The Creation Zoo’s Wallaby Walkabout Is Open!

Last week, we celebrated our 18^th anniversary! On May 28, 2007, we officially opened the Creation Museum—and look what the Lord has done in those 18 years!

The museum has attracted far more visitors than we ever imagined, and it has grown, expanded, and been updated . . . and then grown some more! The expansions are continuing with our Wallaby Walkabout, which is now open, and our Butterfly House, opening later this month.

Creation Zoo’s Wallaby Walkabout

The mission of the Creation Zoo is to be a world-class zoo providing guests with experiences and education that inspire a biblical understanding of creation stewardship. With these goals in mind, zoo staff collaborated with the site development, horticulture, attractions design, facilities and maintenance teams, and others to design a new interactive habitat for guests to experience unique wildlife up close—the Wallaby Walkabout, which is now officially open to guests!

The Wallaby Walkabout features unique species from the Indian Ocean and South Pacific Islands. Currently, it houses four Bennett’s wallabies (Jane, Lizzy, Kitty, and Willoughby) and four Aldabra tortoises (Cashew, Macadamia, Peanut, and Pistachio).

Additional species will be added soon.

Bennett's wallabies are in the same created kind as kangaroos, but they are smaller. They can hop up to 30 miles per hour (48.3 km/h), cover 13 feet (4 m) in a single stride, and leap up to six feet (1.8 m) high. Jellybean-sized joeys are born after one-month pregnancies and are blind, deaf, and hairless at birth. They finish developing in their mothers’ pouches over several months before peeking out for the first time.

Aldabra tortoises are the second-largest species of tortoise alive today. They may grow up to four feet (1.2 m) long and weigh over 600 pounds (272.2 kg). They are also the longest-living land vertebrates (animals with backbones) known today, reaching verified ages of over 200 years.

This habitat is accessible to enter for guests (included with guests’ Creation Museum admission ticket) and will be open during select hours (weather permitting), which will be posted online and on the daily schedule.

The animals will still be viewable outside of entry hours. Guests must stay on the paths in the walkabout at all times. If the wallabies or tortoises choose to approach, guests may touch them on their backs.

Zoo staff will always be present during opening hours to supervise interactions and answer questions.

Butterfly House

Our brand-new Butterfly House at the Creation Zoo will be a wonderful addition to the Creation Museum. It features native butterfly (and eventually moth) species, and guests can enjoy watching hundreds of these amazing creatures fluttering around them as they stroll down a beautiful, flowered path.

As guests stroll along the path, they will learn about God’s design in metamorphosis and how it parallels the gospel’s ability to transform human lives. Visitors will also learn the importance of wisely stewarding creation and how to help vulnerable butterflies like monarchs, a flagship species.

We currently have 350 butterflies representing six species: cabbage whites, clouded sulphurs, common buckeyes, monarchs, painted ladies, and red admirals. More shipments of butterflies and moths will arrive throughout the summer, matching their natural life cycles.

Due to the animals’ natural lifespan and care requirements, the Butterfly House is a seasonal attraction. It will be open select hours from late spring through early fall each year and is wheelchair accessible. Please check the online schedules before visiting or the on-site printed schedules for dates and times.

Tickets cost $4 per person, and children four years old and younger are free. (We have to purchase butterflies every couple of weeks from a breeder, so there is a cost for us to maintain this attraction.) Stay tuned as more species continue to arrive throughout the summer!

Start planning your visit to the Creation Museum today, and be sure to head out to the Creation Zoo to check out our new Wallaby Walkabout and Butterfly House!