What Animals Are at Emperor Valley Zoo?

Emperor Valley Zoo, Trinidad and Tobago's only public zoo, holds more than 2,300 animals across over 200 species. Expect African giraffes and lions, Asian tigers, native caiman, ocelots, macaws and other parrots, waterfowl, and the country's national bird, the scarlet ibis, spread across a small-mammal area, reptile house, aquarium, deer park and primate area.

What not to miss

Featured location Emperor Valley Zoo Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago The 7.2-acre site lies west of the Royal Botanic Gardens, with Queen's Park Savannah to its south. Governor Sir Hubert Rance presided over the opening on 8 November 1952, when 127 animals, mostly native ones, were held in ten cages of poor quality. More than 2,300 animals of over 200 species are kept now.

Emperor Valley Zoo opened on 8 November 1952 with just 10 cages and 127 animals, mostly native species, and takes its name from the large blue emperor, or morpho, butterfly that once frequented the valley it sits in. The collection has grown since then to more than 2,300 animals across over 200 species: African giraffes and lions, several other large cats, Asian tigers, native caiman, ocelots, macaws and other parrots, waterfowl, and the scarlet ibis.

Exhibits are grouped by kind rather than laid out as one long path: a small-mammal area, a reptile house, an aquarium, a deer park, a primate area, and gardens with ponds. The zoo's own materials single out giraffes, tigers, otters, giant tortoises, primates and macaws as its headline animals, a reasonable order to see them in if you're short on time.

With kids and accessibility

If your teenager wants more than a walk-through, the zoo runs a "Zookeeper for a Day" programme: animal encounters and enrichment activities, plus helping with basic animal husbandry alongside zoo staff. It isn't built for young children or a casual family day out, though - participants must be 16 to 24 years old, have a reasonable level of fitness and good mobility, and it's closed to wheelchair users, pregnant visitors, and anyone who has given birth in the last six months. For everyone else, the regular grounds are the visit.

Getting there

The zoo covers 7.2 acres (2.91 hectares) just north of Queen's Park Savannah and west of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Port of Spain.

Best time to visit

The zoo opens Monday to Friday from 8am to 5:30pm, and Saturday to Sunday from 8am to 6pm. Trinidad's wet season runs from June through December, when the island gets most of its roughly 2,110mm of annual rainfall, so the January-to-May stretch gives you better odds of a dry visit outdoors.