Kids Win Opportunity to Provide Enrichment to Tigers, Gorillas, Giraffes

ROYAL OAK, Mich. – Jonathan Bennard, 12, of Lincoln Park and Haden Kaufman, 7, of Saint Clair Shores have won an exclusive behind-the-scenes experience with an animal care staff member at the Detroit Zoo in the Detroit Zoological Society and Fox 2’s ZOOKEEPERS Sweepstakes.

On Saturday, July 5, the winners will help Enrichment/Research Coordinator Elizabeth Arbaugh provide enrichment to the tigers, gorillas and giraffes.  The “honorary” ZOOKEEPERS will build an antelope-shaped piñata and fill it with treats for the tigers to stalk.  They will also create special treats for the Zoo’s three gorillas to discover and enjoy.  The kids will then get up-close-and-personal with the giraffes at feeding time.

Enrichment allows the Zoo’s animals to demonstrate species-typical behavior as they would in their natural environments – such as foraging and stalking – to keep them engaged, energetic and curious.

Parents can click on the ZOOKEEPERS icon at www.MyFOXDetroit.com through July 8 and register kids ages 6-12 for their chance to become an honorary zookeeper.  Two more winners will be selected at random to receive an exclusive behind-the-scenes experience with a keeper at the Detroit Zoo. 

In addition, kids ages 2-12 can download an official certificate, redeemable for a ZOOKEEPERS lanyard at the Zoo.  The lanyard contains coupons for a free child’s ZOOKEEPERS tee-shirt (while supplies last), small soft drink and one-way ride on the Tauber Family Railroad. 

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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