Despite recent media reports that masks outdoors are no longer necessary (with exceptions), at this time Oakland Zoo will continue to require masks be worn by all guests age 2 and older. Currently, Oakland Zoo accommodates up to 3,800 guests per day (with staggered entry). Most importantly, we have been and continue to set our health and safety protocols in compliance with State and County Health Departments. As of now, those departments have not yet issued a retraction of mask requirements in Zoo venues. Thank you for your cooperation in ensuring a healthy and safe visit for all.

The Zoo is open from 10:00 am-6:00 pm with our last ticket sold at 4:00 pm. The Zoo’s entrance closes to guests at 4:00pm (Spring Hours, through May 28). The Zoo will be closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. On Christmas Eve the Zoo will be open but will close early, at 3pm.

You can reserve a ticket on this page. Zoo members still receive free admission but must reserve an online ticket in advance of visiting (please have your member ID and the last name of the primary household member ready). As of April 13, Friends of the Wild no longer require advance reservations to visit Oakland Zoo for daytime admission.

• If you have any questions about your general admission ticket please email info@oaklandzoo.org or call (510) 632-9525. Current office hours are 10am to 4pm daily.
• Members can email membership@oaklandzoo.org or call (510) 632-9525 x160. Current office hours are Monday through Friday from 9am to 4pm.

As of April 13, 2021, Friends of the Wild no longer require advance reservations to visit Oakland Zoo for daytime admission. Simply present your Friends of the Wild membership card when you arrive, or another proof of current membership such as a Friends of the Wild email with your name and membership number. This exclusive access does not apply to special events and programs, such as Glowfari.

Please note: the maximum number of guests that can visit the Zoo per day using a Friends of the Wild membership is four adults and four children.

Visit this page to complete your donation of $1,000 or more and enjoy the most generous benefits the Zoo offers, including transferable admission benefits with no advance reservations required.

You may purchase up to four adults and four children per day. Members may reserve the number of adult/child tickets that corresponds to their membership level.

Attendance is currently limited, so please be aware that you may not be able to secure your first choice of date and time. Daytime admission tickets go on sale 28 days (four weeks) in advance on a rolling basis.

Yes, as long as you submit your request to upgrade within 7 days of your visit. The amount of ticket value that can be applied towards your upgrade is determined by the membership level selected and the number of tickets in your original General Admission (GA) ticket Order. You will be able to apply the value of GA tickets that would have been covered under your new membership level.

To upgrade your single day admission tickets (and parking!) to a membership, please follow these steps:

• Visit www.oaklandzoo.org/membership and review our membership levels – pick the one that is right for your family
• Submit this online form with your desired membership information. You will need the following information:
  o Your admission ticket Order Number (located in the subject line of your confirmation email or the file name of your ticket pdf)
  o The membership level you would like to purchase: Individual, Dual, Family, Family Plus, or Family Deluxe
  o Contact information for the Primary Member (the “owner” of the membership) – mailing address, phone number, email
  o Full Name(s) of any additional cardholders [if the membership level has additional cardholders]
  o Your contact information if this is a gift purchase (you are not going to be the Primary Member)

A confirmation email with tickets attached is sent automatically when a reservation is completed online. Some email providers will filter the confirmation into a spam or junk folder. Please search for an email from oaklandzoo@oaklandzoo.org.

If your search does not work, please send a request to resend your tickets to tickets@oaklandzoo.org. Be sure to provide your name, Order Number, and the date and time of your purchase. These details will help us find your reservation.

Your membership number is 12 digits long and starts with 501. You can find this number on the following:

• Your membership card above your name
• Underneath the bar code on the Temporary Pass PDF that is attached to online confirmation emails
• On the reply form of renewals sent by mail, or on any renewal email

A Pass Validation error means the number entered is not found in our database. If you’ve been using copy/paste to enter your membership number, try typing the 12 digit number instead.

Some members have found that copy/paste is adding a space at the end of the 12 digits, which causes the error. If manually typing the number doesn’t work or you do not have a 12 digit number starting with 501, please contact the Membership Department to confirm your membership number (membership@oaklandzoo.org or 510-632-9525 x160.)

