FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                  January 24, 2011 

CONTACTS: 

Tara Henson:  (405) 425-0219, office / (405) 919-9038, cell / thenson@okczoo.com

Candice Rennels: (405) 425-0298, office / (405) 412-6172, cell / crennels@okczoo.com

FEBRUARY HAPPENINGS AT THE OKC ZOO

FEBRUARY:         FREE MONDAYS

Every Monday in February the Zoo offers free admission for all guests. Zoo hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

FEBRUARY:         ANIMAL ADOPTION SPECIAL

This Valentine’s Day give the one you love parental “pride” by making them a Parent of the Wild! OZS ZooFriends is offering a special adoption option that allows you to adopt an elephant or a red panda. Your generous $40 donation helps supply the Oklahoma City Zoo with important funding for health, enrichment and the nutritional needs of all our zoo animals including our Asian elephants and red pandas. Gift recipients will receive a plush elephant or red panda, an adoption certificate, a fact sheet about their animal and name recognition on Zoo grounds for an entire year. Plus, “parents” will receive an invitation to see their “wild child” debut at the new elephant habitat opening this spring during our “member’s only” preview. Animal adoptions do not include personal possession of any Zoo animals.  For more information call ZooFriends at (405) 427-2461, ext. 618 or order online at www.zoofriends.com.

FEBRUARY 2:      OKC ZOO GROUNDHOG DAY TRADITION CONTINUES

Spring or winter? What will the bears’ prediction bring? The annual Zoo’s Groundhog Day tradition continues with help from grizzly bear brothers, Will and Wiley. Since groundhogs are not part of the Zoo’s animal collection, Will and Wiley have been designated as the Zoo’s official Groundhog Day delegates. Join the fun on Groundhog Day, Wednesday, February 2 at 10:45 a.m. at the grizzly bear habitat located inside Oklahoma Trails. Can’t make it out to the Zoo? Friend us www.facebook.com/okczoobg to learn the official outcome. 

FEBRUARY 4:      OKC ZOO AAZK NIGHT AT THE BARONS GAME

The Oklahoma City Barons are creating miracles for wildlife. For every ticket purchased under the Oklahoma City Zoo’s Chapter of American Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK) for the Friday, February 4, 2011 Barons game, AAZK will receive $4. Monies raised will go towards AAZK’s rhino conservation fundraising efforts. Get your tickets today at www.okcbarons.com/miraclesonince or call (405) 232-GOAL ext. 110.

FEBRUARY 5:      VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT

Whether you are interested in plants, animals or people, we’ve got a job for you! The Zoo is searching for passionate, dependable individuals 18 or older to apply to become Animal Area, Education and/or Horticulture volunteers. If you are interested in one of these opportunities, attend our Volunteer Recruitment on Saturday, February 5 at 10 a.m. in the Rosser Conservation Education Center (located at the east end of the Zoo’s parking lot). Orientation and paperwork will begin at 10am with staff interview immediately following. For more information, contact the Zoo’s Volunteer Coordinator at (405) 425-0275.

 FEBRUARY 21-MARCH 27:            DR PEPPER VENDING MACHINE ART CONTEST

From February 21 to March 27, Oklahoma students in grades K-12 are invited to participate in the Dr Pepper Vending Machine Art Contest for a chance to win a $500 savings bond courtesy of First Security Bank and have their design placed on one of two Dr Pepper vending machines located on Zoo grounds.  This year’s contest theme is E is for Elephant. Z is for Zoo. What do you love about these two?, which coincides with the opening of the Zoo’s new elephant habitat on March 11. Contest details, rules and official entry forms are available on line at www.okczoo.com.

FEBRUARY 28:    ELEPHANT PHOTO SAFARI

Calling all ele“fans”! Grab your camera, your grin and you might win in the Oklahoma City Zoo’s Elephant Photo Safari! The Zoo has teamed up with Little Caesars, KJ103, 101.9 The Twister, News9 and News9.com. to generate enthusiasm for the Zoo’s new elephant habitat opening March 11. Visit one of the Photo Safari stations located at metro-area Little Caesars stores, Quail Springs and Penn Square Malls and click a pic of your body superimposed as an elephant! E-mail it to the Zoo to be randomly selected for daily and weekly prizes. Five lucky children will win the opportunity to be Elephant Zoo Keeper for the Day, and one lucky winner will win the grand prize, a Rainbow Play Set provided by Statuary World. Visit okczoo.com for more details. 

LOOK WHAT SPRING BRINGS…

• March 11:  New elephant habitat open. Return of the Elephants!
• March 19:  Senior Citizen’s Day
• March 26:  Animal and Pet Enrichment Day
• March 27:  Deadline for Dr Pepper Vending Machine Art Contest entries

Come on, the wild is calling! Oklahoma’s #1 attraction and one of the top three family-friendly zoos in the nation, the Oklahoma City Zoo is located at the crossroads of I-44 and I-35 in Oklahoma City’s Adventure District. Zoo hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Buildings close at 4:45 p.m. daily. Regular admission is $8 for adults, $5 for children ages three-11 and seniors ages 65 and over. Children two and under are admitted free. Are you a Zoo fan?  Find us at http://www.facebook.com/okczoobg. To learn more about these and other happenings, call (405) 424-3344 or visit okczoo.com.

-okczoo-