 60th birthday party on Friday, March 28. The season opening festivities will begin at 11:30 a.m. in the Entrance Plaza with musical performances and a ribbon cutting at noon with Mayor Sharon Tucker, Zoo Executive Director Rick Schuiteman, and Zoo Board President Tom Ackmann.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe can\u2019t wait to welcome the community back to the Zoo and begin celebrating our 60th birthday,\u201d Says Executive Director, Rick Schuiteman. \u201cWe are celebrating 60 years of support from our community and the unforgettable experiences of the 25,615,315 guests that have walked through the Zoo\u2019s front gate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>New this season, The Fort Wayne Zoo will transform for Glo Wild. Join us for Glo Wild on select dates beginning March 27 through May 26, 2025. Step into a land of glowing landscapes and stand toe to toe with towering animals in larger-than-life 3D lantern displays. Guests can learn more at <a href=\"https:\/\/fwzoo.com\/glowild\/\" target=\"_blank\">fwzoo.com\/glowild<\/a><\/p>\n<p>This season will include the opening of Coastal Cove, a sea lion and seal habitat. This reimagined and updated space will feature a new species to the Zoo with Harbor Seals to join the Zoo\u2019s sea lions, Cassandra and Valkyrie. More details including ribbon cutting and exhibit opening announcements later this summer.<\/p>\n<p>Wild Wednesdays are back and sponsored by Lassus. Every Wednesday, May through July the Zoo will be open until 8 p.m. Visit the Zoo after 4 p.m. on Wild Wednesdays for the best ticket value \u2013 evening tickets are only $15.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor generations, the Fort Wayne Zoo has inspired people through memorable animal encounters, cheerful family traditions, and one-of-a-kind experiences. This season we will celebrate how far we have come and welcome the next 60 years of connecting kids and animals, strengthening families, and inspiring people to care.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>About the Fort Wayne Zoo: The Fort Wayne Zoo is northeast Indiana\u2019s largest tourist attraction, hosting more than 650,000 guests annually. The Zoo is home to Red Panda Ridge named #6 in USA Today 10Best Zoo Exhibits for 2024. In 2021, the Zoo was voted Visit Indiana\u2019s \u201cSummer Bucket List Top Attraction\u201d and is consistently named one of the nation\u2019s Top Ten Zoos for Kids by national media outlets.<\/p>\n<p>The Zoo is a conservation leader, investing nearly $275,000 annually in local, regional, and international efforts to protect wildlife and their habitats. The Zoo cares for more than 1,500 animals and participates in 41 cooperative species survival plan programs and 42 taxon advisory groups, which are critical to supporting threatened species.<\/p>\n<p>As a self-supporting facility, the Fort Wayne Zoo receives no tax dollars for daily operations, unlike most accredited zoos where those dollars fund approximately 40% of their annual operating budgets. The Zoo&#8217;s mission is made possible thanks to support derived from admissions, memberships, donations, group picnics, special ticketed events, and other visitation-related activities.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Related Images:<\/h3><div class=\"ngg-related-gallery\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/four-sea-lions_frolic.jpg\"\n\t\t\ttitle=\"Our four sea lions frolic in the waters of Sea Lion Beach at the Fort Wayne Children&#039;s Zoo  Photo Courtesy of the Fort Wayne Children&#039;s Zoo.\"\n\t\t\tclass='thickbox' rel='5911738cfc8a8e14c5e607eb8c439f8d' data-image-id=\"5379\" data-src=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/four-sea-lions_frolic.jpg\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/thumbs\/thumbs_four-sea-lions_frolic.jpg\" data-title=\"Four Sea Lions frolic\" data-description=\"Our four sea lions frolic in the waters of Sea Lion Beach at the Fort Wayne Children&#039;s Zoo  Photo Courtesy of the Fort Wayne Children&#039;s Zoo.\">\n\t\t\t<img title=\"Four Sea Lions frolic\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"Four Sea Lions frolic\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"5379\"\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/thumbs\/thumbs_four-sea-lions_frolic.jpg\"\/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/tiny_cassandra.jpg\"\n\t\t\ttitle=\"Tiny Cassandra follows Fishbone everywhere at the Fort Wayne Children&#039;s Zoo Photo Courtesy of the Fort Wayne Children&#039;s Zoo.