Zoo Boise Welcomes Sand Cats and Reopens Small Animal Kingdom

Zoo Boise, a division of Boise Parks and Recreation, has two very exciting announcements. Zoo Boise is happy to welcome a new member to its family and the reopening of the Small Animal Kingdom.  

Zoo Boise welcomes sand cats to Boise for the first time. Nala, a female sand cat, has joined Zoo Boise from the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City. Zoo Boise expects to add a male sand cat soon as well. The male is named Simba and will be coming from the Living Desert in Palm Springs.

Sand cats, sometimes called sand dune cats, are found in the arid deserts of Africa’s Sahara desert, the Arabian Peninsula and parts of central Asia. Sand cats are the smallest wild cat on the planet, but that doesn’t stop them from being ferocious. Sand cats are opportunistic hunters and have been known to attack and consume venomous snakes. 

You can visit Nala at Zoo Boise’s recently reopened Small Animal Kingdom. The inside portion is still closed, but Zoo Boise has created a new one-way path around the outside. Besides sand cats, guests will now be able to view spider monkeys, lemurs, Komodo dragon and other various species.  

Zoo Boise is currently open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a set number of tickets available each day to meet current group size requirements. Tickets must be reserved in advance and a timed entry process has been implemented to reduce lines and allow for physical distancing. For more information regarding ticketing, other health and safety protocols and to reserve tickets, visit Zoo Boise’s website at www.zooboise.org/online-ticketing.