Donate Goods
The Oakland Zoo benefits from a diverse array of donated goods, food and vehicles from individuals, community groups and companies. Your donations help keep our animal commissary stocked with tasty food and fun "toys" for our animals. Using these toys, or enrichment, contributes to a healthy animal by keeping their minds active and engaged.
Donate Goods to our Conservation Partners in Kenya
Twice a year, Oakland Zoo offers a trip with Animal Care staff to Africa. On every trip to Kenya, we take much-needed supplies to our conservation partners. These items include flashlights, whey protein for elephant bottles, binoculars, flea medications, dog collars for community herding dogs, and more. Deadline to donate is September 15th.
Enrichment Items
Support the Zoo and our conservation partners by purchasing items from our Amazon Wish Lists. We engage all our animals by providing customized treats and toys, or enrichment, to keep their minds and bodies active. We also communicate regularly with our conservation partners around the globe to understand and support their evolving needs. Each purchase you make fuels our animals’ wellbeing and conservation impact.
Other Donation Items
Produce and Bakery Goods
Produce and bakery goods are used to feed our animals as well as for certain enrichment activities. We will take produce items that are relatively fresh, except for onions (green onions and leeks are okay), limes, lemons, potatoes, and herbs. All produce must be pesticide free. We'll also take bread and bakery items, dried fruit, nuts and cereals. Please, no rotten, moldy, or slimy foods. Please do NOT drop off produce without speaking to our commissary department - we cannot use donated produce that is left at our entrance booths or elsewhere on Zoo grounds.
For more information on produce and bakery donations please contact the Commissary Department at (510) 632-9525 ext 253 or email commissary@oaklandzoo.org.
Donating Halloween Pumpkins
We do accept pumpkins for a limited time after Halloween each year; check this webpage for more details as Halloween approaches!
Tree Branches (Browse)
Tree branches (browse) are also used as food and/or toys (enrichment) by many of our animals. At this time we are not picking up from residential households, but we are accepting deliveries of edible branches. We do not accept individual Christmas Trees, as we work with Christmas Tree lots directly to receive their leftovers.
Please consider these tree companies for your tree removal needs, as they have been working with the zoo for over ten years delivering tree branches for the animals directly to the zoo! Since it is time consuming for our keepers to pick the branches up, we much prefer to work with companies who are willing and able to deliver.
- Garcia Professional Tree Service: (510) 915-0201
- Buena Vista Tree Service: (925) 449-1203
- Luis’s Tree Service: (510) 575-5667
- Duda Tree Service: (510) 531-5261
- Miguel Terra Petra Gardens: (510) 205-9647
- Green Terra Tree Service: (510) 436-5403
- Torogoz Landscaping LLC: (510) 575-8694
Vehicle Donation
Oakland Zoo also partners with Charitable Adult Rides & Services (CARS) to process vehicle donations that generate ongoing funding to support our work.
We strive to keep our animals happy and engaged.
