Animal Adoptions

Adoptions to be mailed must be purchased by 11:59pm on Dec. 18th. For those picked up at the zoo, purchase by 11:59pm on Dec. 20th.

Choose one of the zoo species options to adopt at any of the levels. Animal adoptions are a symbolic way to defray the costs of animal care for our nonprofit 501(c)3 zoo. Adoptions make perfect holiday gifts too! We appreciate your support of our mission to help wildlife in need while providing community education programs.

View the Animal Parent list (updated quarterly)

Scroll down to read about our Adoption Animal of the Month and level benefits before you adopt including plush animals for $100 or higher!

Featured: December Adoption Animal of the Month

Kova the Polar Bear

Kova is a 3-year-old female polar bear who came to live at the zoo in November of 2022 after biologists observed her without a mother living near Prudhoe Bay. She was brought to the zoo for her welfare and care. She underwent a quarantine period and was then successfully introduced to Cranbeary, the zoo’s 23-year-old female polar bear. She has given Cranbeary the gift of companionship and they two of them get along well. Kova can often been seen swimming in the polar bear pool.

When you choose to adopt a zoo animal like Kova, your symbolic adoption helps the zoo to cover costs of treats, enrichment and other aspects of care. As an added bonus, those who symbolically adopt the Adoption Animal of the Month will also receive a special 30 second behind-the-scenes video of their adopted zoo animal. Please allow 7-10 business days from purchase for your video to be taken and emailed to you. Videos are for personal use only and cannot be used to promote a business, organization or product. To receive this special Adoption Animal of the Month video for Kova, you must adopt her in the month of December at the $100 Keeper level or higher.

Adoption Levels

All levels receive recognition on our website for one year from purchase and invitations to our annual summer adoption event.

Adopt the species of your choice at one of these levels:

  • $50 - E-Keeper (digital by email): Adoption certificate, animal photo, fact sheet.

  • $100 - Keeper: Digital above + plush (choose snow leopard, polar bear, seal, otter, tiger).

  • $250 - Senior Keeper: Keeper above including plush animal + behind-scenes animal video for Adoption Animal of the Month, decal sticker, 2 Zoo Lights tickets.

  • $500 - Curator: Senior Keeper above including plush animal + 4 Zoo Lights tickets, private tour for two.

  • $1,000 - Director: Curator items above including plush animal + 6 Zoo Lights tickets, private tour for six.

Allow two business weeks from purchase for adoption processing.

About Eco Pals Plush from the Alaska Zoo Gift Shop:

  • ECO-FRIENDLY FUN: Wildlife Artists Eco Pals plush toy is an eco-friendly stuffed animal made completely of recycled materials.

  • TEACHES WILDLIFE CONSERVATION: Each plush includes an educational hang tag that teaches children about their animal, wildlife conservation, the environment and how to reduce plastic waste.

  • CERTIFIED BABY SAFE: This stuffed toy is tested and is a certified baby safe stuffed animal making it a great baby shower gift