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Welcome to ZooMontana

Take a Walk on the Wild Side

Hours:

Fall Hours:

Monday - Friday: 10am - 2pm

Saturday and Sunday: 10am-4pm

Guests are permitted to stay on grounds one hour after closing. 

*Open every day except Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's and Easter Day.  Inclement weather and special events may also alter operational hours.

Important Notes


During the summer months, animals may have access indoors due to extreme temperatures and/or air quality issues caused by wildlife smoke. It is recommended to visit upon opening at 10:00am on the hottest days for optimal animal viewing.  

The Information You Need

Upcoming Events at ZooMontana


Oct28Sat4:00 PM

Boo at the Zoo

Billings' favorite family Halloween event is back for the area's safest trick-or-treating!

Slide to Meet the Animals!

Miniature Donkeys

Lucy and Ethel came to ZooMontana is 2020 from a private ranch. They quickly acclimated to ZooMontana and can now be seen, and heard at the Zoo's barn.

Madagascar Day Gecko

Both Geckos came to ZooMontana in 2015 through a breeder. They are quick little critters and can usually be seen clinging to the walls of their habitat.

Grizzly Bear

Bruno has been a ZooMontana resident for many years, and Ozzy was a bit of a troublesome bear before he came to ZooMontana.

North American River Otter

Ben and Amelia were relocated to ZooMontana in 2009 as pups due to issues with a local fishery.

Savannah Monitor

Jack the is a pet surrender. He came to the Zoo as a young lizard in 2018 and is slowly becoming more visible in his habitat. He can most often be seen by looking through the tree hole near his ha...

Hoffman's Two Toed Sloth

Winston is the darling Sloth of Montana. He arrived at ZooMontana in June of 2020 to the delight of many.

Red Panda

Red pandas prefer bamboo and will only eat the the youngest, most tender shoots and leaves. They eat many other foods as well, including fruit, acorns, roots, and eggs.

American Badger

Uki was brought to ZooMontana by the state in 2019. She was found next to her mother who had been shot. She quickly imprinted on her caregivers during the rehab process, deeming her unreleasable.

Vietnamese Walkingstick

ZooMontana currently has dozens of walkingsticks of various ages. Have fun finding them!

Koi

ZooMontana has over 70 Koi. The Koi pond is cared for through the generosity of the Billings Water Skipper Pond Club.

American Mink

Ivy came to ZooMontana as a rescue from a fur farm. She loves playing in buckets of ice cubes or snow and sleeping with her stuffies.

Amur Tiger

Sofi and Jasmine are sisters that were born in Florida in 2012 and were raised together. They moved to the Zoo in the early summer of 2014. Whether we are in the middle of a blizzard or a heat wave, t...

Bald Eagle

Emelio came to us from a rehab center in Anchorage, Alaska, and Tokata came to us because she hit a power line with the tip of her wing, breaking her wrist.

Bearded Dragon

Moana was donated to ZooMontana by a volunteer in May, 2020. Bearded dragons are opportunistic omnivores but Moana loves to eat a variety of vegetables and insects.

Alpaca

Both of our Alpacas were donated to ZooMontana after being retired from the show circuit. They both enjoy being goofy in the barn pasture, often sparring with one another.

Bison

Bert came to ZooMontana in 2018 after suffering a broken leg. Bert and Nellie then had a calf, Jay, in June 2021.

Canada Lynx

Fierca and Opi both came to ZooMontana in 2014. Fierca came from a private owner and Opi came from the Seneca Park Zoo.

Domestic Chicken

With a population of over 25 billion, chickens are the world's most populous bird.

California Kingsnake

Taco came to ZooMontana in 2018 as a pet surrender. Taco is now an ambassador animal used for educational programming.

Flemish Giant Rabbit

Agnes was donated to ZooMontana in 2017 after being raised through the 4-H program. Walter was donated in 2020 from a local family.

Green Iguana

Kuzco came to ZooMontana as a pet surrender. He's a handsome devil that enjoys walks in the Zoo's plaza.

