GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — John Ball Zoo is excited to welcome visitors back on campus on Friday for the 2023 season, which will offer more than it ever has before.
“We're always going to continue growing," said Tim Sampson, the zoo's curator in the mammal section. "We're always going to be changing. There's a new kind of...era of John Ball Zoo that you might not have seen before.”
That includes fresh faces in existing spaces.
For example, a two-year-old female snow leopard named Yuki joined Milo, the six-year-old male. Also, the zoo added more bald eagles, two male coatis— which are members of the raccoon family— a sloth and more.
Perhaps the most exciting addition is the pygmy hippo exhibit, which won't quite be ready for opening day, but that gives people something to look forward to later in the season.
Last year, the zoo welcomed 600,000 guests, and it expects even more to come by this season.
According to Sampson, John Ball Zoo is the tenth-oldest zoo in the country at 137 years old. It's also one of the few inner-city zoos left in America.
"We serve a purpose to a lot of our community that might not have the chance to see a lot of these wonderful creatures in their native habitat," he said.
Sampson said, while there are many changes this season, one thing will surely stay the same — the priceless reaction from young guests.
"It's really cool when you see a child make a connection for the very first time with an animal that you've never seen before," he said. "You can see it just change, so I'm really looking forward to seeing that again."
John Ball Zoo will be open from 10 a.m.– 4 p.m. on Friday and every weekday until May (except during spring break). Weekend hours are from 9 a.m.– 6 p.m.
You can find more information, and ticket prices, on the zoo's website.