Give Your Ride, Support the Zoo

By Pam Williams, Development Director

Do you have a clunker in your driveway? A boat that's no longer seaworthy? Or just looking to give your ride to a good cause? You can donate your car, truck, trailer, boat or RV to benefit the Sacramento Zoo!

To start the process of donating your car to benefit the Zoo, or for more information, please call the toll free number 1-866-570-7318.

What can I donate?
We accept most vehicles including cars, trucks, trailers, boats and RVs.

Can I still donate my car if it doesn’t run?
Yes, we are able to accept most vehicles running or not.

What do I need to donate my vehicle?
You will need to have the title to the vehicle in your possession before it can be donated.

What information will you ask me for?
Please have the location of the car, your mailing address, the vehicles license number, VIN number, year, make and model. We would also like to know any sort of damage or flat tires, that would effect the towing of the car.

Can you pick up vehicles in all 50 states?
Yes.

How will my car be picked up?
We will arrange to have your vehicle towed away by a professionally licensed towing company.

How long will it take to pick up my car?
We will arrange for a towing company to contact you via telephone within 3-4 business days.

Is my donation tax deductible?
Yes! Your car donation will help feed and care for animals at the Sacramento Zoo!

How does my tax deduction work?
The IRS allows you, the taxpayer, to claim a tax deduction of (a) the value of your vehicle up to $500 or (b) if we sell the vehicle for more than $500 we will mail a postcard with that value for your taxes.

To start the process of donating your car to benefit the Zoo, or for more information, please call the toll free number 1-866-570-7318.

How Do You Look in Yellow?

By Ann Geiger, Education Director

Who are those people in yellow? They are Sacramento Zoo volunteer educators and are an important part of the Zoo experience!

The Sacramento Zoo is taking applications for the 2011 Docent Training class until January 9, 2011. Zoo Docents are volunteer educators who have a love for wildlife and enjoy people. Docents conduct tours and station talks at the Zoo and with additional training, docents can also participate in live animal presentations, both on and off-site.

An orientation meeting will be held on January 8, 2011 and the training class will begin on January 15th. The mini-course in Zoology runs every Saturday through mid-March. Visit the Docent webpage for more information or email the Education Department or call (916) 808-5889 for an application.

SPLASH! Otter Project

By Pam Williams, Development Director

SPLASH! North American River Otter Habitat
Help us renovate the exhibit!

One of the older exhibits at the Zoo, the otter pool and holding area are in need of a facelift. Plans are on the drawing board for renovation of the current exhibit to enlarge the usable space, provide more adequate off-exhibit dens and keeper area, and allow for a more visually-pleasing habitat for visitors to observe and enjoy the daily antics of the Zoo’s two North American river otters.

Details of the new Splash! exhibit:

• The overall renovation will increase the land to water ratio, providing more usable space for enrichment and training activities;
• Plans call for a terraced planter at the back of the exhibit, allowing the inclusion of new plants and substrate for digging;
• Glass at the front of the exhibit will allow for close contact between otters and guests, encouraging visitors to the zoo to connect with these amazing animals, while newly designed barriers at the sides and rear of the exhibit will showcase the otters in a much more natural setting;
• Installation of a filtration system will allow us to maintain higher levels of water quality in a more ecologically sustainable fashion;
• The renovation will enclose three mature live trees ;
• There will be two tunnels leading into the back holding area from the enclosure for use by the otters;
• A major goal will be to include an interactive animal training experience combined with educational points;
• The renovation has a strategic, multi-species design that would serve other animals in the future if warranted; i.e. if an expanded otter exhibit was built elsewhere in the Zoo at some point to accommodate an additional number of otters, other species could then be easily transitioned into this renovated space;
• Construction is scheduled to begin Fall 2010 for an anticipated Spring 2011 opening.

Fundraising is currently underway to support this renovation. If you have questions, please call the Zoo’s development department at (916) 808-3713. For contributions of $1,000 or more, your name will be included in a special recognition area at the newly expanded exhibit, sending a message of your commitment to the Sacramento Zoo.

Animal Enrichment Day!

