The 15-acre Scovill Zoo in Decatur, Illinois, is a small but delightful zoo. Oriented towards children, it doesn’t try to be everything for everyone. The collection lacks elephants, grizzlies, and lions, but that only serves to make the more than 400 animals that are on display less threatening and more appealing to, as they say at the circus, children of all ages. You enter through the Zootique gift shop (admission $4.50; $3.50 for seniors, $3.00 for ages 2-12, under 2 free), located next to a wooden fort playground equipped with slides, swings, and overhead bars for energetic youngsters, and inside, trails lead you past the endangered species carousel and among the collection of critters.
Animals on Display
There’re the two cheetahs, Jafari and Junako, lazing in the shade, a couple two-hump bactrian camels in a corral, a couple timberwolves, wallabies, a mandarin monkey, zebras, colorful toucans, a Canadian lynx, a binturong spread out on a tree branch, a pair of Galapagos turtles, a penful of box turtles, a large petting enclosure with domestic animals, a couple alligators, a ring-tailed lemur, and more, with a few peacocks roaming the grounds and flamingoes in their pool near the train station. The meerkat paddock is next door to the well-populated prairie dog colony. There’s even a small pool of koi.
All are in outdoor paddocks or containment cages. The only indoor feature is a small herpaquarium with glass-fronted wall terrariums with snakes, including huge anacondas and burmese pythons.
Endangered Species Carousel
Thirty carved wooden animals are mounted on the Endangered Species Carousel which was specially designed for the Scovill Zoo. Among the menagerie are a capybara, a Malayan sun bear, two pythons writhing on a log, a zebra, and a puffin. Two chariots on the carousel accommodate wheelchairs. Rides are $1.50; adults standing with their young children are not charged.
The Z.O. & O. Express Train takes passengers for a 1-mile ride through the zoo to see the animals. Adult tickets are $2.00, children 2-12 and seniors are $1.50, children under 2 are free.
Picnic facilities are available in both the park and in the zoo and snacks are available at the Zoopermarket. The Zootique offers a good selection for stuffed animals, charm bracelets, and other souvenirs, to include huge, dark-green, blown emu eggs.
Become a Member
Like all zoos, large and small, fund-raising is important to pay for rising feed costs for animals with a staggering variety of diets, veterinarian bills, upkeep and maintenance, and the occasional new exhibit. People are urged to become members of the zoo friends, you can adopt an animal or even one of the carousel animals. Details are available at the zoo website at decatur-parks.org/zoo/.
Special events include Zippy Zoo days (May), the annual Family Fun day and Turtle 200 race (June), and the Scovill Ice Cream safari (July).
Located next to the the Oriental gardens and the Children’s Museum of Illinois, the AZA-accredited Scovill Zoo is on the south shore of Lake Decatur at 71 South Country Club Road. Phone number is 217-421-7435.
