Royal Oak – The weather might be chilly, but the fun is heating up at the Detroit Zoo. There’s so much to experience this time of year, from festive events to new baby animals, including a baby giraffe, and three lion cubs.
Even though it’s winter, there’s no shortage of animal sightings. “The animals that are outside love to be outside, you think about polar bears or bison, our wolverines, our red pandas, our red pandas thrive in these cooler temperatures,” said Chief Life Sciences Officer, at the Detroit Zoo, Mike Murray.
He said if you get too chilly outdoors, there are plenty of indoor spaces to enjoy. “We have indoor viewing for our southern white rhinos, our three lemur species, and also our giraffe herd are all viewable all year long.” When visitors stop by the indoor giraffe enclosure, they’ll see a cute new addition. “She was 5 foot 9 at birth, 136 pounds. Within the first half hour, she was on her feet, running around nursing for mom. Zara’s been a great mom to her. Things are going really well so far,” said Brian Manfre, Curator of Mammals at the Detroit Zoo. He’s speaking about the baby giraffe, just born November 23, 2025, and said she’s not shy. “Baby is very curious, so she spends a lot of the day in front of the glass right there interacting with the visitors.”
There are also three lion cubs. Two were born November 23 and one was born November 24. They will be available for public viewing in the Spring.
Another experience at the Detroit Zoo, is the popular “Wild Lights,” event, happening select nights through January 4th. “Millions of lights, hundreds of animal themed displays. My kid’s favorite - the hot cocoa - and just being outside. It is a favorite tradition of so many, and it just comes alive with magic every night. It doesn’t feel like holidays until you’ve been to Wild lights,” Murray said.
For more information about winter activities at the Detroit Zoo click here
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