For Individual – Family Deluxe level memberships, our staff prints membership cards after a process of data clean-up and reconciliation. Cards are typically printed and mailed 2-4 weeks after purchase. We put this process on hold during the closure so that cards would be printed with your extended expiration date. We started printing cards again at the beginning of February and have made our way through the backlog. Cards are again being printed 2-4 weeks after purchase.

In the meantime, you can use a Temporary Pass PDF from an online confirmation email or a copy of any email from membership@oaklandzoo.org that includes your membership details to verify your membership status at entry.

Our commitment is to provide members with twelve months of benefits, which includes year-round access to the Zoo.

For Individual – Family Deluxe level members, we are providing generous membership extensions as a reflection of our gratitude for our members’ loyalty. These extensions were processed automatically for all memberships expiring December 31, 2020 or later. Our standing policy is that memberships are non-transferable and non-refundable.

Friends of the Wild donor level memberships are typically fulfilled by mail within 4 weeks of making a donation. If you haven’t yet received your card and wish to visit, you (or your visiting guest) can use any of the Friends of the Wild welcome emails bearing your membership number and name as proof of membership until your card(s) arrive.

As long as your guests have your permission, they can visit the Zoo in your absence. Please ensure your visiting guest comes equipped with either your membership card, or any Friends of the Wild email bearing your name and membership number as proof of current membership.  

Please note: the maximum number of guests that can visit the Zoo per day using a Friends of the Wild membership is four adults and four children.

For all other questions about Friends of the Wild level memberships, please contact Justin Clark, Annual Giving Manager at impact@oaklandzoo.org.

Admission tickets are nonrefundable.

• If you have reserved member tickets and are unable to use them, please email membership@oaklandzoo.org with your Order Number and a request to cancel. This will allow another member family to make a reservation. You are welcome to make a new reservation to visit the zoo on another date through the member ticket webstore.
• If you have purchased General Admission tickets, the Zoo may be able to accommodate a one-time ticket transfer to change the date or time of your visit, pending ticket availability. To request a ticket transfer, please email tickets@oaklandzoo.org at least 48 hours (2 days) in advance of your scheduled ticket. Be sure to include your Order Number and three (3) alternate dates & times for your visit.

If you have reserved tickets for a day that the Zoo closes due to weather, you are able to use those tickets any upcoming Monday through Thursday within 30 days of your reservation. You do not need to take any further action to reschedule your visit; simply bring your original tickets with you on your return date and we will treat them as valid tickets.

If you have reserved tickets for a Friday through Sunday that the Zoo closes due to weather and you would like to reschedule your tickets for an upcoming Friday through Sunday, you must email tickets@oaklandzoo.org to reschedule your reservation within 30 days.

At this time, the Zoo does not have the ability to honor guest passes in a way that meets our new safety protocols and requirement to reserve tickets in advance of visiting. We are working to resolve this issue and will update our website with relevant information when this changes.

Please contact tickets@oaklandzoo.org for more information on how to utilize your Groupon.

Please contact tickets@oaklandzoo.org for more information on how to utilize your Zoo to Community family voucher.

Yes, but you must reserve a date and time for your visit in advance. Your Chase Private Client card allows you, along with one guest, to visit Oakland Zoo for free through June 30, 2021. Tickets for additional guests in your party can be purchased when booking your CPC reservation. There will be a charge for any additional guests (beyond yourself and your guest) at our full-price ticket levels. Free parking is not included with your CPC membership, you must still pay for parking ($10) when reserving your ticket. Please understand that due to limiting our attendance due to social distancing protocols, daily availability to reserve CPC tickets is also limited.

At this time, the Zoo does not have the ability to honor reciprocal membership admission discounts in a way that meets our new safety protocols and requirement to reserve tickets in advance of visiting. We are working to resolve this issue and will update our website with relevant information when this changes.

The California Department of Public Health is the lead agency in public health crisis situations in our state and provides public facilities direction on how to manage responses. We are continuing to work closely with the California Department of Public Health and Alameda County Public Health Department so we can respond quickly to any changes in their recommendations, guidance, and direction. We will remain in active contact with the Department of Health officials. Please remember our ability to remain open depends on meeting the protocols below set by Alameda County Public Health Department. We ask your assistance in maintain compliance with the requirements outlined under New Protocols for Visiting Oakland Zoo above.

