Welcome!
After a lengthy hiatus, I'm trying to get back into documenting my various escapades, especially at zoos. This post is about my recent 2026 expedition to Fort Wayne Zoo in northern Indiana. I decided to make a detour to Fort Wayne on my way to Indianapolis - it was worth it to see the red pandas and Tasmanian devils!
Since I got a new phone at the end of 2025 (right before my San Diego and Texas trips), all of my 2026 adventures have much better photo quality and more plentiful photos (due to ample memory).
Here are my Indiana posts:
G1: Fort Wayne Zoo (this post)
G2: Potawatomi Zoo
I do also have a backlog of overdue Indiana posts covering:
All of the pictures in this post were taken by me except for the map of the zoo. If you want to use any of my photos, please contact me to first obtain permission.
FORT WAYNE ZOO
3411 Sherman Blvd
Fort Wayne, IN 46808
Website: https://fwzoo.com/
Hours:
Open Daily: 9 AM - 5 PM
Cost (as of 2026):
General Admission (13+): $20 - $25
Child (12 & Under): $18 - $22
Pricing seems to be based on the day of the week. For General Admission, Monday & Tuesday are usually cheapest ($20), Wednesday & Thursday are moderate ($22), and Friday, Saturday, & Sunday are the most expensive ($25). When buying tickets, the calendar is subtly color-coded based on pricing.
Parking is free.
Fort Wayne Zoo participates in the AZA Reciprocity program at the 50% rate. Members of all other participating zoos (whether those zoos participate at 50% or 100%) get 50% off the admission rate at Fort Wayne Zoo. And Fort Wayne Zoo members get 50% off the admission of all participating zoos (regardless of whether that zoo participates at 50% or 100%).
Since I was a member of Buttonwood Park Zoo, I got 50% off admission so I only had to pay $12.50 instead of the full $25.
Estimated Time: 3 - 4 hours.
I spent 3.5 hours. Many of the animals were off-exhibit because of the cold but I spent extra time with the red pandas (who like the cold) and the Tasmanian devils. You may also want to budget additional time if you plan to attend many of the daily Keeper Chats.
SUMMARY
The Fort Wayne Zoo is a good, medium-sized 3-star zoo that I would recommend. The red pandas and Tasmanian devils are the highlights and are worthy of 4 stars.
It was rather cold on the day of my visit so a surprising number of animals were off-exhibit. Unfortunately, the zoo doesn't provide much visibility into the animals' indoor habitats. On the bright side, the red pandas loved the chilly weather and so they were more active than normal allowing me to spend extra time watching them.
Normally the zoo has a variety of daily Keeper Chats every half hour. Some chats are daily while other chats only occur on specific days of the week. I went to the Animal Ambassador event in the Discovery Garden (it was too cold for Charlotte the Mexican Red Knee Tarantula so they just brought out one of her molts), the Sumatran Orangutan chat, and the Tasmanian Devil chat. Due to weather they canceled the Banded Mongoose, Sumatran Tiger, Seal and Sea Lion, and Giraffe chats. Also, no one ever showed up for the Indiana Family Farm chat. Unfortunately, guest services gave me incorrect information about the day's chats and I had to ask multiple employees until I finally got the correct rundown of which chats were canceled for the day.
There were an ample number of employees throughout the zoo, who were very friendly and helpful. I spent a fair amount of time chatting with one of the red panda specialists and learning about the habits and relationships of the local red pandas. The orangutan and Tasmanian devil chats were very informative. And when I couldn't find certain animals, there were nearby employees who helped point out where the Northern Tree Shrew, Serval, Vietnamese Mossy Frog, and Orange-Eyed Tree Frog were hiding.
The species informational displays were well-crafted with beautiful artwork. Some of the exhibits had personalized name cards of the animals with their names, birthdates, and tips on how to distinguish them from their compatriots.
Like many other zoos, Fort Wayne Zoo has a Chinese lantern partnership with Tianyu Arts & Culture. This is a separate event in the evening (with a higher ticket price) after the day-time visitors have left. However, you can see most of the lanterns during the day. While I have seen a lot of these types of lanterns before, Fort Wayne Zoo did have an impressive assortment including a massive blue dragon on the water, a white nine-tailed fox, Chinese zodiac animals, an impressive smilodon (sabre-toothed tiger), and a surprising number of dinosaurs.
