Zoo Special Events
October ZooFEST
Visit ........ Any Day in October to see a lavish display of African Violets in the African Pavilion...
Or drop by to enjoy any of the other special events in October...
...
on the 3rd, when native North American art and music will add to the magic and the mystery of a Zoo visit...
...
on the 10th, when African music and art will stir even more mystery and magic into a Zoo visit...
...
on the 17th, for
HOWL-O-Ween, when Red Wolves—their tales and howls—grab center stage...
...
on the 24th & 25th, for
BOO at the ZOO, when a full-fledged festival breaks out to celebrate
Halloween with games, music, face painters, treats, costume contests
and plenty of fun, and...
...
on the 31st and November 1, Batology, when Sonora Desert keepers reveal the good nature of bats.
Special Zoo Snooze
October 23 - 24
Nocturnal Adventures Zoo Snooze
Join us for a night and a morning of
family fun, when Zoo educators shed some light on the mystery of what
goes bump ("whir," "squeek," "burrrr," "who," or "crirrrrk") in the
night.
Together,
parents and their children will delve into the lives of nocturnal
animals to explore how they navigate and thrive in the darkest part of
the day. The event's activities will spotlight adaptations favored by
some common nighttime neighbors and will illuminate behaviors that
people can adopt to live compatibly with these creatures in the shadows.
Sign up now if you want to attend. We must have 8 children signed up by October 9, or this family event will disappear. The cost for the event is $100 for one parent and one child and $30 for each additional person. To learn more, visit this link.
More nighttime Fun in November
Date: November 18 - Time 7 - 10 p.m.
Pack some blankets, bundle up and turn into the African Parking Lot to watch some shooting stars with us. We will have hot chocolate and cookies available to warm you as you search for meteors showering down from Leo.
You must pre-registered to attend. (We need to know how much hot chocolate to make!)
Cost is $5 unless you bring a telescope and promise to let other visitors sneak a peek through your lenses. Telescope toters get in free.
We will open the parking lot to registered meteor watchers from 7 - 10 p.m on November 18. The Zoo will be turning out the lights around the parking lot to make it darker than usual, so be sure to pack a flashlight (and cover the light with red cellophane) to use in walking around.
If it is raining, we will cancel. If the skies are clear, we will meet you in the African Parking Lot, down near the entrance.
To register call Karen Powell (336-879-7250)
What is New at the Zoo
New Water Filter
The Zoo just completed the construction of a functioning wetland next to one of the North American parking lots. The small, beautifully landscaped wetland has assumed the important role of filtering pollutants out of any rainwater that tries to escape from the parking lots into the Zoo's waterways. A boardwalk beside the wetland holds out a picturesque landing where visitors can picnic or simply take in the view.
Excuse us if we Gush!
...but the Zoo opened a working geyser on Saturday, September 26th. The Old Faithful look-alike will faithfully follow a schedule that keeps its smaller spouts erupting continuously and punctuates their sprays with a jet of water that shoots 20 to 40
feet into the air about every five minutes. The geyser sits between the North American Prairie exhibit and a new wooden deck.
While visitors wait for the geyser to blow its top, we suggest they listen for the Elk to bugle. He is in full rut, now, and ready to rumble.
News from the Schindler Wildlife Rehabilitation Center
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service just approved a Center request to color band some of the injured and orphaned birds that are treated at the Center and then released back into the wild. The bands will help the Zoo veterinary staff gather data on the survival rates of rehabilitated Carolina Wrens, Eastern Bluebirds, Northern Cardinals, Red-Bellied Woodpeckers and Blue Jays. This approval is the first one the Service has ever granted to study the impact that rehabilitation services have on common species of backyard birds.
Recent releases from the Wildlife Rehab Center include: 8 Mockingbirds, 9 Opossums, 11 Chimney Swifts, 1 Starling, 4 Carolina Wrens, 1 Scarlet Tanager, 1 Red-Shouldered Hawk, 2 Eastern Cottontails, 2 Eastern Box Turtles, 1 Common Grackle, 1 Gray Tree Frog, 2 American Robins and 1 Brown Thrasher.
If you like art and know what you like,
Click here to take a self-guided tour of the NC Zoo's art collection. The Zoo's public art collection is currently valued at $3 million and is considered one of the state's most notable cultural assets. Ellen Greer, the Zoo's Curator of Design, oversees the development and management of the art collection. If you enjoy the art in the Park or have a personal favorite, she would love to hear from you. Please send your comments to
Ellen Greer.
