Branson’s Newest Zoo Attraction!

Where can you go to see lion cubs playing, lemurs swinging, or hyenas lounging in the sun? Some might say Africa or other faraway places. If you’d like to see some of these exotic animals a little closer to home, take a safari adventure to the Promised Land Zoo in Branson Missouri! You can get up close and personal with some amazing exotic animals without going much farther than your own backyard.

Promised Land Zoo, located on Shepherd of the Hills Expressway, opened its doors for business on June 18, 2013. One of the most unique venues in Branson, it’s fast becoming a favorite destination among tourists and locals alike! Promised Land Zoo is five acres encompassing over one hundred different animals and forty-four different species, many of which are babies and youngsters. Meandering about the neatly mulched hillside paths, you’ll find critters like caracals, alligators, prairie dogs, a spider monkey, and more! Be sure to bring your camera – you’ll certainly want to snap some photos of playful Delilah the lion cub or the sun loving hyena named Bonzai. Jungle Josh, one of the zoo’s directors and animal show performer, says that other crowd favorite cuties are Forrest Hump (a baby camel), the squirrel monkeys and an adorable baby zebra that will walk right up to the gazebo to say hello. One of the other popular baby animals at the Promised Land Zoo is an Olive Baboon named Calamity Jane that Jungle Josh bottle-fed and raised himself. It’s easy to see where she got her name – zoo visitors love watching her antics! The zoo is also home to the world’s largest albino Burmese Python – her name is Banana.

Promised Land Zoo is open daily from 9am to 7pm. The last admission ticket is sold at 6:30pm. Visitors are welcome to walk around the zoo, take pictures, and ask questions. Parakeet Paradise, a screened house full of exotic birds, is open from 10am to 6pm – you can even feed the colorful feathered friends! Live animal shows are offered every day at 11am, 1pm, 3pm and 5pm. During the show, Jungle Josh and his helpers (like Monkey Mike) bring out all sorts of fascinating animals for you to pet and feed while Jungle Josh teaches you about each unique animal, like Esmeralda the Screaming Hairy Armadillo and Barry the Kinkajou. Visitors can also participate in daily bottle feedings at 10am, 2pm and 6pm. The zoo facility also includes restrooms, and a gift shop full of fun nature themed items such as stuffed animals and plastic critters in a can, as well as Promised Land Zoo themed merchandise. There are even a few animals that are housed in the gift shop, so be sure to stop by and take a look!

The mission at the Promised Land Zoo is to promote “education and conservation,” says Jungle Josh. By using healthy, happy animals that are kept in as natural an environment as possible as teaching tools, Promised Land Zoo strives to instill a love of both the wild things AND where the wild things are.

So if you are looking for something different to do, something a little more exotic, something a bit more on the wild side, come on out to the Promised Land Zoo in Branson. It’s sure to be a visit you won’t forget anytime soon!