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Welcome to ZooMontana

Take a Walk on the Wild Side

Rated a Top 10 Zoo in the Country

Hours:

Winter Hours:

Every Day: 10:00am - 2:00pm

Guests are permitted to stay on grounds one hour after closing. 

*Open every day except Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's and Easter Day.  Inclement weather and special events may also alter operational hours.

Important Notes


For several weeks leading up to the opening of Holiday Nights, guests may experience sound testing of holiday music in the mornings. Until the volume levels are dialed in, this testing may delay animal schedules in the morning.


The Zoo's newest Bear Cubs will be rotated with our adult male, Ozzy, onto the habitat throughout the day. Their times on habitat will vary each day as the seasons change.

The Information You Need

Upcoming Events at ZooMontana


Nov30Sat1:00 AM

Holiday Nights at ZooMontana Opening Night

Returning to Billings in 2024, a Christmas Holiday Lighting Experience that will enhance the joy and beauty of the seasons for you and your family.

Slide to Meet the Animals!

Miniature Donkeys

Lucy and Ethel came to ZooMontana is 2020 from a private ranch. They quickly acclimated to ZooMontana and can now be seen, and heard at the Zoo's barn.

Madagascar Day Gecko

Both Geckos came to ZooMontana in 2015 through a breeder. They are quick little critters and can usually be seen clinging to the walls of their habitat.

North American River Otter

Ben and Amelia were relocated to ZooMontana in 2009 as pups due to issues with a local fishery.

Hoffman's Two Toed Sloth

Winston is the darling Sloth of Montana. He arrived at ZooMontana in June of 2020 to the delight of many.

American Badger

Uki was brought to ZooMontana by the state in 2019. She was found next to her mother who had been shot. She quickly imprinted on her caregivers during the rehab process, deeming her unreleasable.

Koi

ZooMontana has over 70 Koi. The Koi pond is cared for through the generosity of the Billings Water Skipper Pond Club.

American Mink

Ivy came to ZooMontana as a rescue from a fur farm. She loves playing in buckets of ice cubes or snow and sleeping with her stuffies.

Amur Tiger

Sofi and Jasmine are sisters that were born in Florida in 2012 and were raised together. They moved to the Zoo in the early summer of 2014. Whether we are in the middle of a blizzard or a heat wave, t...

Bald Eagle

Emelio came to us from a rehab center in Anchorage, Alaska, and Tokata came to us because she hit a power line with the tip of her wing, breaking her wrist.

Bearded Dragon

Moana was donated to ZooMontana by a volunteer in May, 2020. Bearded dragons are opportunistic omnivores but Moana loves to eat a variety of vegetables and insects.

Bison

Bert came to ZooMontana in 2018 after suffering a broken leg. Bert and Nellie then had a calf, Jay, in June 2021.

California Kingsnake

Taco came to ZooMontana in 2018 as a pet surrender. Taco is now an ambassador animal used for educational programming.

Flemish Giant Rabbit

Agnes was donated to ZooMontana in 2017 after being raised through the 4-H program. Walter was donated in 2020 from a local family.

Golden Eagle

Oro came to the Zoo in 2007 after being hit by a car. The impact left him with a permanent wing injury.

Turkey Vulture

Turkey Vultures eat carrion, or dead animals, which they find largely by their excellent sense of smell. Mostly they eat mammals but are not above snacking on reptiles, other birds, amphibians, fish,...

Chinchilla

Both Minnie and Daisy are pet surrenders who came to ZooMontana in 2019. They can often be seen either on the highest point of the exhibit, or down low in their log.

North American Porcupine

Lander came to ZooMontana in 2019 after she was found next to her mother, who had been shot. She was raised here at the Zoo and is quickly becoming a guest favorite.

Sichuan Takin

Khan and Griff came to ZooMontana from the Pueblo Zoo in Colorado. They incredibly curious and can often be seen playing soccer in their habitat.

Tiger Salamander

Sally and Simon were donated to ZooMontana as pet surrenders. They have been at the Zoo since 2019.

Red-tailed Hawk

Red-tailed hawks are the most widespread hawks in North American, often seen soaring above the landscape.

Wolverine

Sid and Ahmari came to ZooMontana in 2017 from Sweden to take part in a crucial breeding program to create a genetically pure line of Wolverines.

Western Hognose Snake

The hognose snake is named after its hog like snout.

Grey Wolf

Onyx and Simpson make up the wolf pack at ZooMontana.

Alpaca

Both of our Alpacas were donated to ZooMontana after being retired from the show circuit. They both enjoy being goofy in the barn pasture, often sparring with one another.

Common Garter Snake

The Common Garter snake is one of the the most common and familiar snakes in North America.

White's Tree Frog

The White's Tree Frog is native to Australia and southern New Guinea. They range in color from light blue to emerald green.

Grizzly Bear

Ozzy, George and Willie are all at ZooMontana due to human conflict in their natural habitat.

Canada Lynx

Fierca came to ZooMontana in 2014 from a private owner.

Striped Skunk

Known for their stinky defense, Montana is home to two skunk species.

Blue Death-Feigning Beetle

The blue death feigning beetle, also known as the desert ironclad beetle, is a species of darkling beetle.

Domestic Chicken

Believe it or not, Chickens are the world's most populous birds!

Red Panda

Red pandas prefer bamboo and will only eat the the youngest, most tender shoots and leaves. They eat many other foods as well, including fruit, acorns, roots, and eggs.