Golden Eagle

Oro came to the Zoo in 2007 after being hit by a car. The impact left him with a permanent wing injury.

Turkey Vulture

Turkey Vultures eat carrion, or dead animals, which they find largely by their excellent sense of smell. Mostly they eat mammals but are not above snacking on reptiles, other birds, amphibians, fish,...

Chinchilla

Both Minnie and Daisy are pet surrenders who came to ZooMontana in 2019. They can often be seen either on the highest point of the exhibit, or down low in their log.

Grey Wolf

Kali, Kaluha, Onyx, and Simpson make up the wolf pack at ZooMontana.

North American Porcupine

Lander came to ZooMontana in 2019 after she was found next to her mother, who had been shot. She was raised here at the Zoo and is quickly becoming a guest favorite.

Sichuan Takin

Khan and Griff came to ZooMontana from the Pueblo Zoo in Colorado. They incredibly curious and can often be seen playing soccer in their habitat.

Tiger Salamander

Sally and Simon were donated to ZooMontana as pet surrenders. They have been at the Zoo since 2019.

Red-tailed Hawk

Red-tailed hawks are the most widespread hawks in North American, often seen soaring above the landscape.

Wolverine

Sid and Ahmari came to ZooMontana in 2017 from Sweden to take part in a crucial breeding program to create a genetically pure line of Wolverines.

Peacock

ZooMontana is currently home to three free ranging Peafowl.

Three Toed Box Turtle

Both of our box turtles are pet surrenders. They live side by side, but cannot be placed together due to aggression towards one another.

Ball Python

Surprisingly, Harry is the oldest animals at ZooMontana. He is a pet surrender, and has been a long time ambassador within the Zoo's education department.

Colombian Red-Tailed Boa Constrictor

Both Leroy and Jenkins lived tough lives before coming to ZooMontana. They were rescued from inadequate care after being found living in squalor.

Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches

ZooMontana has hundreds of cockroaches, too many to name! The Zoo manages a breeding colony.

Eastern Screech Owl

Scout came to ZooMontana in 2015 after a car strike blinded him in his left eye. Scout's calm demeanor makes him a popular education ambassador.

Laughing Kookaburra

Sydney came to ZooMontana from a facility in Tennessee. She enjoys her travels with the Zoo's education crew and loves to laugh. See if you can get her to laugh at the Zoo!

Cane Toad

Cheech was a pet surrender and was brought to ZooMontana in 2016 as a young toad. She can often be seen in the later afternoons as she searches out her food.

Corn Snake

Jonnie came to ZooMontana in 2011 from Big Sky Vet after he was treated from an altercation with a cat resulting in the loss of his left eye.

Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula

Taboo came to ZooMontana in 2015 as a pet surrender. She enjoys afternoon walks with her keepers.

Guinea Pig

ZooMontana is home to three Guinea pigs that are not on display. Freddie, Kevin, and Tony are all pet surrenders.

Nigerian Dwarf Goat

Both goats were donated to ZooMontana from a local breeder. They love their treats and eagerly await guests.

Leopard Gecko

Steve the Gecko is a pet surrender. She very much enjoys a stroll around the Zoo with her keepers.

Three Banded Armadillo

Bandy came to the Zoo in 2016. She often sleeps in one of her many logs, however, loves to search for worms in the morning and late afternoons.

Slide to Meet the Humans

Sam Randak

My name is Sam Randak and I have lived in Billings since I was three. Although I have always loved animals, interning at ZMT never occurred to me until I was going to college in Bozeman at MSU.

Abigael Conn

I have been with ZooMontana since February of 2023. Before I came to ZooMontana, I interned at Lincoln Children’s Zoo in Lincoln, NE, where I was able to work with a wide variety of animals!

Alanna Dassoff

Alanna is a relief keeper here at ZooMontana. Before coming to ZooMontana, she worked in the education department at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

Allyson Dredla

Allyson has been at ZooMontana for nearly two years and came to us from the San Diego Zoo.

Amanda Atkinson

I have been with ZooMontana since 2017. I came to the Zoo with veterinary technician experience and was excited to transition my knowledge to the zoological field.