\"\n\t\t\tclass='thickbox' rel='5911738cfc8a8e14c5e607eb8c439f8d' data-image-id=\"5380\" data-src=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/tiny_cassandra.jpg\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/thumbs\/thumbs_tiny_cassandra.jpg\" data-title=\"Tiny Cassandra follows Fishbone everywhere.jpg (1.07 MB)\" data-description=\"Tiny Cassandra follows Fishbone everywhere at the Fort Wayne Children&#039;s Zoo Photo Courtesy of the Fort Wayne Children&#039;s Zoo.\">\n\t\t\t<img title=\"Tiny Cassandra follows Fishbone everywhere.jpg (1.07 MB)\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"Tiny Cassandra follows Fishbone everywhere.jpg (1.07 MB)\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"5380\"\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/thumbs\/thumbs_tiny_cassandra.jpg\"\/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/three_weeks_old.jpg\"\n\t\t\ttitle=\"At three weeks old, Tuck quadrupled its weight since hatching.\"\n\t\t\tclass='thickbox' rel='5911738cfc8a8e14c5e607eb8c439f8d' data-image-id=\"6001\" data-src=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/three_weeks_old.jpg\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/thumbs\/thumbs_three_weeks_old.jpg\" data-title=\"Tuck at three weeks old\" data-description=\"At three weeks old, Tuck quadrupled its weight since hatching.\">\n\t\t\t<img title=\"Tuck at three weeks old\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"Tuck at three weeks old\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"6001\"\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/thumbs\/thumbs_three_weeks_old.jpg\"\/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/colobus_monkey1.jpg\"\n\t\t\ttitle=\"Colobus Monkey baby born at the Zoo with her mother. Courtesy photo.\"\n\t\t\tclass='thickbox' rel='5911738cfc8a8e14c5e607eb8c439f8d' data-image-id=\"6757\" data-src=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/colobus_monkey1.jpg\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/thumbs\/thumbs_colobus_monkey1.jpg\" data-title=\"Colobus Monkey baby born at the Zoo with her mother\" data-description=\"Colobus Monkey baby born at the Zoo with her mother. Courtesy photo.\">\n\t\t\t<img title=\"Colobus Monkey baby born at the Zoo with her mother\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"Colobus Monkey baby born at the Zoo with her mother\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"6757\"\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/thumbs\/thumbs_colobus_monkey1.jpg\"\/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/colobus_monkey2.jpg\"\n\t\t\ttitle=\"Colobus Monkey baby born at the Zoo with her mother. Courtesy photo.\"\n\t\t\tclass='thickbox' rel='5911738cfc8a8e14c5e607eb8c439f8d' data-image-id=\"6758\" data-src=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/colobus_monkey2.jpg\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/thumbs\/thumbs_colobus_monkey2.jpg\" data-title=\"Colobus Monkey baby born at the Zoo with her mother\" data-description=\"Colobus Monkey baby born at the Zoo with her mother. Courtesy photo.\">\n\t\t\t<img title=\"Colobus Monkey baby born at the Zoo with her mother\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"Colobus Monkey baby born at the Zoo with her mother\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"6758\"\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/thumbs\/thumbs_colobus_monkey2.jpg\"\/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/indah_bugara0.jpg\"\n\t\t\ttitle=\"Indah the Sumatran tiger tackles her brother Bugara at the Cameron park Zoo in Waco, Texas. The pair are coming to Fort Wayne later this month. Photos by Sheri Hemrick and courtesy of the Fort Wayne Children&#039;s Zoo.\"\n\t\t\tclass='thickbox' rel='5911738cfc8a8e14c5e607eb8c439f8d' data-image-id=\"6819\" data-src=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/indah_bugara0.jpg\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/thumbs\/thumbs_indah_bugara0.jpg\" data-title=\"Indah and Bugara\" data-description=\"Indah the Sumatran tiger tackles her brother Bugara at the Cameron park Zoo in Waco, Texas. The pair are coming to Fort Wayne later this month. Photos by Sheri Hemrick and courtesy of the Fort Wayne Children&#039;s Zoo.\">\n\t\t\t<img title=\"Indah and Bugara\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"Indah and Bugara\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"6819\"\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/thumbs\/thumbs_indah_bugara0.jpg\"\/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/indah_bugara1.jpg\"\n\t\t\ttitle=\"Indah (left) and Bugara will come to Fort Wayne later this month as part of an effort to boost the population of endangered Sumatran tigers. Photos by Sheri Hemrick and courtesy of the Fort Wayne Children&#039;s Zoo.