Virginia Zoo

Every Gift Plants Progress at the Virginia Zoo

A gift of any size helps the Virginia Zoo grow, but this year your Give Local 757 donation can plant something truly special. 

To celebrate 125 years of care, community, and connection, we’re planting 125 trees and shrubs throughout the Zoo's 53 acres. These plantings will bring more than just beauty to the grounds; these carefully curated species will become a Browse Garden, boosting biodiversity, supporting local pollinators, and best of all, enriching the lives of the animals that call the Zoo home.

Your generosity takes root, enhancing the lives of our animals every day. 

How? Browse is a vital, plant-based form of enrichment that engages the senses of our animals through sights, smells, textures, and taste. Enrichment is essential to maximizing the wellbeing of the animals in our care by creating stimulating environments or activities that encourage natural behaviors.

And today when you give $125, you can turn your gift into a living tribute. With a $125 donation, you’ll receive a small commemorative plaque placed in the Browse Garden.  It’s a meaningful way to celebrate a graduation, to honor someone who loves animals or nature, or r to remember a loved one—through something living, growing, and lasting.

As leaves unfurl and branches stretch, your contribution becomes part of daily life at the Zoo. Animals thrive. Habitats blossom. Visitors marvel. And your gift keeps quietly doing its work—season after season.

Our goal is $12,500—125 plants rooted in care and made possible by people like you. Whether you give $25, $50, $125, or more, you’re helping us grow a healthier Zoo and a greener future.

Please give today at the level that feels right to you. 

What you plant here will live on.

About the Virginia Zoo

The Virginia Zoo, located in Norfolk, Virginia, is home to more than 700 animals representing over 150 species. Founded in 1901 and residing on 53 beautifully landscaped acres, for 125 years the Virginia Zoo has demonstrated a commitment to saving and protecting the world’s wildlife by inspiring a passion for nature and taking conservation action at home and around the world. The Virginia Zoo is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and is recognized as a global leader in education, recreation, science, wildlife conservation, and animal care and wellbeing. For more than a century, the Zoo has connected adults, families, and school children with the natural world by honoring its mission of commitment to engaging our community in taking action to save the world's wildlife and their ecosystems. To learn more, visit virginiazoo.org.