What’s it like when the National Zoo & Aquarium is as accessible as your local playground? Photo: National Zoo and Aquarium Canberra.
As a member of a beautifully blended family, birthdays for Canberra lad Charlie Kirsopp could easily result in an annual avalanche of gifts that he would quickly outgrow, but instead, his mum, Jessica, is grateful that each year, Charlie is given something truly enriching — a membership to the National Zoo and Aquarium.
Aside from avoiding the accumulation of “more stuff”, she says there are plenty of benefits to the family’s annual pass, not the least of which is a constant source of quality entertainment at their fingertips.
“We literally never have to worry about ‘what can we do today?’ We don’t have to spend money on indoor play gyms or go to the same old regular playgrounds over and over – the day can always be special,” she says.
“Charlie loves the zoo. He has his favourites – like Beans the Indian star tortoise and Echo the rhino. Otters are another favourite, because Charlie is on the spectrum, and the otters squeak and make some of the same sounds he does.
“Everyone knows us now. We walk up to the front desk and they say, ‘How are you, Charlie?'”
There are numerous membership levels with benefits ranging from unlimited entry to the use of three Members Only entry gates, shop and cafe discounts, invitations to special member-only activities, events and offers, as well as early access from 8:45 am, 45 minutes before the general public.
“Members can effectively skip the queues, even during busy school holiday periods, avoid the crowds and see some of the animals that are perhaps a bit more active before the general public arrives,” National Zoo & Aquarium’s Natalie Pettett says.
“A lot of seniors and people with young children come first thing, do a lap and they’re out by 9:30 am – it’s a peaceful time to come.”
The perks are great, but perhaps more importantly, when the zoo becomes your stomping ground rather than a destination, Jessica says it takes the pressure off.
“We can stop in whenever we want and just see the animals Charlie wants to see that day – we don’t feel as though we have to rock up first thing and cram everything into one day. There’s nothing worse than dragging tired kids around for a whole day,” she says.
“If one parent needs downtime, easy – the other can take him to the zoo. If the weather is bad, no problem, we can stick to the indoor exhibits. If he just wants to go to the playground for an hour—and it’s an amazing one—we can do that too. It’s total freedom to choose.
“Best of all, I know once he’s inside, he’s safe and can run around a bit.”
With proceeds from memberships funnelled into the zoo’s conservation efforts, membership benefits extend beyond the members themselves as well.
To date, it’s believed the institution has given out over $1 million in donations to a range of causes from Sri Lankan leopards to the Australian Marine Conservation Society. The zoo has made significant contributions to Australian native wildlife efforts, including wombat rescue in Canberra, and has most recently given $25,000 to Free The Bears.
“We’ve had feedback from members that they do enjoy the fact that their membership fee gets them involved in a way, and makes them part of a community that also cares about wildlife,” Natalie says.
“We enhance that through exclusive members’ events where they can mingle with stakeholders and gain more in-depth knowledge of the zoo.”
With constant changes to member events and perks, as well as the zoo itself, including a recent major upgrade to its playground and extinction trails, membership never gets old.
For more information on memberships, visit the National Zoo & Aquarium.
