OKC Zoo is celebrating this World EV Day™ with community partner Bob Moore Subaru of OKC by unveiling an all-new, all-electric ZOObaru.
The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden, in its continued partnership with Bob Moore Subaru of Oklahoma City, is going (and driving) the distance for wildlife and wild places with the addition of an all-new, all-electric ZOObaru to its vehicle fleet on World EV Day, Tuesday, September 9, 2025.
The new ZOObaru is a 2025 Solterra, Subaru’s first all-electric SUV. Wrapped in custom zoo-themed graphics, the recognizable ZOObaru will be used to transport OKC Zoo team members, members of our animal family, and equipment across Oklahoma and the country, if need be, for outreach programs and to support the Zoo’s conservation efforts.
The ZOObaru was initially introduced to the community in 2018 when Bob Moore Subaru donated two Subaru Outbacks to the OKC Zoo for its education department. These vehicles have provided safe and reliable transportation for Zoo educators, volunteers, and ambassador animals, visiting Oklahoma communities unable to travel to the Zoo, and engaging thousands of participants in various programming.
“We’re extremely thankful for our partnership with Bob Moore Subaru of OKC. The ZOObarus have been a wonderful asset to our outreach programs,” said Mandy Heaps, executive director of the Oklahoma Zoological Society. “Not only have they allowed easy and reliable transport of our animal ambassadors to libraries, schools, hospitals, and other locales, but they serve as a visual reminder of the work we do as we travel across the state.”
Taking full advantage of the OKC Zoo’s soon to be installed solar-powered charging stations, this new electric ZOObaru will also further the Zoo’s efforts to practice and promote environmentally friendly activities like the use of renewable energy.
“Sustainability goes hand in hand with conservation,” said OKC Zoo Executive Director and CEO, Dr. Dwight Lawson. “Even while actively working to protect our world’s vanishing wildlife and wild places, we can still seek opportunities to use our natural resources more responsibly. At the OKC Zoo, I’m happy to say, we are making great strides in both fields.”
One recent OKC Zoo conservation program benefitting from ZOObaru transportation is the reintroduction of native milkweed plants, a crucial food source for monarch butterfly reproduction. Through this headstart program, the OKC Zoo is helping bolster Oklahoma’s milkweed diversity by collecting seeds from rare milkweed species across the state, growing seedlings at the Zoo, and transplanting them in protected areas in Oklahoma. Other important off-site work that Zoo staff participate in include long-term surveys of native bird and butterfly populations. Once deployed, the new ZOObaru will provide safe and sustainable transportation for Zoo experts to participate in all of these conservation efforts and more across Oklahoma and the surrounding region.
Before the new ZOObaru hits the road, guests will have an opportunity to see the vehicle on Zoo grounds during Haunt the Zoo, weekends from October 4-26, 2025.
The Oklahoma City Zoo’s regular daytime hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily with the last entry at 4 p.m. Avoid the entry lines and purchase advance Zoo admission tickets online at okczoo.org/tickets. Located at the crossroads of I-44 and I-35, the OKC Zoo is a proud member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the American Alliance of Museums, and Oklahoma City’s Adventure District.
Stay connected with the Zoo on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, Linktree and TikTok, and by visiting our blog stories. Zoo more with a ZOOfriends membership! As a ZOOfriends member of the Oklahoma City Zoo, enjoy free admission for 12-months, plus additional benefits and discounts. You will also be supporting the Zoo’s animal family, education programming, and conservation initiatives both locally and globally. Join or renew today at www.okczoo.org/membership.