AMERICAN WITH DISABILITIES ACT

ACCESSIBILITY FOR ALL VISITORS

The Frank Buck Zoo is accessible to individuals in strollers, wheelchairs and seated motorized scooters.

• 2 manual wheelchairs are available for rent on a first-come, first-served basis.
• 2 motorized scooters are available for rent on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Visitors are welcome to use their own mobility device, some restrictions apply. Due to the sensitive nature of the wild animals at the zoo, devices typically used for recreational purposes such as bikes, skateboards and standing motorized devices may not be used in the zoo. For any person requiring an alternative to a preferred personal device, please inquire with zoo staff for details and further information.

HOW “SERVICE ANIMAL” IS DEFINED

Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, or performing other duties. Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability.

Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA and are not permitted in the zoo.

SERVICE ANIMALS MUST BE UNDER CONTROL

Under the ADA, service animals must be harnessed, leashed, or tethered, unless these devices interfere with the service animal’s work or the individual’s disability prevents using these devices. 

A person with a disability may be asked to remove their service animal from the premises if: (1) the dog is out of control and the handler does not take effective action to control it or (2) the dog is not housebroken. When there is a legitimate reason to ask that a service animal be removed, staff must offer the person with the disability the opportunity to obtain goods or services without the animal’s presence.

When a service animal arrives at the zoo, the admissions staff notifies the Supervisor-On-Duty so that they can meet with the handler to ask what duty the animal is trained to perform and notify the Animal Care staff that there is a service animal on grounds. As this may affect behavior and movement of some of the animals in the collection.

City of Gainesville ADA

CONTACT US:

Mailing Address:
1000 W. California St.
Gainesville, Texas 76240

Google Map

Telephone:

Admission/Gift Shop  (940) 668-4539
Program Coordinator (940) 668-4533
Administrative Office  (940) 668-4533