Detroit Zoo Hosts After-Hours Adults-Only Event July 24

ROYAL OAK, Mich., June 30, 2008 – The Detroit Zoo is inviting adults to rekindle their childhood love for the Zoo at an after-hours adults-only event called Summer Zoomance.  The 21-and-older evening is scheduled for Thursday, July 24, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., rain or shine.  Admission and parking are free for Detroit Zoological Society members and cost $5 each for non-members.  

Summer Zoomance will allow guests to revisit their childhood memories of the Detroit Zoo while creating new ones during a peaceful twilight stroll among the Zoo’s award-winning habitats.  Adult beverages and favorite nostalgic foods will be available for purchase. 

Summer Zoomance attendees can visit all their favorite animals and see the many new residents that now call the Detroit Zoo home.  Fresh faces include 12-year-old twin polar bears Buzz and Neil, a coati named Sid, aardvarks Mchimbaji and Lily, Curry the red panda and a Matschie’s tree kangaroo named Lil’ LaRoo.  Also meeting guests for the first time this summer are Grevy’s zebra foal Zahara as well as three Chilean flamingo chicks hatched last fall. 

The newly refurbished Tauber Family Railroad will be operating that evening, allowing passengers to relax and enjoy a scenic ride for a one-way fare of $2.  In addition, the Wild Adventure Ride, featuring “Comet Impact”, will take visitors on a daring space expedition for $4.

Tickets for Summer Zoomance can be purchased in advance online at www.detroitzoo.org and at the admission gates up to the night of the event.   

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 (open at 9:30 a.m. Memorial Day through Labor Day) – 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 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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