Three Toed Box Turtle

Both of our box turtles are pet surrenders. They live side by side, but cannot be placed together due to aggression towards one another.

Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches

ZooMontana has hundreds of cockroaches, too many to name! The Zoo manages a breeding colony.

Eastern Screech Owl

Scout came to ZooMontana in 2015 after a car strike blinded him in his left eye. Scout's calm demeanor makes him a popular education ambassador.

Cane Toad

Cheech was a pet surrender and was brought to ZooMontana in 2016 as a young toad. She can often be seen in the later afternoons as she searches out her food.

Leopard Gecko

Steve the Gecko is a pet surrender. She very much enjoys a stroll around the Zoo with her keepers.

Colombian Red-Tailed Boa Constrictor

Leroy lived a tough life before coming to ZooMontana. He was rescued from inadequate care after being found living in squalor.

Ball Python

Hana came to ZooMontana in 2023 from the Colorado Reptile Humane Society, where she was a pet surrender.

Three Banded Armadillo

Dahlia came to the Zoo in 2022. She has a lot of energy and loves moving around her habitat discovering the new goodies the care staff place for her.

Laughing Kookaburra

Sydney came to ZooMontana from a facility in Tennessee and she enjoys her travels with the Zoo's education crew.

Nigerian Dwarf Goat

Both goats were donated to ZooMontana from a local breeder. They love their treats and eagerly await guests.

Tarantula (Various Species)

ZooMontana is home to three different species of Tarantulas.

Slide to Meet the Humans

Sam Randak

My name is Sam Randak and I have lived in Billings since I was three. Although I have always loved animals, interning at ZMT never occurred to me until I was going to college in Bozeman at MSU.

Abigael Conn

I have been with ZooMontana since February of 2023. Before I came to ZooMontana, I interned at Lincoln Children’s Zoo in Lincoln, NE, where I was able to work with a wide variety of animals!

Alanna Dassoff

Alanna is a relief keeper here at ZooMontana. Before coming to ZooMontana, she worked in the education department at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

Allyson Dredla

Allyson has been at ZooMontana for nearly two years and came to us from the San Diego Zoo.

Amanda Atkinson

I have been with ZooMontana since 2017. I came to the Zoo with veterinary technician experience and was excited to transition my knowledge to the zoological field.

Brooke Tucker

Hello! I am the On-Site Education Lead & Social Media Coordinator here at the zoo. After graduating college in 2021, I was hired on as a seasonal educator and was lucky enough to be able to shift int...

Dave Powell

David Powell is a retired Army Colonel with 28 years experience at increasing levels of responsibility and authority from Platoon-level to Department of the Army to include support to Presidential Com...

Erin Pinney - Board

I have worked at First Interstate Bank in the Wealth Management department for 18 years. Working for a company that values and encourages volunteerism and giving back made it easy to look for opportun...

Gerry Fagan

Gerry is an attorney with Moulton Bellingham in Billings. His primary practice area is civil litigation, with an emphasis on products liability, personal injury defense, bad faith insurance claims, m...

Holly Cremer

Holly is the commercial insurance team lead for the state of Montana at Leavitt Great West.

Jeff Ewelt

I have been involved with animals for twenty years. After 10 years in Florida, along with my wife and newborn son, I decided to slow things down a bit by moving to Montana. In 2011, I accepted the pos...

Jessica Hart

Jessica received her Bachelor of Science in Community Health from Montana State in 2012.

Joseph Cook - Board

Joe earned his law degree from the University of Montana School of Law in 2009. He served as President of the Rural Advocacy League Student Group, was selected as Co-lead counsel on the American Asso...

Ken Haak

My name is Ken Haak and I have been a groundskeeper and backup event person for the zoo for the past 8 years.

Krystal Whetham

Krystal has been at the Zoo since 2002 and works primarily within our North America area, creating quite a bond with our Grizzly Bears.

Loran Salsbury

I started at Zoo Montana as a volunteer and really enjoyed working with the animals and at the events. I now work for the zoo in the events department, but I still do volunteer work with the animals.

Luke Goodwin

Luke loves the Zoo for one simple reason - he can watch and interact with animals.

Marissa Borden

Marissa has always wanted to work with animals. Now she is very excited to work in a place where she is constantly surrounded by them.

Melissa Eschenbrenner

I began my career working with and for animals in 2007 focusing primarily on the care of exotic felines. Over the years I had the opportunity to branch out and work with everything from Madagascar hi...

Pete Bolenbaugh

As a Billings native, Pete and his wife are happy to be raising their two kids around so many family and friends.

Shelli Mann - Board

Shelli Mann has worked in the hotel industry for over thirty years, the last 20 managing the Boothill Inn in Billings, Montana.

Travis Goebel

After graduating from college in 2001, I moved to Montana for an internship with ZooMontana. It has been a pleasure to be part of our zoo’s history for almost 20 years.

Wendy Chavez

Wendy Chavez came to Billings by way of her love of animals. Wendy is excited to be part of the ZooMontana team because of the Zoo’s focus and commitment to animal rescue and conservation.


ZooMontana is AZA Accredited

To be accredited, ZooMontana underwent a thorough review to make certain it has, and will continue to, meet ever-rising standards in categories which include animal care and welfare, veterinary programs, conservation, education, and safety. AZA requires zoos and aquariums to successfully complete this rigorous accreditation process every five years in order to be members of the Association.