Spring is here! See photos, video of adorable baby animals at Atascadero zoo
The Charles Paddock Zoo in Atascadero is celebrating spring with multiple family-friendly activities scheduled for the month of April.
The Spring Festival, which kicked off Monday, includes late-morning animal feedings that are open to the public, according to a news release from the zoo.
Aldabra tortoises got their grub Monday morning, while meerkats will be fed at 11 a.m. Tuesday.
The zoo’s prized Malayan tiger will be fed at 11 a.m. Wednesday. Meanwhile, the American alligator will be fed at 11 a.m. Thursday and the red pandas at 11 a.m. Friday.
The zoo might have more public feedings during the week of April 18 but it depends on staffing and schedules, said Charles Paddock Zoo director Alan Baker.
The Spring Festival will also feature a display of the newest baby animals to join the Atascadero zoo’s menagerie — including chicks, a prehensile-tailed porcupine, a roadrunner and four radiated tortoises.
The porcupine is 5 months old and is already on display for the public, but the baby roadrunner is still living in an incubator and being hand-fed, Baker said.
The swing in temperatures during the springtime makes it harder for the zoo to put the animals on display, which is why many of the fragile babies are still living in the nursery, he said.
“Spring is hard,” Baker said. “We’re playing it by ear.”
The Spring Festival will conclude with the annual Party for the Planet Earth Day celebration on Saturday, April 23, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to the news release.
The event will be educational and hands-on, with interactive lessons about water conservation, beekeeping and conservation of natural resources and animals, the release said.
The Charles Paddock Zoo is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and is located at Atascadero Lake Park.
Access to the Spring Festival and Earth Day celebration are included with general admission. Tickets cost $10 for ages 13 and up; $9 for seniors over 65; $8 for children ages 5 to 12 and $5 for children ages 3 to 4; kids under 2 years get in free.
For more information, call 805-461-5080 or visit charlespaddockzoo.org.
