Virtual Wild Encounters

No matter where you are, you, your friends and family can connect virtually with amazing animals and the dedicated experts who look after them. On a Zoo Zoom you’ll enjoy face time with favorite animals and their keepers. During this unforgettable wildlife experience, you’ll get the opportunity to:

Chat with the keepers and get answers to your most challenging questions
Meet some of the stars of Animal Planet’s THE ZOO
Get so close to the animals, you might hear the cheetah purring or count the porcupine’s quills
Support the Bronx Zoo while connecting with wildlife like never before

Always plan ahead and contact us at least 2 weeks in advance for requests (3-4 weeks preferred), as availability is limited.

Virtual Wild Encounters make a great gift! Purchase a Gift Certificate for a future wild experience with us.

Review program options below

Submit a request form and our VIP Hosts will be in touch within 48 hours to help arrange your virtual encounter program.

Program Options

15 minute “Virtual Encounter”

Programs feature 1 species, which is determined prior to your session*. (please let us know the species you are interested in when submitting your form: Alpaca, Armadillo, Camel, Cheetah, Birds, Butterflies, Cheetah, Penguin, Reptiles, Sloth, Warthog, “Any”).

30 minute “Virtual Meet & Greet”

Programs include 3 different species. One featured species is determined prior to your session*, and the others will be a surprise and ‘keeper’s choice’ made at the program time.

TIPS for scheduling

Programs are only available during daytime (EST) 10am to 3:30pm.
Wednesdays are a great day to request Virtual programs as there is more flexibility in our schedules. We do consider requests on other days, but availability is very limited on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Length	Animals**	Logins	Platform	Pricing
15 min	1 species (Porcupine, Camel, Armadillo, Alpaca, Butterflies, Warthog)	Up to 3 logins	Zoom Meeting	$80
15 min	1 species (Sloth, Penguin, Cheetah)	Up to 3 logins	Zoom Meeting	$150
15 min	2 species (1 bird + 1 reptile)	Up to 3 logins	Zoom Meeting	$80
15 min	1 species	4-50 logins	Zoom Webinar	$200
30 min	3 species	Up to 250 logins	Zoom Webinar	$800
30 min	3 species	251-450 logins	Zoom Webinar	$1,200

**Animal experiences can be unpredictable. While we plan to join you with the species noted for your reservation, please know that unforeseen circumstances can happen and changes may be made at the keeper’s discretion. We will make sure you have an amazing animal experience, even if an unforeseen substitution is necessary.

Request Form

FAQs

Can we ask questions directly to the keepers?
When a program has 4 or fewer logins, and on Zoom Meeting, we can have participants unmute and ask questions to the keepers verbally as well as typing in the Chat.

When programs have more than 4 logins, and on Webinar, participants are able to use the Q&A feature to type in questions to our Host. Our keepers will be able to answer some of those verbally. We cannot guarantee all questions will be answered, but our team makes every effort to incorporate audience questions in the presentation. For 30 minute Meet & Greet sessions, we have an additional Host who is helping to also respond to questions in writing.

Can you do a virtual exhibit tour of the Bronx Zoo?
We appreciate the interest, however our Virtual Encounters programs are limited to the species and session lengths described above. We are unable to schedule virtual walkthroughs of our exhibits.

Other questions?
Contact us at vipexperiences@wcs.org

Member Discount

A 10% member discount is available for Virtual Wild Encounters. Membership must be mentioned at the time booking and must be valid at the time of the encounter. Not applicable towards prior purchases.

Rules and Policies

Programs are listed in Eastern Standard Time.
Confirmation and session login information is sent to the email provided for the purchase.
Login information is sent at least 24 hours prior to program.
If you do not receive login details by that time, please contact us with the order details at vipexperience@wcs.org
Animal experiences can be unpredictable. While we plan to join you with the species noted for your reservation, please know that unforeseen circumstances may happen and changes may be made at the keeper’s discretion. We will make sure you have an amazing animal experience, even if an unforeseen substitution is necessary.
All reservations are final. Due to limited availability, no refunds or rescheduling.

For questions, contact us at vipexperiences@wcs.org