FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                  July 20, 2010

CONTACTS:        

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

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

   OKC ZOO DIRECTOR APPOINTED TO PRESTIGIOUS GORILLA CONSERVATION BOARD

  Dwight Scott, Executive Director/CEO of the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden, was recently elected to the Board of Trustees for the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International.

            The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International is a not-for-profit organization founded by Dr. Dian Fossey in 1978 to preserve and protect the world’s last mountain gorillas. Dr. Fossey, one of the world’s preeminent scholars of gorilla ecology, demography and social organization, spent thousands of hours studying the gorillas from her base camp in Rwanda. By imitating gorilla behaviors and vocalizations, she was able to gain their trust and interact with them.  She later wrote the book “Gorillas in the Mist,” a work eventually brought to the film screen and made famous by Sigourney Weaver in 1988. Originally named the “Digit Fund” in memory of Dr. Fossey’s favorite gorilla, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International was re-named after Dr. Fossey’s death in 1985 to underscore its commitment to carry on the gorilla protection and research programs established by Dr. Fossey.

            The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International is dedicated to the conservation and protection of gorillas and their habitats in Africa through science, field research, education, awareness and economic development. The Fund is dedicated to promoting continued research on their threatened ecosystems and education about their relevance to the world. In collaboration with government agencies and other international partners, the Fund also provides assistance to local communities through education, health, training and economic development initiatives. For more information on the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, visit www.gorillafund.org.

            “I am very proud to represent the Oklahoma City Zoo on this prestigious board,” Scott said. “Gorillas have always had a special place in my heart and I am honored to be able to work with one of the top gorilla conservation organizations in the world.”

            Scott graduated with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts from the University of Missouri at Kansas City in 1994, having also completed an independent study at the Kansas City Zoo on chimpanzee and orangutan behavior. He began his zoological career working as a gorilla keeper at the Kansas City Zoological Gardens and has spent more than 15 years in the field. He previously worked as the Assistant Director of the Tulsa Zoo and the Director of Animal Management at the Oklahoma City Zoo.

             The Oklahoma City Zoo is the state’s #1 attraction and one of the top three family friendly zoos in the nation. The wild is calling! Located at NE 52^nd at Martin Luther King Blvd., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73111, in the heart of Oklahoma City’s Adventure District, the Zoo is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through August 15. Through September 4, the Zoo will remain open until 8 p.m. on Saturdays only. Regular Zoo hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission is $7 for adults and $4 for children ages three to 11 and seniors ages 65 and older. Children two and under are free. For more information, call (405) 424-3344 or visit www.okczoo.com.

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