Scovill Zoo

Welcome!

This post features Scovill Zoo in Decatur, IL, which was the third and final stop in my recent 2026 foray at central Illinois zoos. Earlier in the day I had already visited Peoria Zoo and Miller Park Zoo. This isn't the first time I have done 3+ zoos in a single day. Last year (2025) I visited 3 Michigan zoos in one day (John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, Potter Park Zoo in Lansing, and Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek), as well as 4 Wisconsin zoos on a different day (Ochsner Park Zoo and the International Crane Foundation both in Baraboo, Timbavati Wildlife Park in Wisconsin Dells, and Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison).

These are my current posts on central and northern Illinois:

H1: Peoria Zoo

H2: Miller Park Zoo

H3: Scovill Zoo (this post)

Upcoming posts include:

Krannert Art Museum in Urbana-Champaign, IL
Spurlock Museum of World Cultures in Urbana-Champaign, IL
Japan House Gardens & Illini Union Art Gallery in Urbana-Champaign, IL
Burpee Museum of Natural History in Rockford, IL
Rockford Art Museum

All of the pictures in this post were taken by me except for the map of the zoo. If you want to use any of my photos, please contact me to first obtain permission.

SCOVILL ZOO

71 S. Country Club Rd.
Decatur, IL 62521

Website: https://decatur-parks.org/scovill-zoo/

Hours:

Monday – Friday: 9:30 AM - 4 PM
Saturday & Sunday: 9:30 AM - 5 PM

Zoo grounds close one hour after last admission.

Cost (as of 2026):

Adults: $10
Children (2 - 12): $8
Seniors (65+): $9
Children (1 and Under): FREE

Admission is FREE Mondays from April 6 – April 27.
Admission is FREE Thursdays from June 4 – October 8.

Parking is free.

Scovill Zoo participates in the AZA Reciprocity program at the 50% rate. Members of all other participating zoos (whether those zoos participate at 50% or 100%) get 50% off the admission rate at Scovill Zoo. And Scovill Zoo members get 50% off the admission of all participating zoos (regardless of whether that zoo participates at 50% or 100%).

Since I was a member of Buttonwood Park Zoo, I got 50% off admission so I only had to pay $5 instead of the full $10.

Estimated Time: 1 - 2 hours.

I spent 1 hour and 15 minutes at this small zoo. It was enough time to go through the whole zoo twice.

SUMMARY

Scovill Zoo Map.jpg

Scovill Zoo in Decatur is comparable to other small zoos in the area, including Peoria Zoo and Miller Park Zoo. Like Miller Park Zoo it is inexpensive and has a pair of red pandas. However, Scovill Zoo only participates in the AZA reciprocity program at 50% while the other two participate at 100%. I enjoyed seeing the red pandas, the new mountain lion exhibit, the cheetahs, the white wolf, and a baby wallaby. My overall rating is an average 2 stars.

I was able to see the vast majority of the animals, which is rare! I didn't see the two-toed sloth or the alligator and the map shows a mongoose but that area was empty. While I got glimpses of the toco toucan and golden lion tamarin, I wasn't able to get any good pictures.

There did not seem to be any Keeper Chats or other such daily events.

Comparing Scovill Zoo to other zoos:

5 stars:

San Diego Zoo (San Diego, CA)
Brookfield Zoo (Brookfield, IL)
Taipei Zoo (Taipei City, Taiwan)

4 stars:

San Diego Safari Park (San Diego, CA)
Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden (Cincinnati, OH)
Oklahoma City Zoo (Oklahoma City, OK)
Milwaukee County Zoo (Milwaukee, WI)
Houston Zoo (Houston, TX)
Oakland Zoo (Oakland, CA)

3 stars:

Lincoln Park Zoo (Chicago, IL, Free)
Zoo Atlanta (Atlanta, GA)
Buttonwood Park Zoo (New Bedford, MA)
Butterflies of Cape Cod (Bourne, MA)
International Crane Foundation (Baraboo, WI)
Henry Vilas Zoo (Madison, WI, Free)
Indianapolis Zoo (Indianapolis, IN)
Sacramento Zoo (Sacramento, CA)
Santa Barbara Zoo (Santa Barbara, CA)
Fort Worth Zoo (Fort Worth, TX)
Fort Wayne Zoo (Fort Wayne, IN)
Zoo Knoxville (Knoxville, TN)

2 stars:

Audubon Insectarium (New Orleans, LA)
Audubon Zoo (New Orleans, LA)
Sarasota Jungle Gardens (Sarasota, FL)
Save Our Seabirds Wild Bird Learning Center (Sarasota, FL, Free)
San Francisco Zoo & Gardens (San Francisco, CA)
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (Vallejo, CA)
Franklin Park Zoo (Boston, MA)
Capron Park Zoo (Attleboro, MA)
Taylor-Bray Farm (Yarmouth Port, MA, Free)
Racine Zoo (Racine, WI)
Ochsner Park Zoo (Baraboo, WI, Free)
John Ball Zoo (Grand Rapids, MI)
Potter Park Zoo (Lansing, MI)
Antalya Zoo (Antalya, Turkey)
Marine Mammal Center (Sausalito, CA, Free)
Santa Ana Zoo (Santa Ana, CA)
San Antonio Zoological Society (San Antonio, TX)
Cameron Park Zoo (Waco, TX)
Dallas Zoo (Dallas, TX)
Caldwell Zoo (Tyler, TX)
Peoria Zoo (Peoria, IL)
Miller Park Zoo (Bloomington, IL)
Scovill Zoo (Decatur, IL)
Potawatomi Zoo (South Bend, IN)

