Our African elephants are a favorite of many Zoo guests. With their immense size and long trucks, these mammals are one of the most recognizable species in the world. African elephants are a keystone species, meaning they play a critical role in their ecosystem. During the dry season, they use their tusks to dig up dry riverbeds and create watering holes that many animals can drink from. They also uproot trees and eat saplings, clearing the way for tall savannah grasses that many species feed on.
The elephants at the Indianapolis Zoo are ambassadors for their counterparts in the wild. Native to the African savannah, elephants are listed as a species vulnerable to extinction. Poaching for the illegal ivory trade, habitat fragmentation from human development and agriculture, and conflict with humans have severely impacted elephant populations throughout Africa. Through the Animal Amigo program, you support the care of our elephant herd at the Zoo and support the Indianapolis Zoo’s elephant conservation efforts in Tarangire National Park in Tanzania.
For a donation of $50 or more, you’ll receive an Animal Amigo package, which includes one elephant plush, photo, certificate, trading card and recognition on the Animal Amigo donor board.*
*Animal Amigo donor board is located inside the Oceans building and updated each March with the previous year’s donors.
From our youngest elephant, Zahara, to the matriarch, Sophi, your gift will support our herd of six elephants.
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Stop by the lion chat to watch your support in action as our Zookeepers provide care and training for our pride.
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Our three impressive cats are ambassadors for their species, helping guests understand the challenges endangered tigers face in the wild.
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Your gift helps guests connect with our pod of 10 energetic dolphins through educational programs like our free Dolphin Presentations.
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Visit the sea lion habitat where your support helps us provide a home to our rescued marine mammals.
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Take a trip to our cheetah exhibit and test your speed at the Race-A-Cheetah attraction. Then consider supporting these cats as your Animal Amigo.
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As the only zoo in the country with long-tailed macaques, your gift will help our visitors get to know this unique and playful primate species.
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See our flocks flying through the Zoo during the Magnificent Macaw presentation. Our daily chats are all made possible with help from your gift.
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Guests come face to face with these adorable Desert dwellers during meerkat chats. Your support as an Animal Amigo helps us provide these educational opportunities.
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From our dominant male Azy to our youngest ape Mila, your gift helps each of our unique orangutans at the Simon Skjodt International Orangutan Center.
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Our walrus Aurora and Pakak weigh more than 3,000 pounds combined — and they eat around 10 times that much seafood in a year! Your support helps provide all that fish.
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A red panda’s diet includes bamboo, acorns, insects, eggs and fruits. Help provide Sampson and Nyima with all their favorite foods as an Animal Amigo.
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Help our guests get to know the world’s tallest land mammal. Support our giraffe herd through the Animal Amigo program.
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With your gift to the Animal Amigo program, you’re helping to provide the highest-quality care for our active troop of ring-tailed lemurs.
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Support the penguins at the Zoo through the Animal Amigo program. Watch your support in action during a penguin feed!
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Several of the sloths you’ll meet at MISTery Park were rehabilitated at APPC, a wildlife rescue center in Panama. Help sloths here and in the wild as an Animal Amigo.
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As the threats to white rhinos increase in the wild, your support as an Animal Amigo helps us offer opportunities for guests to connect with this endangered species.
Learn MoreAnimal Amigo donations make great gifts! You can purchase one as an individual or as a group. However, please note that only one of each item will be enclosed per Animal Amigos packet.