The African Journey is a large loop. You can pay for the Sky Safari experience but there aren't animals below (for safety reasons in case someone falls) so you only get to see animals from the side - probably not worth it. Asian Trek is a medium loop but once you exit the Indonesian Rain Forest building you can't go back in. You can pay extra money for the Bamboo Forest Sky Trails or to ride the Endangered Species Carousal. The Red Panda Ridge is technically part of Asian Trek but is right at the beginning which makes it very accessible - it is definitely one of the best parts of the zoo! The Central Zoo is a miscellaneous hodgepodge of animals including free-roaming peafowl, aquatic critters (otters, seals, sea lions, African penguins), and the Indiana Family Farm with domestic animals. Last of all is the Australian Adventure. The Reef Aquarium could use some renovation, feeding rays at Stingray Bay is another add-on experience that costs money, but the Tasmanian devils and the walkabout with the kangaroos are worthwhile. Just keep in mind that Australian Adventure does not circle about back to the Central Zoo - you have to backtrack all the way back.
I had a good time at the Fort Wayne Zoo and spent more time than expected. Initially, I was planning to spend about 2 hours but ended up walking around for 3.5 hours until close. Other than missing out on the animals sheltering from the cold and some of the Keeper Chats, I did feel like I thoroughly explored the zoo.
Comparing the Fort Wayne Zoo to other zoos:
5 stars:
4 stars:
3 stars:
2 stars:
1 star:
RED PANDA RIDGE
Red Panda Ridge is a delightful area near the entrance to the zoo which houses 2 Chinese red pandas, 1 Himalayan red panda with a Reeves's muntjac, and a binturong.
Both of the red panda enclosures are fantastic, offering superb views of the red pandas. There is bamboo growing in the surrounding area, which allows the red pandas to easily grab a snack.
The larger enclosure is built for two red pandas and currently house Chinese red pandas Lucas and Paula.
The smaller enclosure is designed for one red panda and is the home of Nima, a 3 year old Himalayan Red Panda (unfortunately, Anne the older Himalayan Red Panda passed away about a year ago). Nima currently shares the space with Zoji the muntjac. Zoji seems to like Nima and he will lick her feet occasionally. Nima, however, merely tolerates Zoji and will swat him if he bothers her or gets in the way.
Occasionally the red pandas will swap habitats but when that happens Zoji is locked away (i.e. he has never interacted with Lucas and Paula before).
Chinese red pandas have a redder face and more defined rings around their tail. Himalayan red pandas have a whiter face and also tend to be smaller. The zoo keepers have noticed that Nima, the Himalayan red panda, more readily utilizes the grasping ability of her opposable digit and can often be seen sticking her paw outside her enclosure to grasp bamboo located outside.
Nima seems well habituated to humans. The zoo keeper mentioned that Nima serves as an animal ambassador for certain animal experiences. Red pandas do have sharp claws though - the keeper said that one time when she was handing bamboo to Nima, Nima's claws accidentally sliced open the keeper's glove!
Himalayan Red Panda
Ailurus fulgens fulgens
Chinese Red Panda
Ailurus fulgens styani
Scratching an itch:
Reeves's Muntjac
Muntiacus reevesi
Binturong
Arctictis binturong whitei
AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURE
Tasmanian Devil
Sarcophilus harrisii
Fort Wayne Zoo is one of only around 6 zoos outside Australia with Tasmanian devils. While the species is normally solitary, Arya and Valentina are a pair of females that actually like each other and seek out the other's company. They can be distinguished because "Arya has a white stripe across the front of her shoulders and is all black otherwise and Valentina has a big white spot on her chest and white spots on the sides of her shoulders and a white spot on her butt."
The two run circles around their habitat though lately they've been frustrated trying to catch a vole digging around the habitat.
Eastern Grey Kangaroo
Macropus giganteus
This juvenile male (who has been snipped) couldn't leave the female alone. This was annoying the alpha male who was cordoned off nearby. The alpha male can be protective of the females, which is why he is separated during the day when human visitors are walking through the kangaroo habitat.
Kookaburra
Dacelo novaeguineae
Woma Python
Aspidites ramsayi
Blue-Tongued Skink
Tiliqua scincoides
Vietnamese Mossy Frog
Theloderma corticale
Orange-Eyed Tree Frog
Ranoidea chloris
KITTIES
African Lion
Panthera leo
(Located in African Journey)
Kiume and Ina showing affection to each other:
Sumatran Tiger
Panthera tigris sumatrae
(Located in Asian Trek)
Canada Lynx
Lynx canadensis
(Located in Central Zoo)
This bashful lynx is relieving itself and/or marking its territory.
Serval
Leptailurus serval
(Located in African Journey)
Amur Leopard
Panthera pardus orientalis
(Located in African Journey)
Clouded Leopard
Neofelis nebulosa
(Located in Asian Trek)
ASIAN TREK
Northern Tree Shrew
Tupaia belangeri
Sumatran Orangutan
Pongo pygmaeus abelii
There is a baby orangutan (Asmara) but she and her mother (Tara) are only viewable earlier in the day.
The orangutans I saw were the father (Tengku) and an older female (Melati).