Oakland Zoo is adjusting attendance levels in accordance with County health guidelines and to ensure social distancing. The number of guests per day is limited so secure your tickets early.

In accordance with County health guidelines, some indoor exhibits and high touch areas are still closed. This includes the Bug House, California Conservation Habitarium, picnic areas, and Adventure Landing, including the train. Please refer to our online Zoo Map for more information.

We have developed COVID-19 operational protocols with guidance from Alameda County Health officials to reduce the risk of exposure and transmission of the virus for staff, volunteers, guests and animals. These protocols include increased cleaning of work spaces, providing PPE, routine health checks, and remote work when possible.

On April 5, 2020, the USDA reported the first case of an animal contracting COVID-19; a tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York. Our Animal Care staff and Veterinary Hospital teams have responded to this news by expanding our PPE (personal protective equipment: face masks, gloves, and hand washing before food preparation and during feeding) protocols when within 6 feet of the species listed below at Oakland Zoo, as a precautionary measure. No animals at Oakland Zoo have or are showing any signs of illness.

In addition to primates, which we have been implementing expanded PPE protocols with, all of the following species under the scientific grouping, 'order carnivora', are now also included in our PPE protocols: bears, hyenas, African lions, tigers, mountain lions, jaguar, wolves, ferrets, and otters. We are taking further additional precautions by adding our elephants, pigs, and bats to these PPE protocols.

Please know we are responsive to all evolving developments and scientific data findings on COVID-19 and will re-evaluate and respond to any further evidence-based research and findings with additional protocols as recommended or needed. Our animals' health and safety is our number one priority and we are taking every measure to protect our animals from contracting COVID-19 from a potential asymptomatic Animal Care / Veterinary staff member.

If you have pets at home, please do not be alarmed. There is no evidence that animals play a role in the transmission of COVID-19 to people other than the initial event in the Wuhan market, and no evidence that any person has been infected with COVID-19 in the US by animals, including by pet dogs or cats. There have been two cases of house cats in New York contracting COVID-19 from their owners, but no cases where animals infected their owners.

Currently, we are not taking new facility rentals or group reservations.

Some of our in-person Educational programs have returned, while others are currently virtual. Explore our Education webpages to learn more about specific programs.

All overnight experiences have been cancelled and participants will be refunded. We are not offering overnight experiences right now; please check this webpage for updates.

Opportunities for current volunteers are currently extremely restricted. You will receive further communications as developments occur. If you are interested in becoming a new volunteer, please send an email to lisa@oaklandzoo.org. Community Groups interested in volunteering please email commgroup@oaklandzoo.org.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations include the following:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer composed of at least 60% alcohol. Sanitizer will be available to guests and colleagues at locations throughout the zoo.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.

It is also recommended that people at higher risk of severe illness should stay home and away from large groups of people as much as possible, including public places with lots of people and large gatherings where there will be close contact with others. People at higher risk include:

• People 60 and older
• People with underlying health conditions including heart disease, lung disease, or diabetes
• People who have weakened immune systems
• People who are pregnant

For more information and to stay-up-to-date on the evolving situation, visit these sites:

• The World Health Organization
• US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Alameda County Public Health Department
• California Department of Public Health

Visit Oakland Zoo on social media:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OakZoo/
  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oaklandzoo/
  Twitter: https://twitter.com/oakzoo

In order to be allowed into the Zoo without a face covering, you or the individual in your party requiring the exception, MUST SHOW a written exemption from a medical professional (to the county-mandated face covering order) based on the individual’s medical condition, other health concern, or disability. When not able to wear a mask due to the aforementioned reasons, we ask for your help in complying to guidelines by maintaining adequate social distance between other guests not in your family group. Face shields will only be allowed if they are worn in tandem with a mask or have a covering that extends from the shield to the chest.

For a person who is hearing impaired, or communicating with a person who is hearing impaired, where the ability to see the mouth is essential for communication, a face shield may be worn in the place of a face covering/mask.