What is the Utica ZooMobile?
The ZooMobile program offers a wide variety of experiences (see below) that allows the ZOO to come to YOU! We are available 7 days a week, from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm (An after-hours fee is applied for programs that run after 4:00 pm), and offer presentations throughout Central, Northern, and the Capital District of New York State.
Please call the education department for booking at (315) 738-0472 ext. 36 or email Kathleen at kathleen.mcgill@uticazoo.org
ZooMobile Presentation Program
Our ZooMobile Presentation Program is an interactive program in which a Utica Zoo educator brings a variety of live animals and related biofacts to your location. The typical ZooMobile presentation features four animals and lasts 30 to 50 minutes, depending on age/grade level and topic choice.
ZooMobile Festival Presentation Program
NEW FOR 2022! In response to the need by many schools to break students up into smaller groups, the ZooMobile Festival Presentation Program includes 4 to 6 formal 20 minute 2 animal presentations.
ZooMobile Booth Program
Our ZooMobile Booth Program is an informal program that includes a table set up with select animals, related biofacts, and general zoo information. A typical ZooMobile booth lasts from one to two hours. Participants can visit the animals at their leisure and explore hands-on bio-facts.
Zoo Adventures Program
We also offer a special Zoo Adventures Program for preschools which includes a storybook reading to promote early literacy and a three animal presentation.
Virtual ZooMobile Program
Our Virtual Zoomobile Program allows you to experience the zoo from the comfort of your own home! We offer two different virtual zoomobile options: A 15-minute program with a meet and greet with a single ambassador animal for $40 or a 30-minute program with three ambassador animals for $75. Our zoo educator will present each animal for a few minutes, and then open it up to questions from your group.
What Are the Requirements for Hosting a ZooMobile at Your Site?
The safety of our visitors, staff, and animals is of the utmost importance to us! In order for the ZooMobile to visit your location, the following requirements must be met:
- For the safety of our ambassador, participants will NOT be able to touch mammals, amphibians, or invertebrates. Touching of reptiles and domestic birds may be permitted for groups of 40 individuals or less at the discretion of the educator. Guests will be asked to wear masks when touching animals since social distancing cannot be maintained.
- Our setup cannot be in close proximity to other animals (humane societies, animal shelters, etc.) or areas where food is being served.
- The animals cannot be set up near any sound systems, speakers, bounce houses, live music, or any other locations that are extremely noisy. This may overwhelm our animals and make them uncomfortable.
- The furthest we travel is 2 hours away from the zoo! To account for travel time, programs over 1 hour away may be limited. We recommend booking several months in advance.
- Spring and summer ZooMobile programs book up very quickly! We recommend inquiring well in advance for availability.
What Animals Will I See?
While you cannot specifically choose which animal(s) we will bring, we do offer topic choices that follow NYS curriculum standards and festival themes. Utica Zoo education staff will choose animals from our ambassador collection that best fit your event and topic chosen. If your facility or group has specific requirements that prevent us from bringing certain animals, please let an educator know when booking.
We cannot guarantee that specific animals will be available for your program; animal usage for programs is carefully monitored to allow a healthy rotation among our ambassador animals.
Our topics to choose from are as follows:
- 1) Animal Senses
- 2) Zoo Careers
- 3) Endangered & Invasive
- 4) Life Cycles
- 5) Hooray for Habitats!
- 6) It Got Cold (Winter Adaptations)
- 7) Herpetology (Reptiles & Amphibians)
- 8) Pass the Energy (Food Webs)
- 9) North American Natives
- 10) Hop, Waddle, Slither, Swoop (Animal Movement)
- 11) Shiny Scales & Feathery Tails
- 12) Amazing Adaptations
Don’t see your topic listed here? We are happy to tailor a program to any topic of your choosing!
Zoomobile Price List
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Virtual Zoomobile (1 Aminal) $40
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Virtual Zoomobile (3 Animals) $75
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Pre-School Zoo Adventures Program $95
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Zoomobile Presentation for Schools $110
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Community/Private Zoomobile Presentations $135
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Festival Presentation Program (4 Presentations) $200
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Festival Presentation Program (5 Presentations) $230
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Festival Presentation Program (6 Presentations) $260
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1 Hour Zoomobile Booth $150
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2 Hour Zoomobile Booth $250
**Pricing structure is subject to change without notice. Please check with a staff member while booking your reservation to confirm that there have not been any changes.
Additional Fees
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Mileage (over 20 miles) 65.5 cents/mile
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After Hours Fee (Presentations Outside of 8:30am to 4:30pm) $15/hour including program & travel time
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Additional Presentation (Same Day) $75/presentation
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Layover Fee If over ½ hour between programs, an additional $15 for each ½ hour will be charged.
**Pricing structure is subject to change without notice. Please check with a staff member while booking your reservation to confirm that there have not been any changes.
Booking
Please call the education department for booking at (315) 738-0472 ext. 36 or email Kathleen at kathleen.mcgill@uticazoo.org
Or, fill out the form on the bottom of this page to request a Zoomobile. Note: The form below is not a guarantee of booking date or time. A Utica Zoo staff member will contact you at your provided method to discuss schedule and availability.