POverview
The Phoenix Zoo is a nonprofit organization operating a large urban zoo in Phoenix’s Papago Park, offering exhibits, tours, and educational programs to inspire people to care for the natural world. It houses about 1,400 animals from around the world, including more than 30 endangered species, across a 125-acre site. The zoo funds its work through donations, memberships, and ticket sales, and collaborates with researchers and conservation groups to support wildlife protection. Its goal is to increase public understanding of wildlife and protect species and ecosystems through community engagement and conservation efforts.
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About Phoenix Zoo
Industries
Company Size
201-500
Company Stage
N/A
Total Funding
N/A
Headquarters
Phoenix, AZ
Founded
1962
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What believers are saying
- Thunderbirds Charities gave $500,000 in 2025, validating continued capital support.
- Record-breaking black-footed ferret litters in 2026 strengthen conservation credibility and press coverage.
- June 2025 center progress plus classroom space creates recruiting leverage for veterinarians and keepers.
What critics are saying
- The $25 million veterinary center still depends on fundraising, with $6.2 million needed in 2024.
- Construction began May 2025; any delay pushes late-2026 completion and visitor-facing returns.
- A major animal-disease outbreak would hit attendance, breeding programs, and donor confidence immediately.
What makes Phoenix Zoo unique
- Phoenix Zoo's 27,000-square-foot Veterinary Medical Center targets zoological medicine leadership.
- KultureCity certification and sensory bags make the zoo unusually accessible for families.
- Teen Career Conference, Trailblazers, and ZooTeens build a deep local talent pipeline.
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Benefits
- Flexible Work Hours
Company News
Gateway Ticketing Systems, Inc. reveals first North America UGM Customer Excellence Awards 2026. Representatives from Gateway Ticketing Systems, Inc. and Hersheypark recieving the Web Store of the Year Award Gateway Ticketing Systems, Inc., a leading provider of admission control systems, has announced the awardees for the Inaugural North America UGM Customer Excellence Awards 2026. The company has honoured exceptional customers across six categories, each with its own criteria. It said selecting the recipients was challenging and highlighted the Gateway community's remarkable talent and quality. Celebrating exceptional partners. The Community Champion Award went to Luis Almonte of Discovery Cube, Vanessa Lewis of Reporting Maven, and Marcus Lopez of SSA, recognising their dedication to helping others and willingness to step in when needed. The Innovation Award went to Mt. Cuba Center and The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens for their creativity and efforts to find exciting new ways to address unexpected challenges. Hersheypark and The National Aquarium received the Web Store of the Year Award for online stores that serve as benchmarks and exemplify excellence. The Implementation of the Year Award honoured Clark Planetarium and Lucky Strike Entertainment Corporation for new Galaxy implementations or features that surpassed expectations and positively impacted their businesses. Mt. Cuba Center was recognised with the Innovation Award, alongside The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens The Legacy Award recognised Donna Powell of Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, Nicole Meek of Aquarium of the Pacific, and Scott Lyons of Disneyland. As longtime members and loyal partners in the Gateway community, they have attended and organised numerous UGMs and supported others in the Galaxy community. This year's Host Appreciation Award went to The Phoenix Zoo and OdySea Aquarium for going above and beyond to welcome the broader Gateway community during UGM and inspire excitement for the future. "Thank you from your friends at Gateway Ticketing Systems for making this year's NA UGM a success and for all the fun memories," says the firm. "We're already looking forward to seeing you all again at NA UGM 2027!" Gateway has more than 150 professionals based in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, including software developers, technical specialists, IT personnel, project managers, customer service representatives, and others. Charlotte Blanco Coates Charlotte Blanco Coates is blooloop's editor. She is from Brighton, UK and previously worked as a librarian. She has a strong interest in arts, culture and information and graduated from the University of Sussex with a degree in English Literature. Charlotte can usually be found either with her head in a book or planning her next travel adventure.
ClassPass brings more experiences to users with theme parks, zoos, aquariums, and attractions. Users can now put credits toward new destinations nationwide, including Six Flags(R), LEGOLAND(R), Kennedy Space Center, and SeaWorld(R) New York, NY / Jul 21, 2026 / ClassPass ClassPass, the app that provides access to thousands of fitness and wellness experiences worldwide, today announced a major U.S. expansion into entertainment and family activities in collaboration with EBG, a leading entertainment and travel commerce platform that connects brands to high-value experiential offerings and new benefits. Users can now book admission to a curated selection of theme parks, zoos, aquariums, and other attractions, marking ClassPass's boldest step yet toward becoming the go-to app for in-person wellness activities. The new destinations will include Bay Area Discovery Museum, Georgia Aquarium, Golf N Stuff(R) Family Fun Park in Norwalk, CA, Kennedy Space Center, LEGOLAND Florida, Phoenix Zoo, San Antonio Zoo(R), SeaWorld San Diego, Sesame Place(R) San Diego, and Six Flags Magic Mountain. Credits can be redeemed for bundles of 1, 2, or 4 tickets, making it easy for families to enjoy these attractions together. The launch builds on ClassPass's rapidly growing lifestyle offerings, which now extend beyond fitness and wellness to include movies, painting, live events, and more. ClassPass has seen clear demand for more ways to use credits beyond fitness: movie bookings on ClassPass increased over 22% from March to May 2026, after Regal Cinemas, Marcus Theatres, and LOOK Dine-In Cinemas joined AMC Theatres on the app in February 2026. Now, through EBG's network of partners, ClassPass is giving users more flexibility to find major attractions and family-friendly activities that fit into their everyday lives. "Our mission has always been to give users one flexible way to access wellness, however they define it," said Fritz Lanman, CEO of Playlist, ClassPass's parent company. "For some that's a yoga class or a spa visit; for others it's a day out with family at an amusement park. Adding theme parks, zoos, and aquariums extends that mission to even more of the experiences our users love, while giving these venues a powerful new channel for attendance and incremental revenue." "At San Antonio Zoo, our mission is to inspire people to love, engage with, act for, and protect animals and the places they live. Partnering with ClassPass introduces the zoo to new audiences and creates another easy, accessible way for people to experience wildlife while supporting our conservation mission," said Victoria De Leon, Senior Director of Public Relations at San Antonio Zoo. "Phoenix Zoo is proud to partner with ClassPass to unlock a new category of experiences for their members," said Sonya Wade, Group Sales Manager at Phoenix Zoo. Experiences are available now through the ClassPass app and website. Users can browse participating venues, view available dates, and redeem credits through the same seamless booking process they use for fitness classes and wellness appointments. ClassPass is not a reseller or broker of tickets. About ClassPass ClassPass is redefining fitness and wellness by bringing the world's best classes, appointments, and experiences into one app. Founded in 2013, ClassPass connects users to millions of workouts and lifestyle offerings across 31 countries while working directly with businesses to merchandise their excess inventory, bring more clients in the door, and generate new streams of revenue. With tens of thousands of fitness studios, gyms, salons, and spas in the ClassPass network, users can choose from a broad range of options including workouts like strength training, yoga, Pilates, and boxing, and wellness services like massage, acupuncture, manicures, and more. Additionally, ClassPass is available as a wellness benefit for the world's leading employers. ClassPass is part of the Playlist portfolio of brands. Learn more at http://classpass.com. About EBG EBG powers a proprietary suite of e-commerce platforms and technology solutions to deliver exclusive deals and special offers from the world's top brands and experiences. Specializing in live entertainment, travel, shopping products and consumer services, EBG operates and supports a network of membership-based marketplaces and owns the nation's most comprehensive employee savings program. Visit www.ebgsolutions.com to learn more about EBG and its commitment to connecting people to exceptional experiences. Press Contact Annie Chapdelaine [email protected]
