Already a fan-favorite, the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden’s Sanctuary Asia habitat, is now a contender to be named America’s Best Zoo Exhibit in USA Today’s 10Best 2024 Readers’ Choice travel awards. Voting is open through Monday, March 4, 2024 and fans can vote daily for the duration of the contest at Vote for Sanctuary Asia at Oklahoma City Zoo as 2024's Best Zoo Exhibit (usatoday.com). Let’s come together to take Sanctuary Asia to the top as America’s Best Zoo Exhibit!
CLICK HERE TO VOTE OKC ZOO’S SANCTUARY ASIA AS BEST ZOO EXHIBIT
Sanctuary Asia was previously nominated for Best Zoo Exhibit in 2019 and proudly claimed the spot of #7 Best Zoo Exhibit thanks to fans’ votes and support, and now, it’s time to earn #1!
A world-class animal exhibit and popular destination among OKC Zoo guests, Sanctuary Asia encompasses wide-ranging habitats that connect guests with the wildlife of the Asian continent. Guests will encounter Indian rhinos, red pandas, cassowary, Komodo dragons, and Francois langurs. Come visit the Zoo’s newest arrival, a female Francois langur born on January 28 at Sanctuary Asia to first-time mom, Pam and dad, Ripley. The little langur named Fera (like Farrah) is doing great and spending time bonding with mom, and the entire family can be seen in their habitat, weather permitting. These langurs are endangered, making this birth significant to the future of this species.
One of the biggest (literally) highlights of Sanctuary Asia is the Zoo’s multigenerational herd of eight endangered Asian elephants. Guests will be in awe as they journey along the elephant habitat’s elevated boardwalk to see these beloved animals playing, exploring, swimming, and interacting with their environment. Learn more about the OKC Zoo’s elephant family by attending a free educational elephant presentation hosted weekends at 2 p.m. in the Inasmuch Elephant Pavilion at Sanctuary Asia by the Zoo’s elephant care team. OKC Zoo recently shared exiting news that two of its elephants, Asha and Achara, are pregnant and expecting calves in 2025. Elephants have the longest gestation period of all mammals at 22 months from conception to birth, so Asha and Achara are still in the early stages of their pregnancies. Both moms-to-be are in great health and the Zoo will continue to share updates on Asha and Achara as their pregnancies progress.
Sanctuary Asia also includes the Lotus Pavilion restaurant with Asian-inspired and American fare to fuel guests as they explore the Zoo. At the entrance of Lotus Pavilion is an open courtyard that features a series of interactive water fountains, providing a much-needed respite for guests and a fun splash area for little ones to experience.
Voting for this contest ends on Monday, March 4 and the winners will be announced on 10Best on Friday, March 15.
Go wild, vote Sanctuary Asia as the nation’s Best Zoo Exhibit! The Oklahoma City Zoo is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily with the last entry no later than 4 p.m. Guests are encouraged to purchase advance Zoo admission at okczoo.org/tickets for faster access. 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. Zoo admission is $16 for adults and $13 for children ages 3-11 and seniors ages 65 and over. Children two and under are admitted free. Membership has its perks! As a ZOOfriends member of the Oklahoma City Zoo, enjoy free admission all year-long, plus many 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.
Stay connected with the Zoo on Facebook, X, Instagram, Threads, Linktree and TikTok, and by visiting our blog stories. To learn more about Zoo happenings, call (405) 424-3344 or visit okczoo.org.