As a community zoo, the Roosevelt Park Zoo works to fulfill its commitment to the community it serves by providing an educational, family-friendly, and fun experience to all our guests with the resources available. We strive to create this experience from the time guests enter until they depart. This experience we want to create ranges from the customer service provided by our staff, the aesthetics of the campus, and of course the animals and how they are perceived.

A guest’s experience can be shaped from the time they interact with our Guest Services staff during admission through the time they exit through the gift shop. Customer service entails interactions with staff but also how clean the restrooms are or the service and offerings at the concession stand. It should also include interactions with the zookeepers whether at a keeper chat or the giraffe feeding station. We strive to have each of these opportunities with our guests to provide the highest level of customer service possible.

The aesthetics of the campus is an important piece of creating the experience we want to offer guests. It is the work of the Park District Horticulture Department that sets us apart from other institutions. Each spring they plant annuals, hang baskets, move in large tropical plants, and create gardens for both the pollinators and the animals. They then maintain them all and mow the zoo grounds throughout the summer months. While horticulture plays a large part, the zoo staff is adamant about keeping the walkways clean and free of trash, picking up anything they might come across as they are working throughout the zoo to keep the zoo clean. This is all a part of providing an experience that guests feel that the campus is clean and provides an aesthetically pleasing experience.

When it comes to the animals, the staff works hard to maintain a healthy environment for each animal from the diets they receive, to the enrichment added daily to keep them stimulated, and so much more to ensure the care and welfare of each is meeting their individual needs. There is a lot that goes into making sure that these needs are being met, making the Animal Welfare Committee one of our most important group gatherings to address any concerns of the staff or our guests. Any individual with a concern about an animal or facility can complete a form that goes through several reviews and ends up with the Animal Welfare Committee for its final resolution. Once a resolution has been determined, the person submitting the Animal Welfare Concern form is informed of the outcome, to make sure we are closing the circle on the concern. These forms are available to all staff and our guests can pick one up at the admission counter if they have a concern.

Maintaining and constantly upgrading the zoo’s campus is critical to that guest experience, so the staff puts a high value on what we do each day. Working within the resources available, the zoo will continue to strive for excellence not just for the animals in our care, but for the community that supports us.