Conservation ~

As one of 235 accredited Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) facilities world-wide, the Good Zoo meets the highest standards in animal care practices and welfare while providing a fun, safe, and educational family experience. Home to more than 68 species of animals (376 individuals), 20 of which are rare and endangered, the Good Zoo is the only institution of its kind in the state of West Virginia.

Our Breeding Program

We participate in 23 conservation breeding programs known as SSPs or Species Survival Programs, that focus on sustainable breeding management of the species in our care. Several of the SSPs the zoo participates include golden lion tamarin, Grevy’s zebra, cheetah, mongoose lemur, and red panda.

Animal Welfare

Our team strives to provide excellent welfare to all of the individuals in our care. We take great efforts to ensure that all of the animals in your zoo are cared for in a manner that meets their physical and behavioral needs. Welfare assessments are performed for every animal in our care regularly to monitor their physical and behavioral health. These assessments are utilized to ensure our commitment to the care of your zoo’s animals along with annual veterinary care plans, plans for environmental enrichment to stimulate activity and natural behaviors, training plans to facilitate veterinary and management procedures that reduce potential stress, and length of life plans for each individual to ensure that appropriate habitat, furnishings, and medications are provided to ensure comfort from birth through geriatric years.

In our efforts to ensure we provide the individuals in our care with choices over their environment, you may need to look for individuals under shade structures in their habitats during warm weather or may have to wait at habitats to observe individuals that may have chosen to go into their indoor climate-controlled habitats during hot or cold weather. We appreciate your understanding of us providing your zoo animals with these opportunities.