\"\n\t\t\tclass='thickbox' rel='5911738cfc8a8e14c5e607eb8c439f8d' data-image-id=\"6820\" data-src=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/indah_bugara1.jpg\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/thumbs\/thumbs_indah_bugara1.jpg\" data-title=\"Indah and Bugara\" data-description=\"Indah (left) and Bugara will come to Fort Wayne later this month as part of an effort to boost the population of endangered Sumatran tigers. Photos by Sheri Hemrick and courtesy of the Fort Wayne Children&#039;s Zoo.\">\n\t\t\t<img title=\"Indah and Bugara\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"Indah and Bugara\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"6820\"\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/thumbs\/thumbs_indah_bugara1.jpg\"\/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/javan_gibbon_baby1.jpg\"\n\t\t\ttitle=\"Rare Javan gibbon baby born at the Fort Wayne Children&#039;s Zoo. Courtesy image.\"\n\t\t\tclass='thickbox' rel='5911738cfc8a8e14c5e607eb8c439f8d' data-image-id=\"6913\" data-src=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/javan_gibbon_baby1.jpg\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/thumbs\/thumbs_javan_gibbon_baby1.jpg\" data-title=\"Javan gibbon baby\" data-description=\"Rare Javan gibbon baby born at the Fort Wayne Children&#039;s Zoo. Courtesy image.\">\n\t\t\t<img title=\"Javan gibbon baby\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"Javan gibbon baby\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"6913\"\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/thumbs\/thumbs_javan_gibbon_baby1.jpg\"\/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/javan_gibbon_baby2.jpg\"\n\t\t\ttitle=\"Rare Javan gibbon baby born at the Fort Wayne Children&#039;s Zoo. Courtesy image.\"\n\t\t\tclass='thickbox' rel='5911738cfc8a8e14c5e607eb8c439f8d' data-image-id=\"6914\" data-src=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/javan_gibbon_baby2.jpg\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/thumbs\/thumbs_javan_gibbon_baby2.jpg\" data-title=\"Javan gibbon baby\" data-description=\"Rare Javan gibbon baby born at the Fort Wayne Children&#039;s Zoo. Courtesy image.\">\n\t\t\t<img title=\"Javan gibbon baby\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"Javan gibbon baby\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"6914\"\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/thumbs\/thumbs_javan_gibbon_baby2.jpg\"\/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/bugara.jpg\"\n\t\t\ttitle=\"Vote for Bugara the Sumatran Tiger in the Kroger Zoo Day balloting. Courtesy image.\"\n\t\t\tclass='thickbox' rel='5911738cfc8a8e14c5e607eb8c439f8d' data-image-id=\"6917\" data-src=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/bugara.jpg\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/thumbs\/thumbs_bugara.jpg\" data-title=\"Bugara the Sumatran Tiger\" data-description=\"Vote for Bugara the Sumatran Tiger in the Kroger Zoo Day balloting. Courtesy image.\">\n\t\t\t<img title=\"Bugara the Sumatran Tiger\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"Bugara the Sumatran Tiger\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"6917\"\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/thumbs\/thumbs_bugara.jpg\"\/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/fishbone.jpg\"\n\t\t\ttitle=\"Vote for Fishbone the Sea Lion in the Kroger Zoo Day balloting. Courtesy image.\"\n\t\t\tclass='thickbox' rel='5911738cfc8a8e14c5e607eb8c439f8d' data-image-id=\"6918\" data-src=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/fishbone.jpg\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/thumbs\/thumbs_fishbone.jpg\" data-title=\"Fishbone the Sea Lion\" data-description=\"Vote for Fishbone the Sea Lion in the Kroger Zoo Day balloting. Courtesy image.\">\n\t\t\t<img title=\"Fishbone the Sea Lion\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"Fishbone the Sea Lion\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"6918\"\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/thumbs\/thumbs_fishbone.jpg\"\/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/jelani.jpg\"\n\t\t\ttitle=\"Vote for Jelani the Giraffe in the Kroger Zoo Day balloting. Courtesy image.\"\n\t\t\tclass='thickbox' rel='5911738cfc8a8e14c5e607eb8c439f8d' data-image-id=\"6919\" data-src=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/jelani.jpg\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/thumbs\/thumbs_jelani.jpg\" data-title=\"Jelani the Giraffe\" data-description=\"Vote for Jelani the Giraffe in the Kroger Zoo Day balloting. Courtesy image.\">\n\t\t\t<img title=\"Jelani the Giraffe\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"Jelani the Giraffe\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"6919\"\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/thumbs\/thumbs_jelani.jpg\"\/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/kids4nature-1.jpg\"\n\t\t\ttitle=\"Kids4Nature. Courtesy image.