1 star:

Cosley Zoo (Wheaton, IL)
Stone Zoo (Stoneham, MA)
Timbavati Wildlife Park (Wisconsin Dells, WI)
Binder Park Zoo (Battle Creek, MI)
Happy Hollow Park & Zoo (San Jose, CA)
CuriOdyssey (San Mateo, CA)

RED PANDAS

Zin (Zinfandel)
I came to Scovill Zoo from Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek, MI on May 27, 2024
My birthday is June 24, 2023
In Burmese, Zin means 'orchid' which symbolizes beauty and refinement

Everest
I came to Scovill Zoo from Greenville Zoo in Greenville, SC on April 7, 2024
My birthday is June 23, 2023
I was named after the famous mountain, Mt Everest, which is located in the habitat of wild red pandas

(I visited Binder Park Zoo last year!).

Himalayan Red Panda
Ailurus fulgens fulgens

FURRY CRITTERS

Cheetah
Acinonyx jubatus

Nap time for kitties

Cheetah Taxidermy (a king cheetah and spotted cheetah)

Mountain Lion / Cougar
Puma concolor

Gray Wolf
Canis lupus
(Is a white wolf but not albino)

Red-Necked Wallaby
Macropus rufogriseus

Mommy and baby

Ring-Tailed Lemur
Lemur catta

A lot of tail action while they were being fed

Black Howler Monkey
Alouatta caraya

Spider Monkey
Ateles geoffroyi panamensis

Bactrian Camel
Camelus bactrianus

Plains Zebras
Equus burchellii boehmi

Zebu
Bos taurus indicus dwarf

African Pygmy Goat
Capra hircus

Black-tailed Prairie Dog
Cynomys ludovicianus

Guinea Pig
Cavia porcellus

BIRDIES

Bald Eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus alascensis

Common Peafowl
Pavo cristatus
(Some of them seem to be partial albinos rather than complete albinos)

This peacock unfurled its tail feathers during a massive gust of wind

Humbolt Penguins
Spheniscus humboldti

20260417_163858(0).jpg

The East African Crowned Crane
Balearica regulorum gibbericeps

Chilean Flamingo
Phoenicopterus chilensis

Scovill Zoo has two male American White Pelicans named Taylor & Wiley. Both are unable to fly due to permanent wing injuries.

Because these birds are protected under the Federal Migratory Bird Act, we have to have a special permit from the US Fish & Wildlife Service in order to keep and rehabilitate injured pelicans.

Taylor is an extremely curious bird. He usually will come running to investigate new things in his exhibit. He loves to pick items up in his beak, so we have to be careful not to leave anything out that he might swallow. He tends to try to “help” his keepers by getting in their way and playing with all their tools. Taylor forms fairly strong bonds with his keepers and likes to be near us, especially when we are in his pen. He tends to enjoy one-on-one interaction and sometimes becomes shy when there are several people around.

American White Pelican
Pelecanus erythrorhynchos

Scovill Zoo's current emu is named Mel.

Emus
Dromaius novaehollandiae

Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura

Lady Ross’s Turaco
Tauraco erythrolophus

Aviary

OUTDOOR TORTOISES

Galapagos Tortoise
Geochelone nigra

Leopard Tortoise
Stigmochelys pardalis (used to be Geochelone pardalis)

REPTILE BUILDING

Woma Python
Aspidites ramsayi

Green Tree Python
Morelia viridis

Blood Python
Python brongersmai

Rhinoceros Iguana
Cyclura cornuta

Argus Monitor
Varanus panoptes

European Glass Lizard
Ophisaurus apodus

Axolotl
Ambystoma mexicanum

Ornate Horned Frog
Ceratophrys ornata

Mexican Red Knee Tarantula
Brachypelma hamorii (used to be Brachypelma smithi)

Unlabeled fish

EDUCATION CENTER

Animal photographs within the building

OTHER

Project Playground

Endangered Species Carousel

Rope bridge near the mountain lions

Benefactor plaques

Virunga National Park Monument

Africa's oldest park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site is located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in central Africa.

Virunga and its neighboring parks in Rwanda and Uganda are home to the world's remaning population of mountain gorillas, numbering only 880 in 2016.

More than 160 of Virunga's park rangers have been killed in the line of duty since the late 1990s.

In loving memory of
Joseph W. Borders
His quick wit, humor, and love still makes us smile
He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, friend and zoo volunteer
2006