More Info on our 2010 Veterinary Camps
2010 Veterinary Camp Schedule
Day Camps for Students, Ages 12 - 15 Girls Only, Saturday Day Camp on April 17th from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Boys Only, Saturday Day Camp, May 15, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Our
veterinary day camps will introduce middle school students to some of
the basics of veterinary medicine and will include hands-on encounters
with several species of animals.
Three-day, Overnight Camps for Students, Ages 16 - 18Girls Only, 9 a.m., Friday, July 16 through 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 18
Boys Only, 9 a.m. Friday, August 27 through 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 1
Click here to learn more about the camps.
Reunion for our 2009 CampersWe
are still planning a special behind-the-scenes tour and picnic for the 60
Veterinary Campers who attended this year's camps. We will invite our
camp counselors back, too, for this special reunion. We will set dates and costs for our Reunion soon. Keep checking back with us.
Another Benefit of Being a Zoo Society Member
The Zoo Society just struck a deal with the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center (Chapel Hill). We give their members a 50 percent discount on the admission price to the Zoo, and the Morehead returns the favor with our members. (The discount does not apply to premium programs, such as the Laser Show, but covers admission to the Science Center.) Click here to explore the programs offered by the Planetarium.
Fun Ways to Show Your Support of the Zoo
A License to Thrill!
The
N.C. Department of Motor Vehicles is set to press an exclusive Zoo
Society specialty license plate that will tag drivers as people who
support the Zoo. But, before we can get
this plate on the road, we have to sell 300 license tags.
To become a charter owner of our exclusive Zoo Society license plate, begin by
downloading an application form,
filling it out and then mailing the application form and your $30
payment to the N.C. Zoo Society. (If you prefer, you can make your
payment online by
clicking here,
but you will still have to mail in your application.) Or, step into a
Zoo or Zoo Society gift shop and make your purchase there. Once we
have 300 applications, DMV will press out and deliver the special tags.
Here
is the license plate design that we will submit to DMV for its
approval.
The DMV will have to approve the design before it goes to press. When
you purchase the $30 plate, $20 of the price will be returned to the N.C. Zoo
Society and will be used to support the Zoo, Zoo Conservation and Zoo Education. Just one more way to flaunt your support of the Zoo and its
contributions to wildlife.
Got Questions?
Click here for answers.
Holiday Adoption
Go ape this holiday season—adopt Nkosi, our male Gorilla!
For only $45, the adoption package includes a plush Gorilla, a photo of Nik and a personalized adoption certificate.
The proceeds from this—and all the Society’s—adoptions, support the Zoo’s animal enrichment program. This program buys healthy treats and toys for our animals and provides training for the keepers that care for the animals.
For $500 or more, adopting parents are invited to meet Nik’s keepers and join them, behind the scenes at the Gorilla Exhibit, to feed some special treats to the big guy!
Green, Clean Society Shopping 
This year's
Collector Holiday Ornaments have arrived. Only 300 were made and each is signed and numbered by the artist.
And, check out our toys for budding scientists and engineers: a
clock operated by a potato, a
ro-bug from a soda can, and a
solar-powered radiometer.
Travel 2010
All prices are based on double occupancy. Unless otherwise stated, air fare is not included in the quoted prices.
Destinations in 2010
Adventure to India $9,995
April 8 - 21
Cocos Island $2,291
April 12 - 18
The Best of Kenya $3,495
May 31 - June 11
Journey to Ecuador
& The Galapagos Islands $3,595
September 17 – 25
America ’s National Parks $3,967 (Includes air fare)
October 1 - 16
For more information, contact Stephanie Gee at 336-879-7253 or e-mail sgee@nczoo.com.
Keep in Touch!
Let's BBFF! Follow us on Twitter @NCZooSociety or become a fan of the NC Zoo Society on Facebook at
http://tinyurl.com/nrgl8m .
Planning a Legacy
If you have any
questions or would like to discuss your gift plans, please contact Russ
H. Williams at 336-879-7252, or Russ Williams. at rwilliams.nczoo.com.
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Send questions and comments about this Web site or Z-mail content to Jayne Owen Parker, Ph.D. at jparker@nczoo.com.
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Our
mailing address is: North Carolina Zoological Society, 4403 Zoo
Parkway, Asheboro, N.C. 27205. Phone 336-879-7250, toll free
888-244-3736. Web address: www.nczoo.com.
Thank you for your continued support of the North Carolina Zoological Society.
