Skip to main content

Wriggle and Roar

Our animals are waiting to meet you.

Wiggle with an otter. Roar with a tiger. Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium is full of animals that will capture your heart and imagination, in habitats from rocky shores to bamboo forests. Explore them all here.

Most animal habitats are open. Learn more about temporary exhibit closures.

Animal Experiences

Keeper Chats and Encounters
Meet our family.

Check out our daily Keeper Chats and Animal Encounters! Feed a goat, watch animals enjoy enrichments, and meet the keepers. See the full schedule here.

Daily Presentations

Explore Animal Habitats

Pacific Seas Aquarium
Asian Forest Sanctuary
Arctic Tundra
Rocky Shores
Kids' Zone
Red Wolf Woods
Wild Wonders Outdoor Theater
Tropical Reef Aquarium - Temporarily Closed
Budgie Buddies
Penguin Point

Read Animal Stories

Tacoma Students Create “Jurassic Zoo and Aquarium”

During Tacoma Public Schools January mini-term, students at the Science and Math Institute (SAMi), School of the Arts (SOTA), and Industrial Design Engineering and Art (IDEA) choose one class from … Continued

Read More
Sumatran Tiger Gets A Root Canal

Point Defiance Zoo’s 12-year-old resident male tiger, Sanjiv, recently had a dentist appointment to fix a fractured tooth. Dr. Alice Sievers, a board-certified veterinary dentist and one of only 250 … Continued

Read More
Best Photos of 2023

As another year ends, we reflect on the special moments Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium had the privilege of being a part of in 2023. We welcomed polar bear sisters … Continued

Read More

Animal Fun

Book a premier experience

Go behind-the-scenes of the Pacific Seas Aquarium. Take a Wild Tour before the Zoo opens. Our Zoo For You Animal Experiences get you behind the scenes and up close to our animals. Perfect for families!

Animal Experiences

Meet Our Animals

Take Action for wildlife

THE CHALLENGE: Our Earth’s animals need our help. Their habitats are disappearing; they are being poached or hurt by pollution. We need to act now – together.

TAKE ACTION: At Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, we take action for animals. We support conservation campaigns and send our zoologists into the field for research. And you can help.

Support the Zoo
Looking for a deeper animal connection? Donate to The Zoo Society to support animal care, wildlife conservation, education and more.