By Brooke Coe, Education Specialist & AAZK Member

Have you ever seen the tiger cub stalk a frozen shrimp pop or watched a giraffe use its 18 inch-long tongue to scoop fruit treats from an enrichment tube? How about ground hornbills chasing crickets? Now is your chance to take an active role in a zoo animal’s enrichment!

Why do we do this? Enrichment is an item or activity that is not part of the “routine” of an animal. It is something used to get them up and active, stimulate natural behaviors that you would see out in the wild, stretch their cognitive abilities, and simply to give the animals something new and fun to do! It is extremely beneficial for the livelihood and well-being of animals in captivity and contributes to longer, happy lives. Every animal in the Zoo is enriched, and zookeepers are constantly coming up with new, creative ideas for the zoo residents.

On Saturday, September 25th from 10 am to 2 pm, the Sacramento Zoo’s American Association of Zookeepers, Greater Sacramnto AAZK, will be hosting an enrichment day! It is an opportunity for the visitors to purchase pre-made enrichment items for animals throughout the zoo, and the guests get to watch as the animal eats, plays with, or destroys that item right then.

Visit our table a the front of the Zoo and see a wide range of enrichments to choose from, and also a variety of different animals to enrich! The proceeds from this event will be used to benefit your local AAZK chapter and also the Conservation Committee, which sponsors numerous local and world-wide conservation organizations such as Snow Leopard Trust and the Riparian Brush Rabbit Project. Come out and join us in enriching your favorite Zoo animal!

Zoo Treks - A Hippo in the Garden?

By Mary Healy, Zoo Director

“Excuse me for interrupting your dinner, but there is a hippo in the garden.” Thankfully I was not at home when my dinner partners and I were given this message. We were in Botswana in the middle of our 16-day African excursion that started in Cape Town and ended at Victoria Falls in Zambia.

The Sacramento Zoo offers a variety of trips from time to time. Previous venues have included Costa Rica and the Galapagos Islands. The itinerary for this trip was developed by Classic Escapes and I served as the tour leader. Starting in Cape Town was especially exciting this year as the whole country geared up for the World Cup. Who knew that those silly horns sold in every airport gift shop would prove to be so obnoxious?

Highlights in Cape Town were the Black foot penguins at Boulders Beach and driving the beautiful highway along the Cape of Good Hope. We left Cape Town for the wilds of Botswana where we stayed in luxury tented camps. It is hard to single out the top animal experience but being in a small motor boat sharing the river with elephant and hippos is pretty near the top of the list.

From Botswana we flew to Namibia for two nights before finishing up in Zambia. Our last camp was a glorious finale. We awakened in the morning seeing the mist from the Zambezi River before embarking on a helicopter ride over Victoria Falls.

Support CA museums with Snoopy!

By Jessica Goldman, Membership Assistant

Everyone’s favorite peppy pup, Snoopy, may soon be featured on California license plates as part of a statewide effort to establish and fund a grant for California museums and other attractions—like the Sacramento Zoo!

Jean Schulz—widow of Snoopy’s creator, Peanuts cartoonist Charles Schulz—is lending Snoopy’s likeness royalty-free to get the grant program going. Proceeds from plate sales will be collected by the State of California and distributed through a competitive process to area attractions.

Want a pup plate of your own? Log on to http://www.snoopyplate.com/ and register your interest. Once 7,500 beagle boosters are listed, the plate will go into production for only $50 each. Support the Zoo and your state—get a plate!

Donate at a Wells Fargo ATM

By Meagan Edwards, Development Specialist


Donating to the Sacramento Zoo just got easier for Wells Fargo customers! The Sacramento Zoo is one of six charities selected for the launch of Wells Fargo’s new program which allows customers to donate to a charity while at the ATM.

When you visit a Northern California Wells Fargo ATM, just choose “Donate to Charity” on the main menu screen and follow the instructions to send an automated donation to the Sacramento Zoo. Choose from any of your Wells Fargo accounts, and donate any amount up to $249.99.

This pilot program launches on today, so be sure to check out this new, easy way to send a donation to the Sacramento Zoo!