The Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College

About The Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College

The Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College operates as a living classroom where visitors explore five acres and encounter over 125 animals cared for by students in the Animal Care and Training Program. Guests experience training demonstrations highlighting positive reinforcement techniques, keeper talks with student animal handlers, and wildlife presentations lasting about 25 minutes, all held at the Wildlife Theater. The facility features Rajah's Retreat, an award-winning tiger habitat with heated bedrooms and a pool where tigers Neil and Karma live, and houses Clarence, a 102-year-old Galapagos tortoise weighing up to 600 pounds. The zoo includes Ira's Kingdom for its resident lion, a Reptile House, and Exploration Stations where animal meet-and-greets occur. Feeding demonstrations showcase how staff care for animals including Beaker the Abyssinian Ground Hornbill. The Teaching Zoo is one of only two college zoos in the country, located in Moorpark, California, and serves families and school groups seeking hands-on wildlife education.