Afternoon sunlight streamed through the arched windows of the Austin Branch Library on Oct. 8 as elementary and middle school students gathered in the children’s room for the West Side debut of Brookfield Zoo Chicago’s Zoo Adventure Passport (ZAP!) Foundations program.
With no live animals in sight, the session relied on hands-on artifacts and activities.
When invited to examine a jaguar pelt, for example, several students assumed it was a prop. Learning it was real prompted some to step back, but they soon returned to inspect it alongside skull replicas of domestic housecats and African leopards, science equipment and animal books, including A Tiger Cub Grows Up.
For 9-year-old Edson, the materials offered a closer look at features he might otherwise encounter only in books or at the zoo.
“The skull of a tiger was big, and the paws—I learned that they can retract,” Edson recalled, adding that he plans to visit the zoo with his family and best friend.
Part of the skull of an African leopard. 
The largest is a Clouded leopard skull, Middle is an African leopard, and the smallest is a domestic house cat. These are replicas. 
Children gather to feel the pelt of a jaguar. 
Artwork from children at the Zoo Adventure Passport program. 
Ten educational animal photograph cards laid out from the program. Kids took turns guessing what the photographs showed.
That sense of discovery resonated with 14-year-old Evelyn Penaflor.
“I love animals, and I’m really fond of seeing them in the wild,” Evelyn said, noting that the hands-on session inspired her to share updates with friends from her other school.
The October series focuses on animals from the Indomalaya region—including big cats, Indian peafowls, and orangutans. During the Oct. 8 big cat focus, students learned about Whirl, an Amur tiger at Brookfield Zoo Chicago who is missing her tail from an injury sustained as a cub.
Whirl’s story gave students a tangible example of how tigers rely on their tails for balance and movement, connecting physical traits to how animals navigate their environments.
Alongside the animal-focused lessons, each session incorporates storytelling, animal trivia and a “make and take” craft activity in which children create animal figures using paper handprints.
For Brookfield Zoo Chicago, bringing the program to Austin offers a way to connect with families who may not regularly travel to the suburban attraction.
Dylan, a bilingual community engagement coordinator with Brookfield Zoo Chicago, emphasized that the effort is part of a broader push to build the zoo’s presence in Chicago neighborhoods.
“We really just wanted to grow our presence closer to the city… to really bridge the distance between the suburbs and the city of Chicago,” Dylan explained. “We’re really trying to make it apparent that we’re a Chicagoland zoo and make our presence known.”
Families who participate in the program receive a complimentary pass to Brookfield Zoo Chicago, providing another opportunity to engage with the animals beyond the library sessions.
The remaining free ZAP Foundations sessions are scheduled for Oct. 15 and 22 at the Austin Branch Library, 5615 W. Race Ave. Both sessions run from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.