ZooAmerica Welcomes New Mountain Lion
Guests can see the big cat daily at the zoo in Hershey, PA
There's a new resident in Chocolatetown! ZooAmerica North American Wildlife Park, an 11-acre walk-through Zoo in Hershey, Pa., recently welcomed a female mountain lion named Fern to its animal family.
Fern arrived in The Sweetest Place On Earth in January 2023 from Orondo, Washington. As one of three orphaned wild cubs, she needed to find a forever home at a zoo - and ZooAmerica is proud to fill that role. Her two brothers found a home together at another accredited zoo in the Northeast.
When Fern arrived at ZooAmerica, she was about three months old and weighed 15 pounds. Given her young age and weight, she resided behind the scenes at the Animal Health Center throughout most of 2023, where she continued to grow strong and healthy. Once she reached 60 pounds, she could be introduced to Rainier, an adult male mountain lion who arrived at ZooAmerica in August 2014 after being found on a porch in Kettle Falls in northeastern Washington state.
In December 2023, Fern and Rainier were introduced in the same habitat in the Big Sky Country region of ZooAmerica. During the introduction period, Zoo staff heard chirping noises from Fern, which was a positive, "happy" sound. Fern often rolled over and exposed her belly submissively, but in the next moment, she would chase after Rainier. They mostly respected each other's boundaries despite a few bats to the head or tail. After some playful behavior, both cats were soon spotted lying near each other on the rocks, where visitors can often find them this spring.
ZooAmerica is open daily year-round (closed Thanksgiving and Christmas) for guests to see Fern, Rainier and dozens of other animals native to the North American region.
Regular admission for guests ages 9-61 is $16.50 plus taxes and fees. Admission for juniors ages 3-8 and seniors ages 62+ is $14.50 plus taxes and fees. Children 2 and under are free.
Entrance to ZooAmerica is free to all ZooAmerica Annual Pass Holders and Hersheypark Season Pass Holders. ZooAmerica admission is also included in the one-price admission to Hersheypark only by accessing the Zoo from the bridge inside Hersheypark during posted Park hours. Please note that ZooAmerica and Hersheypark hours vary. Guests interested in visiting ZooAmerica separately can purchase a daily admission ticket online or at the Zoo Admissions building.
Other New Animals in Hershey, PA
Just across the Zoo bridge inside Hersheypark amusement park is an Aquatheatre operated in partnership with Ocean Connections. The Aquatheatre is the permanent home of various flippered friends, including three new marine mammals with special needs.
Harbor seals Scooter and Satara and a female California sea lion, Reese, arrived in Central Pennsylvania in December 2023 after losing their home at the Milwaukee County Zoo. Read more about their individual stories.
Hersheypark is open for Spring Weekends through May 19. Daily operations begin May 23. Guests can see Scooter, Satara and Reese during Our Friends From The Sea performances this spring and summer. Showtimes are listed on the Hersheypark app.