St. Louis ZOO - Saint Louis Forest Park

Saint Louis ZOO
in Forest Park
314-781-0900
9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Free admission

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Mardi Gras Celebration at St. Louis ZOO
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), January 20, 2012 - On Sunday, February 19, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., join the Zoo for the best family Mardi Gras celebration in town.

Delta Dental Mardi Gras includes mask making, jugglers, beads, live music and more. Turn your child's wagon or stroller into a Mardi Gras parade float, and join in the parade through the Zoo at 3 p.m. led by the Zoo's costumed characters and Delta Dental's Tooth Wizard and P.A.N.D.A.

Waddle to the Saint Louis Zoo to chill with the penguins at Delta Dental Winter Zoo on Sundays, January 29, February 5, 12 and 19, 2012, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Bring the kids to celebrate our tuxedoed birds with penguin-themed activities, games, crafts, and more in The Living World.

Admission to the Zoo and Winter Zoo activities is free. Children must be accompanied by an adult. All activities and games are designed for kids aged 2-10. No reservations are needed. The Zoo is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Red Panda Valentine Adoption from Saint Louis Zoo
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), January 15, 2012 - Give Your Sweetheart a Red Panda Valentine Adoption from the Saint Louis Zoo.

The Saint Louis Zoo's 2012 Valentine Adoption features the beautiful red panda who has a penchant for bamboo, tree-top living and nighttime foraging.

For $40, including shipping and handling, the Zoo will deliver the adoption package to anyone on your gift list in the continental United States. Save $5 when you purchase and pick up your red panda gift at a Welcome Desk located at Zoo entrances. Proceeds go directly toward the care and feeding of the animals.

The package includes a cuddly plush red panda (while supplies last) and valentine card from you, personalized adoption certificate, color photo and fact sheet, car decal and T-shirt transfer, name on the Zoo Parents Donor Wall and Zoo web site for one year and an invitation to the Zoo Parents Picnic.

This endangered species is native to the mountainous bamboo forests of the Himalayas in Southeast Asia. The red panda with its distinctive reddish fur, white and red mask-like markings and ringed tail is related to the raccoon, while the more famous giant panda is more closely related to bears. Red pandas eat a mainly vegetarian diet, and at the Zoo are fed a varied diet of fresh bamboo, apples, bananas, and nutritionally complete leaf-eater feed.

To adopt a red panda, call (314) 646-4771, order online at www.stlzoo.org, or stop by a Welcome Desk during your next visit to the Zoo. Online and phone orders must be submitted by February 4 to ensure February 14 delivery. Walk-in orders are available through February 14.

Saint Louis Zoo Attendance Tops 3 Million in 2011
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), January 3, 2012 - The Saint Louis Zoo had a come-from-behind year attracting nearly 80,000 visitors in the days between Dec. 20 and Dec. 31 - bringing total 2011 attendance to 3,019,597. That total is nearly 85,000 above 2010 numbers and close to the Zoo's all-time record attendance of 3,101,830 set in 2009.

Until December, the Zoo attendance was below internal targets due to a hot summer when temperatures were the fourth highest on record; the St. Louis metro area experienced 100-degree temperatures for 14 days from July through early September.

"We thank all the many people who came to the Zoo in 2011," says Jeffrey P. Bonner, Ph.D., Dana Brown President & CEO of the Saint Louis Zoo. "We had a terrific year because the greater our attendance the more people we reach, and, with support from our donors and sponsors, we were able to offer many attractions from a holiday lighting exhibit to stingrays and sharks."

"Among our achievements of 2011 were the first-ever captive breeding of the endangered Ozark hellbender, the birth of an African lion and many other births, including an Asian elephant, a black rhino, eight gazelles, a Grevy's zebra and two addax calves - all endangered species. Clearly it was a great year for our conservation mission, as well," said Bonner.

'Animals Always', installed at the corner of Hampton Avenue and Wells Drive, servs as a welcoming landmark to Forest Park and the St. Louis Zoo.

The Saint Louis Zoo, located on 90 acres in Forest Park, is home to 19,365 exotic animals, many of them rare and endangered. These 655 species represent the major continents and biomes of the world. Attractions include the Jungle of the Apes, Big Cat Country, Emerson Electric Children's Zoo, The Living World educational center, River's Edge, "Penguin & Puffin Coast," Monsanto Insectarium, Mary Ann Lee Conservation Carousel, sea lion shows and bird house.

The World's Fair Flight Cage at the Zoo and the Saint Louis Art Museum, located north east of the Zoo, are the two structures remaining in Forest Park that were built for the 1904 World's Fair. Photos highlighting the 1904 World's Fair can be seen at the Missouri Historical Society, located in the Jefferson Memorial Building in Forest Park.

General admission to the Zoo is FREE. The Zoo is open year round, except December 25 and January 1. Summer hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day.

Non-summer hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Parking on the Zoo's two lots is $11 per day. Parking for buses, motor homes and R.V.s is $22 and is available on the South Lot only. Some events and special programs may have an admission cost.

Note: Coolers and picnic baskets are permitted on the Zoo grounds. There are picnic tables located in central areas at the Zoo. All major facilities are wheelchair accessible, as are most restrooms. Wheelchairs and strollers are available to rent at The Living World and South Gate. Wheelchairs: $7 per day; motorized vehicles (limited number) available to those 18 years or older with a major credit card: $25 per day; single strollers are $7 per day; double strollers are $9 per day. For more information, please call 314-781-0900, 1-800-966-8877 or TDD: 314-768-5421.

Archived Stories:

"Reaching Elephant" Bronze Sculpture Welcomes Visitors to the South Entrance of the St. Louis Zoo

St. Louis Zoo Kicks Off 'The Living Promise' Campaign

Stingray Exhibit Draws Huge Crowd at St. Louis Zoo

New St. Louis Zoo South Entrance Takes Shape

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