Animals

Weather permitting, every Saturday afternoon between 2 and 3 it’s time for sheep to stroll and goats to promenade. That’s when Brett Bannor, Manager of Animal Collections, walks animals from the Smith Farm flock around the campus, giving visitors a chance to meet and learn about our heritage breed livestock.

Although in the heart of a busy urban neighborhood, the Goizueta Gardens are host to many species of native wildlife including six species of salamanders.

When Dorothy and Claud came into our lives 6 years ago, they were just a couple of 4-month-old kids. Today, these barrel-hopping and peanut-loving twin Angora goats have settled into their home on Smith Farm and are widely loved by visitors (and staff). Learn more about these galloping goats and their training.

Honeybees battle immense pressure due to diseases, pests, lack of nutritious floral resources, and pesticide exposure (especially mosquito spraying). The Gardens staff bee team has recently rehomed a swarmed colony and expanded the apiary to include 6 thriving hives thanks in large part to donations received during their GivingTuesday 2022 Save the Bees campaign.

Looking back on the past ten years with Atlanta History Center’s Gulf Coast sheep.

Only one of the three famous nursery rhymes featuring sheep originated in America. According to The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes, both “Baa, Baa, Black Sheep” and “Little Bo Peep” first appeared in England, and antiquity has clouded their origins. The story is different for “Mary’s Lamb” written by Sarah Josepha Hale—one of the most remarkable women of the 19th century.

The diverse botanical landscapes and healthy forests of the Goizueta Gardens are perfect for producing insects and caterpillars and are perfect for summer birds. These are just a few of the birds that are found here in spring and summertime; take a moment in the gardens and you may hear or see them yourself.

For decades silverback gorilla, Willie B., was not only the premier attraction at Zoo Atlanta, but also one of the most famous gorillas in the world. When Willie B. died in 2000, thousands of Atlantans attended his memorial cementing his status as a true Atlanta legend.

Many North American bird species migrate to the Caribbean or Central and South America for the winter, but several species do not travel as far, choosing instead to winter in the relatively mild climate of the American Southeast. Let us introduce you to a few of these Georgia winter residents, all recently spotted in Goizueta Gardens.

Unique experience of a heritage breed sheep or goats on a stroll around our campus

Atlanta History Center is thrilled to highlight Goizueta Gardens and associated offerings May 10–19, 2024, in support of Go Public Gardens.

Two teens tug the tail of a possum at a nighttime wiener roast in 1946.

A white peacock struts on the porch of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in 1949.

Mrs. Thornton Kennedy rides an elephant at the Grant Park Zoo.