Count on the Zoo for weekend fun next Friday and Saturday

ZooBRRRew, Friday, Feb. 3

We have some great events coming up next weekend!

First up will be our winter happy hour, ZooBRRRew, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 3.  Guests will enjoy great live music by Teagan Ward, assorted food stations and dessert and a cash bar featuring seasonal beers and wines. Your ticket ($20 for members, $25 for non-members) includes live music, food, admission to the Zoo as well as a free pass to a 2012 summer ZooBrew! Don’t miss this great 21-and-older event.

Photo by Valerie Kostreva

The next day’s event is for visitors of all ages. We’ll celebrate one of our white rhinos’ birthdays on Saturday, Feb. 4. Roscoe will turn 8! Join us from 1 to 3 p.m. that day in the Zoo’s Main Building. Learn about these fascinating creatures from our knowledgeable docents and get ready to sing “Happy Birthday” to Roscoe at 2 p.m. He along with his half-brother Bill will both enjoy treats on this special day! Feel free to bring a gift for the occasion, too. Click here for details.

Happy New Year!

As we head into 2012, we hope you are just as excited as we are about our upcoming A Step Into Africa Exhibit, which will be the only exhibit in the United States focusing on the Ngorongoro Crater region of Tanzania, Africa! The exhibit opens in May.

In the meantime, we hope you will attend our various events coming up in February: Our 21-and-older ZooBrrrew happy hour on Friday, Feb. 3, a birthday celebration for Roscoe the white rhino on Saturday, Feb. 4 as well as sign your kids up for our February Break Camp (Feb. 20-24).

Photo by Kelli O'Brien

And don’t forget about our cuddly story hour, Book and Beast, happening at 11 a.m. every Wednesday through March!

Happy 2012, everyone!

Thanks for supporting the Zoo!

We had another stellar Breakfast with Santa weekend! Our event, long sold-out,  includes a buffet-style breakfast, “playtime” with our sea lions Flounder, Puff, Marina and Lily and a Santa encounter, complete with a goody bag and a special ornament! Check out some photos below – thanks again for supporting this holiday fundraiser!

Photos by Kelli O’Brien and Nick Cerami

Breakfast with Santa is sold out for 2011.

Photo by Nick Cerami

What a great first weekend at Breakfast with Santa (Dec. 3 & 4)!

We still have two more sold-out weekends (Dec. 10, 11, 17 & 18), and we thank everyone for their support of the Zoo by attending this event.

Don’t forget – lots of your holiday shopping can be done right here at the Zoo, so if you are here this weekend, pick up a few Zoo Calendars, purchase a Zoo gift certificate and more.

Animal Art Expo – a success!

The 10th annual Animal Art Expo took place over the weekend (Nov. 12) in the Zoo’s Z.O.T. Zone and Conference Center. Paintings created by our own animals, including polar bears, elephants, hyenas, even a our rooster Jerry were up for sale to guests, with proceeds benefiting local, national and international conservation efforts through the Zoo’s chapter of the American Association of Zoos Keepers (AAZK). A silent auction and various raffles were also part of the night, giving guests even more chances to take home signature animal art. The event raised just shy of $ 6,500! Thank you to the community for your support. Check out some photos below!

Painting by Aurora the polar bear.

Painting by Jerry the rooster

Foot print painting by Genny C the African elephant

Painting by Cookie Monster the Gila Monster

Oliver the tawny owl says hello to guests.

Guests mingle and check out the artwork.

What a party!

Photo by Kelli O'Brien

Lots of visitors came out to help us celebrate birthdays for our polar bears, Zero and Aurora. With cubbing season upon us, Aurora is currently alternating her time out on exhibit with Zero.

Zero hammed it up enough for both of them though, loving his new enrichment toy that was filled with yummy treats! Click here to check out a video of Zero enjoying it!

The Zoo was the place to be for trick-or-treating

We had a great turnout for our family Halloween extravaganza, ZooBoo, with nearly 4,400 attending on the last day (Oct. 23) due to the fabulous sunny weather, but each day featured some great costumes from the community. Check out some of the photos below – thanks again for your tremendous support!

Photos by Kelli O’Brien and Pam Cowan

Why are animals so important?

We helped to answer that question and more during today’s Genesee Trail Day event. Visitors could stop at any of the various stations set up throughout our own Genesee Trail to learn about the importance impact of animals in the daily lives of the Seneca Nation of the Iroquois, including eagles, hawks, bears, deer, wolves and more. Members of the Seneca Nation of the Iroquois belong to one of eight clans, each named for an animal that is believed to have special magical or spiritual attributes!

Check out some photos from the day below.

Photos by Kelli O’Brien

Join us for Princess & Pirate weekend at the Zoo

The first day of Princess & Pirate weekend started today (Sept. 24) and will continue tomorrow (Sept. 25). Kids are having a fantastic time joining our own Princess and Pirate in parades through the Zoo, and get to take home cool glitter tattoos and giveaways at the Front Gate!

If you’re not a member, take advantage of a special offer throughout the weekend – one FREE youth admission with one paid adult when the youth comes dressed as a princess or a pirate! We hope to see you here this weekend!

Photos by Kelli O’Brien

The Zoo inspires many in the community

The National Technical Institute for the Deaf‘s 28-year-old dance company program (of Rochester Institute of Technology) came to the Zoo today to to sketch, write and photograph ideas and inspirations for their “Off the Wall” concert next February.

Instead of collaborating with a technical area of RIT this year, they are connecting with the Greater Rochester community to create dances based on or inspired by other works of art – visual art, music, poetry, architecture and nature. Aside from the Zoo, they have also visited the Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester Museum and Science Center and other galleries.

Check out some photos from their Zoo “exploration”: