Members Only

Welcome to our Members Only page and thank you for being a part of our zoo family.

Visit the membership page to review levels, renew or buy a membership as a gift.

Membership Page
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Monthly Member Events:

We have monthly events for members and their guests who are covered by their membership. Here are the events remaining in 2025:

Mon. Nov. 17: Member Appreciation Evening, 4-7pm.

Sun. Dec 7: Artisan Bazaar in the Gateway Hall, 12-6pm.

Sun. Dec. 21: Christmas for the Animals plus free member Zoo Lights, 10am-8pm.

We have all zoo events for the remainder of 2025 listed on our calendar page, so be sure to check that out. Don’t miss the opening of Zoo Lights, the annual CyberMonday Zoo Lights Sale, Giving Tuesday plus all of our November and December. We will have 2026 listed soon.

Event Calendar

Zoo Insider News:

Updated 11/17/2025

Animal News:

  • 11/17/25: Things are always busy at the zoo, no matter the time of year! On the animal front - Lily, the red fox who arrived this summer as part of a facility closure, will soon be moved in with Ember the red fox. We hope they will get along well! Brown bears Oreo, Izzy and Taiga (formerly Kitty) will be asleep soon for winter. The black bears are already asleep in their den building. We are hiring for another zookeeper, check out our job openings (we have several) clicking here. On a zoo-wide front, we are beginning a master planning process which we will be working on for the next several months. At some point soon, we will ask members what they would like to see at the zoo! We value member input. Zoo Lights are going up around the zoo as we speak, with our facilities crew hard at work to get everything ready for opening night on Friday, November 28th from 5-8pm. Tickets are on sale online or you can buy entry at the gate. See Zoo Lights info here. We have other upcoming events like our CyberMonday discounted Zoo Lights sale happening online on December 1st (see the Zoo Lights link) and Giving Tuesday which will be a series of live events on Facebook on December 2nd to raise funds for the zoo’s mission.

  • 11/7/25: With 6 inches of new snowfall yesterday, we are seeing our first winter conditions of the season! Our facilities crew is working hard to keep the trails maintained for visitors. Black bears Zayk and PW are now officially asleep in their den building for the winter. We will see them again in late April. Brown bears Oreo, Taiga and Izzy are working their way toward their winter’s sleep. They usually go to sleep later than the black bears and they wake up earlier (referring to the bears currently at the zoo), in March with conditions depending.

  • The zoo will be announcing today (10/14/25) the sad news of the passing of Grubby, who staff had internally renamed to Ophelia. Grubby was the opossum who stowed away north and arrived in Homer in 2023. She was brought to the zoo, as were her babies (joeys) who were discovered and caught around Homer. She passed peacefully at the old opossum age of 3.5 years on Saturday the 11th. The average wild life span of this species is 1-2 years. Her species is invasive in Alaska, so she had a second chance at life thanks to the big hearts of zoo staff. She will be greatly missed by all of us. Click here to read the full story in our press release.

  • Taiga the brown bear (formerly Kitty) is now living her daily life with zoo bears Izzy and Oreo. She came to us this summer from a closing facility and we had her living separately all summer due to her health needs. We are very happy to see all three brown bears living together now.

  • It will be hibernation time soon for zoo black and brown bears. Keepers have noticed that black bears Zayk and PW are getting a little slower and a little cranky. Plan a visit to see them soon before it’s lights out for the winter for them!

  • Male wolverine Jumbo was recently neutered. He and his mate Olga have had a couple of litters of kits, so their genes are well represented in the captive wolverine population. Jumbo is now in retirement from fatherhood!

  • The muskox calf that came in as an orphan in May 2025 is now living with Maya and Sarah Elizabeth. Her name is now Shelley Bean, named from the Champions of the Wild gala.

  • We still have polar bear and tiger encounters available if you are interested in reserving one. Click here to visit the page.

Education News:

  • Wildlife Wednesdays FREE Science Lecture season has kicked off for another winter series. Join us on the second Wednesday each month (Oct-Apr, minus Dec) for a free lecture on a wildlife topic in Alaska. See our page for the schedule and topics.

  • Mark your calendar for the first week of January - Summer Adventure Camps will open that week! They sell out very quickly and the top choices go fast, so be sure to keep tabs on it. We will send members a reminder.

  • We have homeschool field trip programs and Zoo Snooze overnights (with and without Zoo Lights). Be sure to check these programs out. Storytime is also still happening each week on Wednesdays at 10:30am in the Gateway Hall, sponsored by ConocoPhillips Alaska.