Drinking water is available for service animals at all open concessionary stands free of charge. Service animal relief areas can be found in the grass in the Vine Street Parking Lot or at the Safari Camp Picnic Shelters as indicated on the Service Animal Map. Service animals are welcome in all restaurants, restrooms, and on all rides and attractions.

While your service animal has been socialized for most public settings, touring a zoo – especially for the first time – can be an unusual experience. Some areas of the Zoo have been observed to be dangerous or stressful to either Zoo animals or service animals. The Zoo has worked with local service dog training organization, Circle Tail, Inc., to identify sensitive and restricted areas of the Zoo with training and in training service dogs.

Areas designated as ‘Restricted’ are indicated on the Service Animal Map and listed below. Because we are subject to strict regulations regarding the protection and wellbeing of our Zoo animals, service animals are restricted from the following areas. To access these areas without a service animal, please contact a Visitor Experience Supervisor at (513) 475-6198:

• Goat Yard, Galapagos Tortoise Yard, Free-Flight Aviary, Butterfly Aviary, and Behind-the-Scenes Tours: direct contact between service animals and Zoo animals poses risk for zoonotic disease transmission.
• Wings of Wonder Bird Experience (Memorial Day-Labor Day): free-flight birds have become distracted from their behaviors in the presence of service animals, which can lead to safety concerns for Zoo animals and keepers.
• Wolf Woods: wolves have displayed stress behaviors in the presence of service animals.
• Jungle Trails: primates have displayed stress behaviors in the presence of service animals.
• Gorilla World: primates have displayed stress behaviors in the presence of service animals.
• Cheetah Encounter: cheetahs, domestic cats and domestic dogs have become distracted from their behaviors in the presence of service animals, which can lead to safety concerns for Zoo animals and keepers.

Areas designated as ‘Sensitive’ are indicated on the Service Animal Map and listed below. In these areas, we ask service animal owners to be observant of their animal’s behavior and the behaviors of Zoo animals, and adjust their viewing accordingly for the wellbeing of all animals:

• Night Hunters
• Cat Canyon
• African Lions
• Wings of the World
• Meerkats
• Blakely’s Barnyard Bonanza

The Zoo reserves the right to designate areas as restricted or sensitive without prior notice if a service animal’s presence is demonstrated (through prior or current situations) to cause a Zoo animal undue stress or anxiety, or as a result of new births, breeding behavior, or new animals in habitats.

For the health and safety of our visitors, staff, Zoo animals, and visiting service animals:

• Service animals must be harnessed, leashed, or tethered or controlled by voice commands.
• Service animals are expected to stay off rock barriers, keep all paws on the ground at Zoo habitats, and not bark at Zoo animals.
• Service animals should be kept at least 10-feet away from Zoo animals presented with interpreters or walking outside of habitat space. Direct contact between Zoo animals and service animals is prohibited.
• Care and supervision of service animals is solely the responsibility of the owner.