ROYAL OAK, Mich., August 3, 2007 – At the annual membership meeting of the Detroit Zoological Society held July 25 at the Detroit Zoo, the Society reported the following significant highlights for Fiscal Year 2007 (April 2006 through March 2007). 

• The City of Detroit transferred governance, operations and management of the Detroit Zoo and Belle Isle Nature Zoo to the Detroit Zoological Society.  The transition, which officially began in June 2006, marked an important first step in a long process that will ensure the continued vitality of the Zoos. 

• Detroit Zoo attendance was up by 35,000 visitors; 47,437 households held annual memberships; and the Society reached an all-time record of 78,652 contributed volunteer hours.

• In April 2006, the Belle Isle Nature Zoo opened a Deer Encounter, where over a dozen fallow deer that once roamed the island enjoy a one-acre enclosure and barn.  For a nominal cost, visitors can feed the deer special food provided by the Nature Zoo. 

• May 13, 2006 was a g’day for the Detroit Zoo’s red kangaroos when the Australian Outback Adventure opened.  The experience allows visitors to get an up-close-and-personal look at marsupial life Down Under via a walking path right through the middle of a simulated Outback habitat. 

• In July 2006, the Detroit Zoo announced the hatching of a male macaroni penguin chick.  The Zoo invited the public to help name its latest bundle of joy and, with 12,000 votes cast in an online poll, “Pudge” won by a landslide.   

• The Detroit Zoological Society continued to participate in state and national conservation efforts by launching a captive-rearing program for the federally endangered Karner blue butterfly, raising endangered osprey for release in lower Michigan, and participating in national efforts to save the endangered Great Lakes piping plover. 

• The Society’s Green Team was engaged in helping to minimize the ecological “footprint” of Zoo operations and to educate staff and visitors about choices that reduce harmful impact on the environment.  

• In September 2006, the Detroit Zoo was again granted accreditation by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA).  Accreditation is granted for five years, showing that the Zoo meets ever-rising industry standards in animal care, veterinary programs, conservation, education and safety.

• In October 2006, the Zoo established a three-member night staff to extend care for the animals into the evening hours.  The addition of the night care program was one of several opportunities afforded by the transition. 

• Other improvements included the creation of a call center for better customer service, enhancements to infrastructure and landscaping throughout the park, and improved community outreach efforts. 

• In December 2006, the Society celebrated the close of its “Celebrating Wildlife” capital campaign after raising $49,600,000.  The campaign was launched in 1999 to fund four world-class facilities at the Detroit Zoo – the National Amphibian Conservation Center, Arctic Ring of Life, Ruth Roby Glancy Animal Health Complex, and Ford Education Center – and to build the Society’s endowment in support of the Zoo’s research, education, conservation and animal-care activities.

The Detroit Zoological Society is a non-profit organization that operates the Detroit Zoo and Belle Isle Nature Zoo.  Situated on 125 acres of naturalistic exhibits, the Detroit Zoo is located at the intersection of Ten Mile Road and Woodward Avenue, just off I-696, in Royal Oak.  The Detroit Zoo is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April through October – with extended hours until 8 p.m. Wednesdays during July and August – and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. November through March.  Admission is $11.00 for adults 13 to 61, $9.00 for senior citizens 62 and older, and $7.00 for children ages 2 to 12; children under 2 are free.  For more information, call (248) 541-5717 or visit www.detroitzoo.org.  The Belle Isle Nature Zoo is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April through October and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. November through March, and provides educational programming with interpretive staff support from the Huron-Clinton Metroparks.  For more information, call (313) 852-4056. 
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