Zoo and Aquarium Membership Cards

Arizona Docent

Arizona Docent

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
Ok here is a topic only true zoo nerds will be interested in. I am curious about the look and feel and format of membership cards at zoological institutions around the world. Here are the key points to discuss:

1. Is it paperboard or hard plastic (like a credit card)?

2. Is a new card sent every year (with expiration printed on it) or do you get a one-time permanent card (with expiration read by scanner at zoo gate)?

3. If you have an upgraded membership that allows you to bring a guest each time, do you get one card issued or two? (I am not talking about family membership where spouse name is on second card, I mean where guest can be a different person each time).

4. Does card give reciprocal benefits (free or discounted admission) to other zoos and aquariums?
 
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I am a member of three zoos and with all three I have the upgraded guest membership option.

Reid Park Zoo. Hard plastic card issued once (no printed expiration). One card only. Sold as single membership with guest option for an extra fee. Picture on front is a giraffe. Includes reciprocal benefits to over one hundred facilities.

Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. Hard plastic cards issued once (no printed expiration). Two cards. Sold as dual membership which can be either two people in same household (with each person named on a separate card) or one named person and one guest. Second card says "guest of (my name)". Picture on front is a collage with saguaro blossoms, puma, yellow gems (type unknown), hawk (type unknown). No reciprocal benefits.

San Diego Zoo and Safari Park. Hard plastic card issued once (no printed expiration). One card only. Sold as a higher level membership ("Keepers Club") which includes one guest per visit and other bonus features. Picture on front is two giraffes. No reciprocal benefits.
 
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WCS Membership:
1. Paperboard, which I'm not a fan of as I'm always worried it will tear a little
2. New card each year provided you renew
3. One card for guests
4. The wcs card can be used for the Bronx, Central Park, queens, and prospect park zoo, and the New York aquarium
(And I don't have the card with me but I know that it at least has an American bison and Amur tiger on it. Probably a California sea lion as well)
 
I own membership cards for 2 organisations. Both are hard plastic, have no expiration date on them, and I don't believe either memberships can be upgraded to allow extra visitors in for free. Both have a lot of extra benefits to other zoos and aquaria;

KMDA (Koninklijke Maatschappij der Dieren, Antwerpen) membership:
Year-round free entry to Antwerp Zoo, Planckendael, and Serpentarium Blankenberge. Two free entries each year to Blijdorp, and two free entries each year to Artis.
The front of the card has my name, a picture of me, a black background with designs consistent with those on the signage in the Antwerp zoo, and the back of the card has additional information, and designs (of elephant, flamingo, and zebra) consistent with those on the signage of Planckendael. A rather fitting card!

Apenheul membership:
Year-round free entry to Apenheul, and 50% off of just about every major Dutch zoo (except for Burgers Zoo and Artis). For members, they also do an off-show tour once yearly when the zoo is normally still closed, to show all new developments.
The front of the card has all basic information with a relatively straightforward design, and the logo of the zoo. The back of the card is white with a barcode.
 
KMDA is interesting; I have never heard of a zoo card putting a photo of the member on it. Though I can see how that would make it easier for zoo staff (most USA zoos require you to show a photo i.d. like a driver license along with your membership card).
 
I believe that's actually the norm here! My apenheul membership also has the picture on it, and from friends I know at least blijdorp's has a picture on it as well.

On one hand it makes sense: as you mention, staff only have to take a glance at one card instead of having to check pictures and compare names on seperate cards. On the other hand it doesn't make much sense, as this way the zoo can't just order a large quantity of cards at once.
 
from a New Zealand perspective, and this presumably goes the same for Australian zoos also, the membership cards I have seen or had were either plastic like a credit card, or (more usually) just laminated card. I've had one with a photo on it - they took the photo at the time of registration (going into the zoo, and I picked up the card on the way out). For the non-photo cards you need to have proof of ID with you when using the card. Membership is for a specific period (usually one year, stated up to the date on the card), so you have a card for that period and then you need to renew and get a new card.

I've never heard of any membership which allows you to bring other people for free. That seems really strange to me. But maybe such a thing does exist.

I've never seen or heard of zoo membership in NZ or Australia including other zoos unless they are part of the same organisation (e.g. Zoos Victoria membership gives you entry to Melbourne Zoo, Healesville Sanctuary, and Werribee). I am always in amazement at the benefits available to zoo membership holders in the USA or the UK.
 
Chlidonias said:
I've never seen or heard of zoo membership in NZ or Australia including other zoos unless they are part of the same organisation (e.g. Zoos Victoria membership gives you entry to Melbourne Zoo, Healesville Sanctuary, and Werribee). I am always in amazement at the benefits available to zoo membership holders in the USA or the UK.
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Zoos Victoria membership does get you into other zoos: Taronga, TWPZ, Perth, Adelaide, and Monarto as far as I recall. If you're doing an Aussie zoo trip, it's a real bargain.

