Do you know what a black howler monkey eats? Learn this and more at Zoo Chef: Eat Like an Animal!

How do you weigh a giraffe? What do you feed a black howler monkey? 

You can ask these questions and more at two of our newest “chats” – Zoo Vet: Ask me Anything! and Zoo Chef: Eat Like an Animal.  

For some time, we’ve given you special looks into the care and training of our animal residents through our Keeper Chats, daily programs onsite that are open to the public. We hope that through these new experiences, you’ll get the opportunity to learn more about our behind-the-scenes care.  

Interested in veterinary medicine? Ask one of our Zoo veterinarians about animal medical care!

During Zoo Vet: Ask Me Anything, guests will be able to ask one of our board-certified veterinarians, Dr. Trevor Zachariah or Dr. Kyle Donnelly, well, anything about the medical treatment and care our animal residents receive. Head to the Lands of Change Theater in the Lands of Change loop on the first Saturday and Sunday of each month at 1 p.m. with your questions! This chat may be canceled if an animal emergency comes up. 

Every animal resident at our Zoo receives a well-balanced diet from our commissary. At Zoo Chef: Eat Like an Animal, one of our commissary staff members will create a special dish out of the ingredients our animal residents enjoy. You’ll get a chance to learn more about the commissary and ask questions. This chat will be held Wednesdays at 11 a.m. and Saturdays at noon at our Lands of Change Theater in the Lands of Change loop.  Something special to keep in mind: The dish our commissary staff show off during this chat will mimic a special dish (for humans!) that our Nourish Cafe will serve for the month! We’d love to see you pretend to be one of our animals enjoying the dish from Nourish – post your photo on social media with the hashtag #EatLikeAnAnimal to be featured on our channels!

As a reminder, you can catch a Keeper Chat daily at our Zoo! Here are the other chats: 

• Bear Necessities: Learn more about Florida black bears from the care team of our resident bears, Brody and Cheyenne. You just might see either of them (or both) Thursdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. at our bear habitat in Wild Florida! 
• Giraffe Training: Join our Expedition Africa team on Mondays at 2 p.m. as they do voluntary hoof trims on our giraffe herd at our giraffe platform area. 
• River Monster Training: Watch our amazing giant arapaima swim to “targets” as they train with keepers on Wednesdays and Fridays at 2 p.m. in their habitat in Rainforest Revealed. 
• Coati Enrichment: Meet our group of white-nosed coatimundis and watch them enjoy special enrichments and treats on Tuesdays and Saturday at 2 p.m. at their habitat in Rainforest Revealed. 
• Training Tales: Get a chance to watch our keepers work with a different animal resident at our Lands of Change Theater in our Lands of Change loop Fridays through Sundays at 11 a.m.

We hope you’ll enjoy learning more about some of the special aspects of our animal care through these chats! We’ll see you soon! 

Brevard Zoo is an independent, not-for-profit organization that receives no recurring government funding for our operating costs. Your generous support enables us to continue to serve our community and continue our vital animal wellness, education and conservation programs.