Have you brushed the coarse hair of a baby goat, petted a potbellied pig or been surrounded by hungry chickens?

Whether you love experiencing new things or enjoy sharing the wonders of animal life with your kids, your curiosity will come alive at the 鈥檚 Family Farmyard, open now.

Interacting directly with animals creates lifetime memories and often gets visitors thinking more about , says Menita Prasad, animal care manager at the Zoo.

鈥淔or most people they experience pure joy,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 quite exciting for the guests to be in there, as it fosters that human-animal connection. And by seeing the Zoo鈥檚 wide range of animals in real life, hopefully people are more willing to act when it comes to preservation.鈥�

Farmyard one part of your experience

Not only can you visit Nigerian dwarf goats Elsa, Licorice, Frosty, Peaches and Snowman, and Saanen goat Margaret in the Family Farmyard; you can get up close with Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs Daisy and Portly, plus mingle with chickens and rabbits.

Here鈥檚 what else you鈥檒l find during your visit:

• Newcomers to the Zoo Reggie, a young male ostrich, roams in the African Savannah section, while Nita, a female mountain goat, is another new resident.
• See your longtime favourites Many animals have lived and been cared for at the zoo for some time. They include Shadow the female grizzly bear, Gemma the female Bactrian camel; Boris, one of the zoo鈥檚 male sulcata tortoises; Boomer the male lion, and females Mali and Kali; Arun, the male red panda and cheetahs Duma (male) and Tika (female).
• View animals from the train The popular zoo railway was reinstated last year and is back for 2019. Riding the circuit is a great way to see virtually!
• Ride the gator slide! The Zoo is building a new alligator enclosure and to help celebrate, you鈥檙e invited to try out the alligator slide, the first ride on which is included with admission! And if you like hearing details about specific animals or a day in the life of a zookeeper, run daily.

Move your feet for conservation

The family friendly Turtle Dash 5K race and 1k Hatchling fun run happening Sept. 14 will raise funds for the Zoo鈥檚 conservation programs. !

Find the Zoo . You can find information on and at gvzoo.com. You can also follow the Greater Vancouver Zoo or .

If you haven鈥檛 visited in a while or even if you鈥檙e a Zoo member, you may not have seen recently rescued cougars Rocket, a male, and Rosie a female. Other North American newcomers are male black bear Basil, and females Thyme and Rosemary.