\"\n\t\t\tclass='thickbox' rel='5911738cfc8a8e14c5e607eb8c439f8d' data-image-id=\"6940\" data-src=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/kids4nature-1.jpg\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/thumbs\/thumbs_kids4nature-1.jpg\" data-title=\"Kids4Nature\" data-description=\"Kids4Nature. Courtesy image.\">\n\t\t\t<img title=\"Kids4Nature\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"Kids4Nature\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"6940\"\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/thumbs\/thumbs_kids4nature-1.jpg\"\/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/kids4nature-2.jpg\"\n\t\t\ttitle=\"Kids4Nature. Courtesy image.\"\n\t\t\tclass='thickbox' rel='5911738cfc8a8e14c5e607eb8c439f8d' data-image-id=\"6941\" data-src=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/kids4nature-2.jpg\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/thumbs\/thumbs_kids4nature-2.jpg\" data-title=\"Kids4Nature\" data-description=\"Kids4Nature. Courtesy image.\">\n\t\t\t<img title=\"Kids4Nature\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"Kids4Nature\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"6941\"\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/thumbs\/thumbs_kids4nature-2.jpg\"\/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/jim_anderson.jpg\"\n\t\t\ttitle=\"Jim Anderson, director of the Fort Wayne Children&#039;s Zoo. Courtesy image.\"\n\t\t\tclass='thickbox' rel='5911738cfc8a8e14c5e607eb8c439f8d' data-image-id=\"6953\" data-src=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/jim_anderson.jpg\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/thumbs\/thumbs_jim_anderson.jpg\" data-title=\"Jim Anderson\" data-description=\"Jim Anderson, director of the Fort Wayne Children&#039;s Zoo. Courtesy image.\">\n\t\t\t<img title=\"Jim Anderson\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"Jim Anderson\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"6953\"\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/zoo\/thumbs\/thumbs_jim_anderson.jpg\"\/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Fort Wayne Zoo will kick off its season-long 60th birthday party on Friday, March 28, 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":115296,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[31141,26999],"tags":[32106,23,30019,40,32105,25900,32104,32108,31143,32107],"class_list":["post-115708","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fort-wayne-zoo-calendar","category-fort-wayne-zoo","tag-cassandra-the-sea-lion","tag-fort-wayne-indiana","tag-fort-wayne-mayor-sharon-tucker","tag-fort-wayne-zoo","tag-fort-wayne-zoo-coastal-cove","tag-fort-wayne-zoo-director-and-ceo-rick-schuiteman","tag-fort-wayne-zoo-glo-wild","tag-fort-wayne-zoo-wild-wednesdays","tag-tom-ackmann","tag-valkyrie-the-sea-lion"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Fort Wayne Zoo&#039;s Opening Day - 3\/28\/2025 - AroundFortWayne<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Fort Wayne Zoo will kick off its season-long 60th birthday party on Friday, March 28, 2025.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/2025\/03\/17\/fort-wayne-zoos-opening-day-20250328\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Fort Wayne Zoo&#039;s Opening Day - 3\/28\/2025 - AroundFortWayne\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Fort Wayne Zoo will kick off its season-long 60th birthday party on Friday, March 28, 2025.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/2025\/03\/17\/fort-wayne-zoos-opening-day-20250328\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"AroundFortWayne\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AroundFortWayne\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-03-17T16:00:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-03-19T04:40:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/tFortWayneZoo_logo.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1711\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"832\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"67slparker\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@TheAFWBlog\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@TheAFWBlog\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"67slparker\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/2025\/03\/17\/fort-wayne-zoos-opening-day-20250328\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/2025\/03\/17\/fort-wayne-zoos-opening-day-20250328\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"67slparker\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/60a1c82ca1de84bb660471939e6393b2\"},\"headline\":\"Fort Wayne Zoo&#8217;s Opening Day &#8211; 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