Meet a sloth, flamingo or stingray: Phoenix Zoo adds three new behind-the-scenes tours

PHOENIX — The Phoenix Zoo has added a trio of behind-the-scenes tours where people can get an up-close look at Fernando, a Linne's two-toed sloth, go on a walk with the zoo's hand-reared flamingo chicks and feed them, or step into the stingray pool to pet and feed some of the stingrays.

The zoo began offering "Backstage Adventure" tours about a year ago with its elephants, tortoises, African Painted dogs, and cheetahs, said Linda Hardwick, spokesperson for the zoo, in an email, but said these three tours are new and launched two weeks ago.

Tours are $99 per person and do not include zoo admission, which ranges between $15-$25. Tours can be booked online through the zoo's website, www.phoenixzoo.org/tours-program.

Here is a look at each of the new tours.

Stingray Bay Adventure Tour: An hour-long tour that looks at how keepers take care of the zoo's cownose stingrays. People will also be able to get into the Stingray Bay pool to touch and feed them. The tour is available Sunday - Thursdays at 1:30 p.m. through Nov. 30, 2019. It is open to those 12 and up.

Flamingo Flamingle Tour: An hour-long experience where guests walk with the flamingos around the main lake and then go into their habitat to feed them. They will also be able to ask the keepers questions about the flamingos. Tours are available daily at 9 a.m. It is open to those 5+.

Sloth Backstage Adventure: A 30-minute tour of Fernando's habitat where one of his keepers will feed him, and a chance to take pictures and videos of the Linne's two-toed sloth. On its website, the zoo says "given that he is a sloth, and lives life in the slow lane, there could be a chance he chooses to sleep through your experience." Tours are limited to five people and available on Mondays at 12:15 p.m.