Limited availability · by reservation only
Animal Talk and Experience
A guided activity led by keepers that allows visitors to enter certain designated areas and interact directly with the animals, while ensuring their well-being.
How It Works
On the other side of the fence
Five experiences, each with its own animals and keeper.
You enter a designated area accompanied by the keeper: in many cases, you are the one who offers the food, always following the keeper’s instructions.
Each Animal Experience has limited capacity and is offered based on the animals’ schedules and the zoo’s operations. You can make a reservation online or at the ticket office on the day of your visit, and you can find the times in the weekly calendar.
- Minimum age: 6 years. Children under 6 must be accompanied by an adult.
- For experiences with lions and snow leopards, the minimum age is 18.
- Maximum of 10 participants per experience.
- Experiences may vary depending on the animals’ welfare needs.
Choose yours
Animal Experiences
From Australian marsupials to the two big cats: five guided tours.
Wallaby and African tortoise
Notamacropus rufogriseus · Centrochelys sulcata
Australian marsupials, here in Malcantone, share the space with Rugo: our giant tortoise, which is bigger than you can imagine. Come by during feeding time—prepared by the keepers—and you’ll meet them just a few steps away. Suitable for the whole family.
CHF 10
Prenota ora
Raccoons
Procyon lotor
They’re called “bandits” because of the mask over their eyes, but their real trick is with their paws. When you enter the raccoon enclosure with the keeper, you’ll find them just a few centimeters away: quick, curious, and capable of opening just about anything. Keep an eye on your pockets.
CHF 10
Prenota ora
Lemurs
Ring-tailed lemur
Their black-and-white-striped tails always give them away. They live in groups, communicate with specific vocalizations, and move about together. You step into their enclosure and observe them up close while the keeper tells you about this endangered species, native to Madagascar.
CHF 10
Prenota ora18+
Snow Leopard
Panthera uncia
Very few zoos in Europe are home to snow leopards. Here you can see one at work with its keeper: through target training, the leopard follows an object to receive a reward, in a safe and respectful manner. Just a few meters away from one of the world’s rarest animals. Open only to visitors 18 years of age and older.
CHF 15
Prenota oraFor adults 18 and older only
18+
Lions
Panthera leo
Two lions and a keeper who knows each of them personally. Witness moments of interaction as they respond to signals and stimuli, displaying the behaviors they would exhibit in the wild. The most intense encounter at the zoo. Open only to those 18 and older.
CHF 20
Prenota oraFor adults 18 and older only
Always by a guardian’s side
Just a few meters away, in safety
Rates
How much does it cost?
The price of the experience is in addition to the admission fee.
Animal Experience
Per person, in addition to admission
How to Make a Reservation
Animal Experiences can be booked online or at the ticket counter on the day of your visit, subject to availability. The daily schedules are listed in the weekly calendar.
For information or group reservations: +41 91 606 14 93.
How It Works
Ten minutes left
No reservations required, no additional fees: Animal Talk sessions are included with your admission ticket.
The zookeeper stops in front of a particular species and explains who these animals are: what they eat, how they live, and why they behave the way they do.
They last about ten minutes and take place every weekend, with some events also held on other days of the week. Just be in the right place at the right time: you’ll find all the times in the calendar below.
They’re the easiest way to really get to know the animals at the zoo, and it’s also a chance to ask questions of the people who care for them every day.
Who You Meet
Zoo Talks
Seven events, each featuring its own animals and their keepers.
- Lions
- Snow Leopards
- Raccoons
- Wallaby and African tortoise
- Cebi with croissants
- Farm
Free
Wallaby and African tortoise
Notamacropus rufogriseus · Centrochelys sulcata
Australian marsupials and a giant tortoise sharing the same space. The zookeeper brings them their meal and describes two contrasting ways of being in the world: those who move in leaps and bounds and those who are in no hurry at all.
Free
Raccoons
Procyon lotor
People call them “bandits” because of the mask over their eyes, but their real trick is with their paws: they open containers, explore every nook and cranny, and test out any new object. The keeper explains why they’re so skilled.
Free
Lions
Panthera leo
There are two of them, and you can hear them before you see them. The keeper knows each one personally and explains how lions live, what threats they face in the wild, and what it means to care for two big cats every day.
Free
Snow Leopards
Panthera uncia
Very few zoos in Europe are home to them. The zookeeper tells us about one of the rarest species in the world: where it lives, why it’s so hard to spot, and what the European conservation program we’re participating in is doing.
Free
Farm
African dwarf goats, ponies, piglets
This is the area where many children have their first real encounter with an animal. The keeper guides them among African pygmy goats, ponies, and piglets, and explains how to approach an animal properly.
Cebi with croissants
Sapajus ApellaA group of capuchin monkeys never stays still for a second. The keeper guides visitors in discovering how they climb, play, and call out to one another—and just how skilled they are at solving problems.
Book Your Animal Experience
Animal Experiences can be booked on the tickets page or at the ticket counter on the day of your visit, while seats last.