Black-Breasted Leaf Turtle
Geomyda spengleri
Sulawesi Forest Turtle
Leucocephalon yuwonoi
Red-Tailed Green Rat Snake
Gonyosoma oxycephalum
Crested Wood Partridge
Rollulus rouloul
Mandarin Duck
Aix galericulata
Green-Naped Pheasant Pigeon
Otidiphaps nobilis
Indonesian Rain Forest
Cocoa Tree
Theobroma cacao
(Probably a bromeliad):
Bamboo Forest Sky Trail
Endangered Species Carousel
Kids Tree House
AFRICAN JOURNEY
Spotted Hyena
Crocuta crocuta
Bat-Eared Fox
Otocyon megalotis
White Stork
Ciconia ciconia
Wattled Crane
Bugeranus carunculatus
Sitatunga
Tragelaphus spekii
Bontebok
Damaliscus pygargus
Plains Zebra
Equus quagga
White-Bearded Wildebeest
Connochaetes taurinus albojubatus
Sky Safari
Rock Wall
CENTRAL ZOO
Indian Peafowl
Pavo cristatus
The peacocks and peahens are free-roaming. There was at least one albino.
Capuchin Monkey
Cebus capunicus
North American River Otter
Lontra canadensis
African Penguin
Spheniscus demersus
Red-Tailed Hawk
Buteo jamaicensis
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
Charlotte, the Mexican Red Knee Tarantula
Brachypelma hamorii
For the Animal Ambassador session in the Discovery Garden, the keepers brought an old molt from several years ago. It was too cold for Charlotte to come herself.
REEF AQUARIUM & STINGRAY BAY
Moon Jelly
Aurelia aurita
Lionfish
Pterois
Blacktip Reef Shark
Carcharhinus melanopterus
Zebra Shark
Stegostoma fasicatum
Cownose Ray
Rhinoptera bonasus
Southern Stingray
Dasyatis americana
INDIANA FAMILY FARM
Flemish Giant Rabbits
Oryctolagus cuniculus
Domestic Rabbit
Oryctolagus cuniculus domesticus
Miniature Donkey
Equus asinus domestic
Shetland Sheep
Ovis aries
Chicken
Gallus gallus domesticus
Nigerian Dwarf Goat
Capra aegagrus hircus
NOT VIEWABLE DUE TO COLD TEMPERATURE
American Alligator
Alligator mississippiensis
Banded Mongoose
Mungos mungo
Harbor Seal
Phoca vitulina
California Sea Lion
Zalophus californianus
(Not a) Cape Porcupine
Hystrix africaeaustralis
The Cape Porcupine was not viewable but one of the zoo keepers noticed several small mice in the enclosure!
Prevost's Squirrel
Callosciurus prevostii
Benedict the Two-Toed Sloth
Choloepus didactylus or Choloepus hoffmanni
White-Faced Saki Monkey
Pithecia pithecia
Blue-Faced Honeyeater
Entomyzon cyanotis
Galah
Eolophus roseicapilla
Rainbow Lorikeet
Trichoglossus moluccanus
Aldabra Tortoise
Geochelone gigantea
Colobus Monkey
Colobus guereza
De Brazza's Monkey
Cercopithecus neglectus
Dingo
Canis lupus dingo
Javan Gibbon
Hylobates moloch
Reticulated Giraffe
Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata
Ring-Tailed Lemur
Lemur catta
Swamp Monkey
Allenopithecus nigroviridis
GLO WILD LANTERNS
Chinese zodiac:
Smilodon (Sabre-Toothed Kitty!)
Dinosaurs and friends:
Photo ops:
Panda Pop Challenge
Interactive Reaction Game
Interactive Flowers
Kaleidoscope
Immersive Mirror Photo Experience
Bunny Bicycles Generating Power
Shape in Motion
Interactive Impression Wall
Talking Cactus Dance
Voice-Activated Interactive Fun
OTHER
Train Station
Gem Mining
I have seen similar lion water fountains at other zoos.
Frog speaker
Tortoise sculpture
GIFT SHOP
Assorted Red Panda Plushes from Aurora and Wild Republic
Petting Zoo Red Panda Lolly Plush
$15.99
Red Panda Magnet
$9.99
Red Panda Keychain
$10.99
Unfortunately, the gift shop was sold out of red panda magnets with a photo of their red pandas. They only had these red panda magnets with a spring but I didn't buy one because I already have one just like this except from the Cincinnati Zoo.
Aurora Red Panda Plush
Assorted Wild Republic Plushes
$26.99
Jack & Friends Red Panda (or Giraffe) Cuddly Blanket
Red Panda Spotlight Children's T-Shirt
$21.99
Circle Animal Spotlight Children's T-Shirt
$21.99
I did buy a Little Critterz porcelain figurine of "Sarani" the Snow Leopard.
