Sprinkler Fun at Zoo Camp

By Amanda Castaneda, Education Manager

What do we do at Zoo camp when it's 100 degrees outside? We turn on the sprinklers and run around like wild animals!

Hot Weather means Cools Treats!

By Leslie Field, Animal Care Supervisor

You Won’t Find These Frozen Treats at Your Local Grocery Store!

When the thermostat hits 90 degrees, in most homes the popsicles start to fly out of the freezer. It’s pretty much the same at the Zoo, except that your treats are considerably different than the “pops” we have in our freezer!

In the carnivore area, blood pops are all the rage! The Zookeepers (or BETA volunteers) take the blood from the meat diet, dilute and freeze it in pans or balloons. Once frozen, the balloon is removed leaving a ball or the pan is heated off the popsicle. Just about every one of the carnivores enjoys this cool treat. A twist to this recipe uses tuna juice and water to create pops that the River otters particularly love.
The primates, birds and hoof stock enjoy a more vegetarian food fare. The keepers freeze pieces of their diet with water in shallow pans or Bundt pan rings for hanging. A variety of items can be tossed into these popsicles – sunflower seeds, nuts, berries, melon, raisins, grapes, veggies, flowers … even bamboo and other edible plant materials.

Sometimes it is just as refreshing to freeze fresh food items without putting them in water. Keepers have frozen entire diets or just a few items. A pan of ice-cold fruits, veggies and plants provides frosty variety to the animals’ summer diet.

Twilight Tuesday - Hot, Cool & Rockin'!

By Jaime Wilson, Zoo Blog Keeper

This summer, we have introduced a new series of events called Twilight Tuesdays in June & July. Basically, we just keep the gates open late so you can enjoy the whole Zoo during cooler summer evenings.

But wait, that's not all! Around 5 pm the party gets started with a live band, dinner specials, beer and wine - centered around a theme that is different each night. We suggest bringing lawn chairs, picnic blankets and making an evening of it. Last admission is at 7 pm, but you are welcome to stay until 8 pm.

June 23: Country Music and BBQ Night
Live Music by Rowdy Kate
Dinner Special: BBQ Ribs, Chicken, Ranch Style Beans, Cole Slaw and Biscuits

June 30: Blues and Brews at the Zoo
Live Music by Mick Martin and the Blues Rockers
Dinner Special: Tri-Tip Sandwiches and Garlic Fries

July 7: A Night Across the Pond, British Night & Car Show
Live Music by Jangles
Dinner Special: Fish 'n Chips, Bangers 'n Mash
*Register to show your British car! $10 per car includes 4 admissions. Call (916) 808-5888

July 14: South of the Border
Live Music Los Elegantes
Dinner Special: Mexican Mix Platters

July 21: Travel in Time, 60s & 70s Car Show
Live Music by The Q Balls
Dinner Special: Slider Trio, Potato or Macaroni Salad and Cole Slaw
*Register to show your classic car! $10 per car includes 4 admissions. Call (916) 808-5888

July 28: Journey to Asia
Live Music by Second Wind
Dinner Special: Chicken Satay Skewers over Rice with Peapods, Bamboo Shoots and Water Chestnuts

Bring the whole family for some midweek summer fun!

Sacramento Zoo Members: Twilight Tuesdays are included with Zoo admission, so make sure to show your Membership card to get in! Call (916) 808-5888 if you are not sure how many people are covered by your membership.

Here are pictures from our first Twilight Tuesday!

Auctions & Raffles & Inkind, Oh My!

By Jaime Wilson, Fundraising Coordinator

Okay, so that title doesn't sound very interesting, I know. But in my defense, I do get very excited about all of this! Throughout the year, the Zoo does 3 silent auctions, 1 live auction, 3 paid raffles, and about a dozen free raffles and giveaways. Most of them are in conjunction with the fundraising events we put on such as King of Feasts, Ice Cream Safari and Wild Affair.

