Thousands of people turn out for Free Day at Zoo Idaho

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) - On Saturday, Zoo Idaho hosted their annual Free Day.

The free price of admission definitely brought out the people, with thousands of people flocking to the zoo to see what they have to offer.

With the help of the City and Connections Credit Union, Zoo Idaho has been able to offer the free day since 2017.

"I look at it as a way for us to give back to the community," said Zoo Superintendent Peter Pruett. "For a zoo, of course we want all kinds of support, but we can't always just keep asking, give, give, give. We need to give back, and this is just a wonderful event for all of these people that have been here."

Walking through all of the exhibits, you could see this was a big day for families to enjoy some quality time together.

"We're always looking for something fun to do with the kids." said Drew Amos." Free zoo day is just kind of a natural fit when you got a bunch of kids. It keeps our cost low and it gives them something to do."

The annual free day has been Zoo Idaho's most attended day of the year since it started, giving the zoo the type of exposure they wouldn't receive otherwise.

"I've been to a lot of zoos and I've never seen this many people at the zoo before," Amos said. "Getting people to come out and experience the animals, experience the growth of the Pocatello zoo, I think this is a fantastic idea."

Unlike other zoos, all of the animals at Zoo Idaho are indigenous to the area. These animals can no longer thrive in the wild and the zoo has given them a forever home.

"There's a reason why we don't have any babies every spring, because we want room for when there is a need," Pruett said. "If we have to bring an animal in from the wild, whether they're picked up as fawns, whether they're orphaned, whether they're nuisance animals, it's great to really have that opportunity to do something more than just kind of breed within or trade within zoos."