Orange County Zoo
The Orange County Zoo is a small 8-acre (3.2 ha) zoo located within Irvine Regional Park, a 477-acre (193 ha) park in Orange, California, United States.
This eight-acre zoo, nestled among coastal live oak and huge sycamore woods, exhibits plants and animals native to the southwestern United States. It showcases its animals in natural habitats for the animals’ comfort and to increase visitor education.
Many of our creatures have been injured, orphaned, confiscated, or are deemed unfit for release into the wild. There are black bears, mountain lions, bald eagles, kit foxes, ocelots, beavers, great horned owls, porcupines, coyotes, turkey vultures, and other animals on display.
A barnyard (petting zoo) with domestic goats, chevoit sheep, jacob sheep, pot-bellied pigs, doves, chicks, and pheasants is also available at the zoo. Each animal exhibit has a little display with intriguing animal facts. Through the gate, several of the barnyard animals are available for physical contact. Grain may only be purchased to feed certain animals in the petting zoo. Picnic places are located around the zoo.
The current zoo is owned, manned, and administered by the County of Orange, and it first opened in 1985 as the Irvine Park Zoo.
However, animals have been kept in captivity on the site since 1905, when J.A. Turner introduced and raised red foxes. Tustin rancher Sam Nau began a small animal collection with a pair of mule deer around 1920. Nau eventually constructed a deer corral. The major attraction was an alligator exhibit until 1935, when a bird exhibit with cockatoos, quail, doves, and parakeets was added.
The zoo provides audio tours for cell phones. The animal keepers, veterinarian, education coordinator, and curator can provide visitors with information on the animals in the exhibit, such as their names, diet, where they originated from, and why they are at the zoo.
Visit the OC Zoo and take an audio tour!
To begin the audio tour, dial (714) 481-0355 on your cell phone. Consult the manual (available below and at the zoo). Enter the animal exhibit number, then press the “#” key.
Listen to entertaining and informative facts about the zoo’s animals. Learn more about our animals from our animal keepers, veterinarian, curator of education, and manager. Discover what our bears eat every day, the coyote’s name, the gifts we offer the raccoon, why animals are at the zoo and where they came from, and other interesting facts! The cell phone tour is free, and you can even listen to it on speaker phone with your family or friends!
Next Point of Interest: FivePoint Amphitheatre