That adds up to over 400 items ranging from small plush animals to vacation rentals and expensive wines. Of course, we don't just have this stuff laying around, so how do we get it all? We ask!

Since our items are donated to us, the money we raise at the auctions goes right back into the Zoo. We are fortunate enough to have a lot of support from local wineries, restaurants, activity centers, bakeries, boutiques and other stores. We also receive donations from distributors and manufacturers that supply our gift store, Zoofari Market. The most unique donors are our volunteer Board of Directors, who are very creative - donating dinners in their homes, one-of-a-kind tours and vacation homes.

It truly is amazing that so many individuals and businesses come together to make our fundraising events even more fun, all while supporting the Zoo.

Thanks to all of our donors!

And if you have a business that is interested in donating an item, feel free to contact me at sacramentozoo@gmail.com. Items that go very well are dinner gift certificates, wine, children's packages, movie and theatre tickets, golf foursomes, spa packages, and one-of-a-kind experiences.

Family Overnight Safaris - Sleep at the Zoo!

By Caitlin Lill, Overnight Coordinator

With summer quickly approaching, the zoo is abuzz with visitors, day and night! Starting Saturday June 13th the Sacramento Zoo will be hosting Family Overnight Safaris throughout the summer. These camp-outs are designed for small groups and families of 2 or more people to enjoy!

Visitors will be able to tour the zoo in the evening, have a delicious spaghetti dinner, talk to a variety of educators about our animals, and watch some of our nighttime critters get a tasty treat! Once the sun goes down we’ll also have games, snacks, stories and songs around a blazing campfire. Afterwards, visitors will camp under the stars or in your tent on our Reptile House Lawn, falling asleep to the sounds of animals from around the world. In the morning, we wake up to “nature’s alarm call,” a scrumptious pancake breakfast, and more wonderful animals to visit with.

Registration is still available for dates throughout the summer, and if you’re interested please visit our Family Overnight Safaris page for more information!

Sacramento Zoo Tweetup June 6th

By Jaime Wilson, Social Media Fan

If you haven't heard, the Zoo loves Twitter! And a lovely phenomenon is the Tweetup, a real life meet up of folks on Twitter. Sacramento has been abuzz with SacTweetups since the beginning of the year and now we are introducing the first ever ZooTweetup! Thanks to Entreprini and Sacramento Social Media Club for making it happen.

If you are on Twitter, register here for half-price Zoo admission on Saturday, June 6 at 10 am. We will meet up in the Kampala Conference room for a meet and greet, live Twitter feed, light refreshments and a special Animal Encounter - a couple of our Animal Ambassadors will be stopping by. There will also be a scavenger hunt for some great prizes and of course, you and your family can enjoy the Zoo. And don't forget to take a ride on the Carousel or Zoo Train, tickets are $2!

Make sure to register here! When you show up on June 6th, you will check in at the front of the Zoo to get your nametags (they are your golden ticket to the half-price admission and activities) then head over to Kampala.

If you are already a Sacramento Zoo Member, please check in for your nametags then proceed to the Members Entrance and show your membership card.

And of course, we will be live tweeting the whole time! Tag your tweets with #zootweetup and they will show up on the video screen during the tweetup.

Not on Twitter? Join here and follow the Zoo for all sorts of cool insider information, updates, specials and more!

If you are trying to find us, here are our twitter handles:
Sacramento Zoo: @SacramentoZoo
Entreprini: @Entreprini
Social Media Club: @SMCSac

My weekend at the Sac Zoo!

A quick note from a Zoo visitor that just made us smile. Thanks Bethany & Ryan!!

Dear Blogmaster,

I just wanted to say that we spent last Saturday at the zoo and loved it! We started our day at the SPCA Doggy Dash, but quickly realized how much better our experience was at the zoo! They have nothing on you guys!

Many Thanks,
Bethany Johnson and Ryan Downs