To answer AD's question, the membership card is a credit card-type with a white rhino on it. It carries the member's name, number, and a barcode.
 
Giant Panda said:
Zoos Victoria membership does get you into other zoos: Taronga, TWPZ, Perth, Adelaide, and Monarto as far as I recall. If you're doing an Aussie zoo trip, it's a real bargain.
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well I'll assume that you got the membership so that must be correct (yes?), but the Zoos Victoria website says just the three I mentioned: Become a member | Zoos Victoria (unless I'm missing some small print or something).

EDIT: yes I missed the other interstate zoos bit
 
The ZSL membership card is hard plastic, reissued every year when you renew membership. Currently has a picture of tigers on the front. On the back is a photograph of me (taken on the first day I got membership at the kiosk) and a barcode which is scanned on entry and which I assume let's the scanner know expiry date too as this isn't printed on the card if I remember right. Unlimited entry to both ZSL sites (London and Whipsnade) but no reciprocal entry to other zoos. Members get email updates and special event entry to new exhibits or talks which aren't available to general visitors. Also shop and restaurant discounts. No free entry for an extra visitor with the card, but I think two free entry vouchers were offered last time I renewed membership.
 
My Chester membership card is made from paper and I've only been given one card (Featuring flamingoes) and features a picture of the holder and a bar code scanned on entrance. Membership at Chester gives one free entry per year to Twycross, Bristol, Paignton, Living Coasts, Newquay, Edinburgh, Colchester and Marwell. I have used my membership for all but Newquay which I am yet to visit.
 
Crowthorne said:
...No free entry for an extra visitor with the card...
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If you're a ZSL Fellow then your membership card should allow you to sign in a guest on each visit to London Zoo and Whipsnade.

(You used to be able to sign in two guests per visit but it that was changed to only one guest some years ago.)
 
Tim May said:
If you're a ZSL Fellow then your membership card should allow you to sign in a guest on each visit to London Zoo and Whipsnade.

(You used to be able to sign in two guests per visit but it that was changed to only one guest some years ago.)
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...but you do receive several extra free tickets as well (or are they 50% off?). And also car entry to Whipsnade, which is a considerable benefit, given the cost of doing this for non fellows.
 
Bristol zoo and Wild Place have a plastic card, with a photo of the member, it is only replaced when it becomes very faded. It gives reciprocal entry to about half a dozen zoos, most of which are as far from Bristol as possible. I'm a little shocked that London Zoo gives a new plastic card each year, hasn't anyone pointed out the needless waste of plastic?
 
I've got a membership to Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo, Vancouver Aquarium and even the non-zoo Vancouver Science World. In all 3 cases the cards are a one-time issue and when renewed a small sticker with the new expiry date is placed over the old date. All 3 cards are like a glossy credit card, have photo identification and in the case of Science World even my 4 kids all have their own cards with photo identification. Without such ID, then anyone could likely borrow the cards and get in for free. I usually renew at the establishments for two years, as the rate is slightly discounted in comparison to a one-year renewal, although the amount of money up-front is substantial.
 
I am really surprised to learn that all these other countries put the member's own photo on the card. I have never heard of this being done at any zoo or aquarium in the United States.
 
Arizona Docent said:
I am really surprised to learn that all these other countries put the member's own photo on the card. I have never heard of this being done at any zoo or aquarium in the United States.
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It has been done in the U.S. - the Columbus Zoo's membership cards used to have members' photos on them, though they currently do not (requiring instead a photo I.D.). I wouldn't be surprised if other zoos use or have used photos on membership cards in the past.

As to the current Columbus zoo membership card, it's hard plastic, reissued annually, with an expiration date on it. The card is an individual plus guest, but only one card is issued. There are reciprocal benefits (the usual - half off admission to other participating zoos).

Over the past 15 years, the membership card has changed from a simple cardboard card, to a laminated card, to the current plastic card. Members' photos have come and gone. For a period, the individual plus guest was not available per se - it was a "family" card with an individual card issued to each individual in the household (and thus no unnamed guest could accompany). Reciprocal rights have declined from free to the now-standard 50% off admission.
 
For Copenhagen Zoo in Denmark:
1. Hard plastic, like a credit card. Mine has a picture of a rhino on the front, but that changes once in a while.
2. One-time permanent card with expiration read by scanner at zoo gate.
3. You can't bring an extra guest, except on a few selected days every year.
4. You get 50% off entry to Odense Zoo and Randers Regnskov, and 10-15% discount on a number of other Danish Zoos and aquaria. It used to give free admission to several places until a few years ago, but with online sale becomming the norm, people started speculating too much in buying a card where it was cheapest, so now they only give discounts.
 
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