Brooke Tucker

Hello! I am the On-Site Education Lead & Social Media Coordinator here at the zoo. After graduating college in 2021, I was hired on as a seasonal educator and was lucky enough to be able to shift int...

Chase Johnson

I first started at ZooMontana as a gift shop attendant in 2020 and then went through two writing internships here.

Darla Card - Board

I have been in the financial world for over 40 years, starting as a Financial Specialist in the Army to my current role as CEO of Valley Credit Union. A large part of our mission is to give back to t...

Dave Powell

David Powell is a retired Army Colonel with 28 years experience at increasing levels of responsibility and authority from Platoon-level to Department of the Army to include support to Presidential Com...

Erin Pinney - Board

I have worked at First Interstate Bank in the Wealth Management department for 18 years. Working for a company that values and encourages volunteerism and giving back made it easy to look for opportun...

Fernanda Mora Gutierrez

Hello! I am a very new Education Specialist for the Zoo as of December 2021. Prior to working here, I worked in various states with so many different animals. I've worked in Florida with fish, snakes,...

Halei Akins

I have wanted to work with animals since I was 8 years old and just graduated from the College of Charleston in South Carolina with my biology degree.

Jeff Ewelt

I have been involved with animals for twenty years. After 10 years in Florida, along with my wife and newborn son, I decided to slow things down a bit by moving to Montana. In 2011, I accepted the pos...

Jessica Hart

Jessica received her Bachelor of Science in Community Health from Montana State in 2012.

Joseph Cook - Board

Joe earned his law degree from the University of Montana School of Law in 2009. He served as President of the Rural Advocacy League Student Group, was selected as Co-lead counsel on the American Asso...

Kathy Barton

When Kathy began working at ZooMontana, she was sad to learn there were no dinosaurs in residence. Then she saw a peacock run, and knew she had been mistaken.

Katie Maehl - Board

Katie is an attorney with Moulton Bellingham PC, focusing on estate planning and administration, business and commercial transactions, and real estate.

Ken Haak

My name is Ken Haak and I have been a groundskeeper and backup event person for the zoo for the past 8 years.

Krystal Whetham

Krystal has been at the Zoo since 2002 and works primarily within our North America area, creating quite a bond with our Grizzly Bears.

Loran Salsbury

I started at Zoo Montana as a volunteer and really enjoyed working with the animals and at the events. I now work for the zoo in the events department, but I still do volunteer work with the animals.

Luke Goodwin

Luke loves the Zoo for one simple reason - he can watch and interact with animals.

Marissa Borden

Marissa has always wanted to work with animals. Now she is very excited to work in a place where she is constantly surrounded by them.

Melissa Eschenbrenner

I began my career working with and for animals in 2007 focusing primarily on the care of exotic felines. Over the years I had the opportunity to branch out and work with everything from Madagascar hi...

Pete Bolenbaugh

As a Billings native, Pete and his wife are happy to be raising their two kids around so many family and friends.

Renee Larison

Before starting at ZooMontana I worked at the Oregon Zoo as a keeper for 27 years.

Shelli Mann - Board

Shelli Mann has worked in the hotel industry for over thirty years, the last 20 managing the Boothill Inn in Billings, Montana.

Tracy Neary - Board

Tracy is the Vice President of Mission Integration, SCL Health - Montana Region

Travis Goebel

After graduating from college in 2001, I moved to Montana for an internship with ZooMontana. It has been a pleasure to be part of our zoo’s history for almost 20 years.

Wendy Chavez

Wendy Chavez came to Billings by way of her love of animals. Wendy is excited to be part of the ZooMontana team because of the Zoo’s focus and commitment to animal rescue and conservation.


ZooMontana is AZA Accredited

To be accredited, ZooMontana underwent a thorough review to make certain it has, and will continue to, meet ever-rising standards in categories which include animal care and welfare, veterinary programs, conservation, education, and safety. AZA requires zoos and aquariums to successfully complete this rigorous accreditation process every five years in order to be members of the Association.