Boo at the Zoo, Tonight!

By Zoo Blog Keeper

We have been busy setting up for Boo at the Zoo this evening and it looks like the rain will take a break right when we need it. So bundle up and come on out for a fun and safe Halloween! There will be trick-or-treating around the lake, magic shows by Trevor the Magician, costume parades, Creepy Crawlies animal display, pumpkin bowling, an alien encounter area and many more games and activities.

Gates open at 4:30 pm! Tickets are $9, or if you are a Sacramento Zoo Member they are only $5 each. Call (916) 808-5888 for details.

I will be dressed up like Twiddle-Dum! What's your costume?

CA School Lunch Guidelines at the Zoo

By Fred Klinker, General Manger of Kampala Cafe

We see a lot of school field trips at the Zoo and in an effort to help our school groups make better food choices when visiting us, we have made some changes to the school lunch program menu.

All school lunches now have the proper numbers of vegetables, fruit and protein requirements and the portion sizes and drink choices all meet the California school lunch guidelines for a nutritious meal.

The cost of the meal did not change, it is simply an effort to make the school lunch program better.

Gus Says: Sponsor Me!

By Gus the Green tree frog

Hi everyone, Gus here... If you don't already know I am the official Blog Frog and green ambassador for the Sacramento Zoo. My friends in the Membership Office just told me that they are doing a Zoo Parents Package in honor of me! I am so excited and it helps raise awareness for my amphibian friends as well.

Now, for $80 - that goes to help the Zoo of course, you will get all this!!

• A personalized Certificate of Parenthood and sticker
• A photo of myself
• Your name on the Zoo Parents Showcase
• A cuddly frog plush
• A book all about my amphibian friends
• 25% off coupon for the Zoofari Market gift store
• An invitation to our Zoo Parent Picnic in June. I'll be there too!

Visit the Zoo Parents webpage for details and to become a sponsor, or find out more about me at the Gus webpage!

And remember, Be Green!

It's Fall, Visit the Zoo!

By Michelle Gardner, Reservation Specialist

I love fall at the Zoo! Fall is one of the best times of the year to explore the Zoo. The landscape is transforming itself, the roses are blooming, there are less crowds and the weather is cooler. Even our animals are more active and visible, taking advantage of the great weather. The Zoo is a fantastic place for children of all ages and abilities to come and learn while having fun. Schedule a field trip and explore all the zoo has to offer, a reservation can be scheduled through our website.
Find out more on our reservations page.

There are so many great things happening at the Sacramento Zoo check our calendar and come be apart of it!

I look forward to helping you plan your visit :)

What are these? Enrichments!

By Zoo Blog Keeper

The Animal Care staff was pleased as punch after Wild Affair, because we raised over $1,500 specifically for enrichment items. Enrichment for Zoo animals is any item or activity which helps keep them active, thinking and playing. Everyday the zoo keepers strive to provide stimulating and challenging activities for the animals.

Below you see the first half of their bounty! The small and medium sized plastic balls will have holes drilled into them so the keepers can put seeds, worms, crickets or other treats inside. Then the animals have to solve the puzzle to get them out. They will be use for the Ground hornbills, Mangabeys, Guenons and many others.

The brightly colored ones are called Jolly Balls and will be hung for the Kangaroos, Giraffes and other hoof stock so they can rub on them or push them around.

Gus Says: Alison is Super Green!

By Gus the Green tree frog

Hi there everyone! It's Gus here, your Sacramento Zoo Blog Frog. I haven't done a blog post in a while, but I have been so busy with all sorts of fundraising events here at the Zoo. I was even in the Wild Affair show!

Now that I have rested a bit, I am back to doing what I do best - being green! I want to share a video with you of Alison. She is one of our Animal Care team and a very active member of the Sacramento Zoo Green Team. Check out what she has done to be green.

Foxy Brown and the Sacramento Zoo Players

By Michelle Gardner, Reservation Specialist

Wild Affair was once again a time for Zoo staff to break out the wigs, costumes and dance moves for the opening number before the live auction. I am always amazed at how creative the staff can be when faced with the challenge of out-doing ourselves from the last year.

