Meet Our Zoo Babies at the Ararat Ridge Zoo

When you visit the Ark Encounter, make sure to stop by the Ararat Ridge Zoo and petting zoo area, which is located just behind the ark and is included in the price of admission. Our zoo is home to a zebra, kangaroos, yaks, emus, goats, llamas, alpacas, and more!

We are excited to announce that we welcomed babies this winter and early spring. Learn more about our baby goats and emus below!

Joining Our Herd

Four of our female goats had babies over the winter. We now have nine baby goats to bring our total to 35. We were able to witness a rare occurrence with one of our mothers, Manasseh. She gave birth to quadruplets—Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and Danielle—which is very rare.

When you visit the petting zoo, you’ll be able to watch the mother goats feeding and caring for their kids as well as the kids interacting and playing with each other. You’ll even be able to call our goats by their names! Each one wears a collar with a nametag on it. The males wear blue collars, while the females wear purple collars.

Welcome to the “Mob”

In mid-February, we welcomed baby emus at the Ararat Ridge Zoo as well. We don’t know if they are boys or girls, yet so they haven’t been named. Our zookeepers collected feathers from each one and sent the feathers to a diagnostic lab to determine the gender for each one. But each baby emu has a colored band on one of its legs to help identify them.

Moriah (the mother) laid 20 softball-sized, emerald-colored eggs between November and January, and Jericho (the father) took over the rest of the incubation care. Once the chicks were born, he was also responsible for continuing to care for and raise them.

Did you know that emus have dual feathers? Each one consists of a primary and secondary feather coming out of the same shaft.

Want to Know More?

Want to learn even more about our newest additions to the Ararat Ridge Zoo and petting zoo area? Check out this Facebook Live video our social media team recently recorded with Matt and Brittany at the zoo.

When you plan your visit to the Ark Encounter, head out to the Ararat Ridge Zoo and petting zoo area and keep your eye out for babies. Share your favorite zoo photos with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter using #arkencounter.