Service Animal Policy

Our Policy

The Aggieland Wild Animal Safari is committed to complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and seeks to provide the best possible experience for our guests. We welcome guests with disabilities who wish to bring their Service Animals into the zoo with them. However, certain portions of the zoo are “quick-pass areas” or, in limited cases, “restricted areas”. The zoo will address behavior of the service animal that poses a direct safety threat to zoo patrons and animal health and safety. The zoo may refuse entry to any service animal that poses a direct threat to health and safety. Pets are not allowed inside the zoo.

Definition of a Service Animal

As defined by the ADA, the term “service animal” means any dog or miniature horse that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of common tasks and work provided by service animals may be guiding the blind, attending the deaf, drafting or pulling wheelchairs, alerting and protecting a person experiencing a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, or calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack. The work or task a service dog or miniature horse has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability. Service animals are working animals, not pets.

Emotional support, therapy, comfort, or animals that provide comfort just by being with a person are not considered service animals because they have not been trained to perform a specific job or task. Therefore, they do not qualify as service animals under the ADA and shall not be admitted to the zoo.

Admission Procedure

Guests with service animals must check in and out at the Gift Shop counter upon their arrival and departure from the Zoo.

If it is not readily apparent to zoo staff that the animal is a trained service dog or

miniature horse, staff will ask:

Is the service animal required because of a disability?

If the answer is “yes,” then: What work or task has the animal been trained to perform?

Zoo staff shall not inquire about or discuss the guest’s disability.

Zoo staff will confirm that the service animal is leashed, harnessed or tethered. In the event these devices interfere with the service animal’s work or the individual’s disability prevents the use of these devices, the service animal must be under voice, signal or other effective control.

Health & Behavior Assessment

Before entering all animals must undergo a health and behavior assessment

Zoo staff shall verify that the service animal is housebroken, and will visually assess the service animal for obvious signs or aggressive or erratic behavior, lack of control or signs of ill-health. Signs of ill health include nasal discharge, vomiting, continuous scratching, scabs or open lesions and evidence of lice or ticks.

If any of these signs are evident, reception staff shall contact the zoo veterinarian. The veterinarian shall visually assess the service animal and review the service animal’s health, control, and/or behavioral issues with the guest.

If the zoo veterinarian determines that the service animal poses a threat to the health and safety of zoo guests and animals, the service animal will not be admitted.

During Your Visit

Zoo animal behavior and restrictions

Service animals may not have direct contact with any zoo animal and if they do you maybe asked to leave the park at the discretion of management.

If zoo animals are visibly upset or agitated by the service animal’s presence, the guest and service animal must move on to another exhibit immediately. Signs of zoo animal agitation include barking, howling, growling, screaming, panting and aggression towards the service animal. Primates may smile and/or expose their teeth.

Service animals are not allowed in certain areas of the zoo. This may include areas that house animals that are vulnerable or sensitive to predator species, females with offspring, or animals acclimating to a new environment.

Any fecal excrement must be immediately removed and disposed of properly.

NOW OPEN DAILY! Doors open at 9am - Last car admitted at 4pm