About ZooChat

ZooChat is an online community focussed on discussion about zoos, animal conservation and nature in general. We have a worldwide audience of zoo and animal conservation enthusiasts who discuss zoos and share photos and other information about nearly 600 zoos from over 50 countries.

Main features of the site currently include:

• Discussion Forums
• Photo Gallery
• Satellite Maps of Zoos
• Zoo News Archives
• Chatroom

... and we are constantly adding new features.

ZooChat started life using the name ZooBeat and was hosted on a server in Australia. The first post was made on October 19, 2003 and gradually grew over the following 5 years. Early members were primarily from Australia and New Zealand, but over time more and more international members joined, with the majority of the traffic now coming from the UK, US and other parts of Europe.

As part of a rebranding exercise and a move to a more international focus, the site was renamed to ZooChat on October 19, 2008 (exactly 5 years after the site was launched). The site was relocated to a US based server at the same time.

Our Stats page shows a breakdown of information about the site and which areas are the most popular.

ZooChat Mascot

The ZooChat mascot is a Crimson Chat - known as the
"Zoo Chat", or the "ZooChat Chat".

The original photo of the Crimson Chat was taken at Taronga Zoo in November 2008.