ROYAL OAK, Mich., August 19, 2009 – Visitors continue to flock to the Detroit Zoo this summer for a dose of “Vitamin Z”.  July 2009 attendance was 251,979, a 26% increase over July 2008.

July’s attendance represents the second-highest month ever; July 1997 holds the record of 270,319.  No other month besides these two has seen more than 250,000 visitors since the Zoo began tracking attendance in 1983.

Calendar 2009 year-to-date attendance is up 18%, with 814,201 visitors versus 689,842 in 2008.

The Zoo introduced its “Vitamin Z – Part of a Complete Childhood” advertising campaign in May, which captures the moments of wonder kids experience at the Detroit Zoo.  Billboards, TV commercials and print ads feature the Zoo’s immersive experiences, including the Arctic Ring of Life, Australian Outback Adventure, Butterfly Garden and Giraffe Encounter. 

The campaign also promotes Dinosauria, the Zoo’s blockbuster summer attraction featuring 19 life-like animatronic dinosaurs, which ends Labor Day.  

In addition to checking out the prehistoric creatures, visitors have been lining up to see all their favorite animals and the many new residents that now call the Detroit Zoo home.  Fresh faces include two black-and-white ruffed lemurs born last month, a baby aardvark born in December and a chimpanzee born last fall. 

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 a.m. May 1 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 15 to 61, $9 for senior citizens 62 and older, and $7 for children ages 2 to 14; 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.  Admission is free.  For more information, call (313) 852-4056. 
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