Children 2-12 Will Receive Free Admission on Friday, December 19, 2008

ROYAL OAK, Mich., December 18, 2008 – An overnight storm predicted for the Metro Detroit area is expected to dump 6 or more inches of snow on the ground by morning and is likely to result in an early start to the holiday school break for thousands of children.  In celebration of the anticipated “snow day” due to school closings, the Detroit Zoo is offering free admission for children ages 12 and under on Friday, December 19, 2008.  Children must be accompanied by adults at the regular admission price. 

Friday’s “snow day” will give visitors the opportunity to meet two of the Zoo’s newest youngsters.  Ajua, a male chimpanzee born in September, can be spotted with his mother, Akati, at the Great Apes of Harambee.  Jabari, a 1-year-old male giraffe that arrived in October, can be seen at the giraffe house from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

The day’s activities will include storytelling around the “campfire” at the Ford Education Center and free coffee at the Arctic Food Court.  Zoo staffers will hand out special maps at the admission gates to help guests plan their winter walk through the park.  The forecast is calling for more snow and a high temperature of 29 degrees. 

Winter Zoo-goers often find that when the mercury dips and the snow flies, many of the animals become more active outdoors.  The Japanese macaques, or snow monkeys, are among the many winter-hardy animals and can often be seen basking in the warm steam from their hot tub on a frigid day.  The Amur tigers, wolverines, red panda, Asian wild horses, elk and bison also adapt well to cold, snowy weather. 
 
Cold-challenged visitors can take refuge in the Butterfly and Hummingbird Garden where the temperature is a toasty 75 degrees.  Other indoor experiences include the National Amphibian Conservation Center, Penguinarium, Holden Museum of Living Reptiles, Mardigian River Otter Habitat, Meerkat Digs, white rhino, lemur and farm animal habitats.

The Arctic Ring of Life has been undergoing scheduled maintenance and will remain partially closed on Friday.  The polar bears and arctic foxes can be viewed from the tundra (grassy) side.  The rest of the award-winning habitat is scheduled to re-open on Saturday. 

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 4 p.m. November through March (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day) and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April through October.  Admission is $11 for adults 13 to 61, $9 for senior citizens 62 and older, and $7 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. year-round and provides educational programming with interpretive staff support from the Huron-Clinton Metroparks.  For more information, call (313) 852-4056. 
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