Starting April 2, Zoo Idaho will open its gates Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Then beginning on May 1, the zoo will be open every day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The new season will mark the debut of the Zoo Connections Entrance and Gift Shop, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of April.

The new structure will be 1,200 square feet and be the home of ticketing and concession areas, a gift shop, and restrooms. The new building was made possible through donations by Connections Credit Union and the Zoo Idaho Zoological Society (ZIZS).

“The Zoo Connections Entrance and Gift Shop is the centerpiece of where we are taking Zoo Idaho,” said Zoo Idaho Superintendent Peter Pruett. “The log cabin design screams Idaho and the outdoors.”

Another fun project the zoo is working on this year is a path and picnic area for the pollinator garden. This project is expected to be complete by September. Also, through a generous donation from Lowes and the Hero Project, the two shaded rest areas on the south path will be completed sometime between April and May. And be on the lookout, Dean and Winston, the two western screech owls, will debut in May at the zoo. Established in 1932, Zoo Idaho is an indigenous species zoo and is home to orphaned or injured animals from the region that would have likely not survived in the wild.

For more information on Zoo Idaho, visit zooidaho.org. Zoo Idaho is accessible to persons with disabilities.