You Might Run Into an Armadillo, Lizard, or Tortoise at This U.S. Airport — Here's Why

The Philadelphia International Airport has brought back a passenger-favorite program thanks to the city's zoo.

The monthly program, where travelers can meet and learn about different critters from the Philadelphia Zoo, has halted in 2019 due to the pandemic, but has returned this year.

"The airport events are a reflection of the city and by having Philadelphia Zoo, one of the city’s greatest attractions, bring in live animals is an amazing and memorable experience for our passengers," Philadelphia International Airport director of guest experience Leah Douglas shared in a statement with Travel + Leisure. "It’s always fun seeing people’s expressions because it’s so unexpected and delightful."

While the animals at the airport may vary, the zoo notes that some reoccurring visitors are Camilla, a 24-year-old, 3-banded armadillo, Rhonda, a 36-year-old radiated tortoise, or Bili a 23-year-old prehensile-tailed lizard known as a skink. The zoo also shared that in the 1980s it was one of the first in North America to successfully breed skinks, which are usually found in the Solomon Islands of the South Pacific.

The zoo's education team also shared that "they’ve had dozens of amazing encounters with travelers who thank them for being there, like a family traveling from the United Kingdom who said learning about the animals made their long layover worth it, [and] to Philly natives who say they haven’t been to the zoo in years and feel it is time for them to go back."

In the Philadelphia airport, the animal experiences take place on the airport stage across from the food court between terminals B and C. A schedule for the animal ambassador program for winter and spring is as follows:

• Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• Thursday, March 16, 2023, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• Thursday, April 6, 2023, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• Thursday, May 11, 2023, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

For more up-to-date information, passengers can keep up with the Philadelphia Zoo Instagram, and the Philadelphia Airport Instagram accounts.

The Philadelphia airport isn't the only U.S. airport to welcome in four-legged friends. The San Francisco International Airport has a crew of friendly faces known as the "Wag Brigade" made up of different therapy-trained animals like dogs, pigs, and even a giant rabbit named Alex.