We performed to the theme music of James Bond and it turned out great. I had the chance to transform myself from mild-manner Reservationist to Foxy Brown. It comes easily to me, since I have had the pleasure to become this character for the last 2 years. When I came on board with the Zoo a couple of years ago, I would have never imagined I would get the chance to perform on stage. Nor would I have imagined I could play a character from my favorite era, in the best costume!

Check out some pictures of the other Sacramento Zoo Players. From Animal Care, Membership, Education, Marketing, Catering, Vet Staff and Maintenance - everyone gets involved. You can even see our very own Zoo Director, Mary Healy as "Mary Meter Maid" below. She's the one in the bike helmet!

Wild Affair Slideshow

By Zoo Blog Keeper

Our big gala fundraiser, Wild Affair, was a great night! We raised over $100,000 that night and treated the guests to behind-the-scenes tours, delicious food, yummy drinks, live entertainment and auction items galore. Take a look at how the night went...

A big thanks to Anonymous Donor

By Laurie Todd, Fish Keeper

Sometimes a little goes a long way! One of the ways people can help out the Zoo is by donating items from our wish list. We put many different things we need on this list, from everyday necessities to very rare items. One very rare item I asked for was just donated to us from an anonymous donor. This item, The Endemic Cichlids of Madagascar is a book that can only be ordered from France!

I am really excited about this reference book because it will help me get additional information on a threatened species of fish we take care of at the Zoo, the Madagascar “Large Spot” Cichlid. For some people it may seem like just a book, but to me it is another way to ensure that all animals at our Zoo, even fish, get the best care possible at the Sacramento Zoo! So thank you so much Anonymous Donor, you have just made one keeper and two cichlids very happy!

Seniors to Seniors

by SacZoo Web Keeper

Docent Educators spend time at a senior care center with the Zoomobile and some great animal ambassadors.
Seniors learn about and get up close and personal with Herkimer, the Desert tortoise; Herbie, the Harris hawk; and everyones favorite gopher snake.

Get involved with the Zoo and join our tallented group of Docents. Find out more here!

Plan B - The Rain Model

By Zoo Blog Keeper

As many of you may know, we hosted our 13th annual Wild Affair this past weekend. What you might not know is that your Zoo Bloggers are big players in putting on the event. So, yes. This is an excuse for not having regular posts over the last week or so. We are sorry!

Wild Affair is put on throughout the Zoo. Dinner in a large tent, silent auction outside around our Kampala Center, tours all over, bars and raffle outside. You can imagine our feelings toward the forecast of rain early in the week. As much as we needed the rain, we were starting to worry about being able to pull it off.

We kept thinking positive. It won't be so bad. It won't rain on that day. It always sounds worse than it really is.

Then our host for the evening, Dave Bender, who is the weather guy for CBS 13 calls us and says, "It's going to rain. Plan accordingly." How do you argue with the weather guy?

We sat down and in two hours we had Plan B - The Rain Model. We mapped out a change of location for most things, new tents for other things, and voila! we still had an event. We went in to present the plan and two hours after that, new tents were being put up and we were on our way.

The weather at Wild Affair was just perfect! You could hardly tell it had been raining early that morning and the new setup was a hit! It was actually fun to try some new things and with a sold out crowd, we raised some great money for the new Tall Wonders giraffe habitat renovation and expansion.

Thank you to all the staff that helped make the event possible and to the guests who came out with checkbooks in hand. Everyone got to enjoy a great party and we are one step closer to a new giraffe exhibit.

Let's hear it for Plan B!

See us at KCRA3 with the gopher snake

by SacZoo Web Keeper

In case you missed our TV segment on KCRA3 yesterday you can watch it online. Just follow this link:
http://www.kcra.com/video/17592135/index.html?rss=sac&psp=video

Laurie Todd, Education Specialist, talks about the importance of gopher snakes and tells the story of how Auburb was rescued by a group of construction workers. Auburn is part of the Education Department and you can see her during Animal Encounters on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.