The Phoenix Zoo hosts an annual career conference for teens. Published February 24, 2026 at 2:05 PM MST Over the weekend, the Phoenix Zoo held its annual Teen Career Conference. The program is designed to help turn teenage interest in animal conservation and care into full-blown careers. Maddi Ritchie is one of the planners of the event. "The first thing we're doing today you see all our lovely panel members here" she said to 250 participants. "These are all of our Phoenix Zoo professionals and you guys are going to rotate through three 30-minute sessions where they're going to tell you about their jobs and their experiences here." Ritchie is also a senior in high school and on the zoo's volunteer youth advisory council, known as Trailblazers. The zoo's Youth Engagement Manager Nina Loughman says the council keeps an ear to the ground on what topics interest their peers. Ritchie says "and there are some [topics] that tug on my own heart, I know endangered species and water conservation, especially living in the desert like we do. But some people will talk about things that I've never even heard of such as urban heat islands and that's just so cool to see." Loughman says this year's conference was modified to include more veterinary science. And she says networking is very important in the field. "Knowing someone and having that connection goes a long way," Loughman said. "And so they get to network with our zoo keepers, our vet, our social media team. They really get a more personal understanding of what those jobs are like and their name might be remembered down the line." Panelist Emily Heckle is a carnivore keeper. She credits one of her mentors for why she works at the Phoenix Zoo. "I would love to see them email me or email anyone through the zoo and be like 'hey, I'm really interested, how do I get started' because that's what we need," Heckle said. "We need kids and young adults to want to be in this field. And once they show they want to be in it, we can take over from there." The event also connected students with schools, organizations and other professionals in animal care, science and conservation. Ritchie highlighted opportunities like the Trailblazers and a volunteer program called ZooTeens. A fellow Trailblazer, Melany Islas, adds that it can be hard to know where to begin. "Joining and having a [broader] idea of the programs here at the Phoenix Zoo, you definitely get to have the chance, and finally get the experience of what you can do in the future," Islas said. Ritchie says reaching out is key: "People want to teach you." More Arizona animal news * News New management group unveils plan to decrease, relocate Salt River wild horse herd Lilly Roseburrough , February 21, 2026 The famous Salt River wild Horse herds will be getting smaller. That's the plan according to a new agreement the state has reached with a nonprofit set to relocate a large number of horses from the herd. * Business Cattle in Arizona: While the state's Wild West days faded away, this industry hasn't Bridget Dowd , February 13, 2026 KJZZ examines the storied history of the state's five C's - copper, cotton, cattle, citrus and climate - and the role they still play in modern-day Arizona. * Politics Trump administration delays final grizzly bear plan until December Hannah Merzbach , February 10, 2026 Advocates worry this delay could signal a future attempt from the Trump administration to take grizzlies off the endangered species list. * News 9 wild horses shot, killed in Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests. Forest Service seeks information Ignacio Ventura , February 8, 2026 The U.S. Forest Service says it's looking for information from the public related to the recent killing of nine wild horses in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests. * Politics Effort to delist Mexican gray wolves, led by Arizona's Gosar, is advancing in Congress Natalie Ogami/Cronkite News , February 7, 2026 Conservationists argue that delisting should be based on the population, genetic diversity and long-term viability of the wolves, as required under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
Thunderbird Charities awarded the Phoenix Zoo a generous $500,000 grant in support of the new medical center.
The Phoenix Zoo has partnered with KultureCity to enhance accessibility for guests with sensory processing needs.
Phoenix Zoo is Hiring for 5 Jobs on Simplify!
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About Phoenix Zoo
Industries
Company Size
201-500
Company Stage
N/A
Total Funding
N/A
Headquarters
Phoenix, AZ
Founded
1962
Phoenix Zoo is Hiring for 5 Jobs on Simplify!
Find jobs on Simplify and start your career today
Don't see your dream role? Check out thousands of other roles on Simplify.Browse all jobs