Spring, 2009 -- The Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) Bronx Zoo will be the place to visit this April, when a party for the planet launches with a host of Earth Month event activities. Spring is the time to think green and plan a zoo trip April 4-5, 6-19, and the weekend of April 24 and 25 from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Plus the first annual Run for the Wild to support the United Nations “Year of the Gorilla” is scheduled for Saturday, April 25.

Throughout the month visitors will be offered ways to embrace and support a green and sustainable future, while learning more about the Wildlife Conservation Society and its global reach.

Earth Month includes a range of eco-friendly activities, demonstrations, and entertainment – all making for a fantastic celebration in honor of planet Earth. Wildlife theater performances, an innovative recycled animal art exhibit, eco-friendly crafts, green-themed entertainment, and the opportunity to connect with the zoo’s amazing wildlife ambassadors are all part of fun.

The Bronx Zoo has lots of other reasons to celebrate Earth Month – the animal ambassadors that are the primary mission of WCS.  As the United Nations has designated 2009 the “Year of the Gorilla,” the two troops of Western lowland gorillas at the Bronx Zoo offers visitors a unique “up close” look at these charismatic animals in their Congo Gorilla Forest habitat. The Wildlife Conservation Society has been a leader in gorilla conservation since the 1950s when Dr. George Schaller conducted the first census of gorillas in Africa. Most recently, WCS field conservationist made an amazing discovery – 125,000 lowland gorillas – a new population.

As part of Earth Month, the Bronx Zoo will also host an Earth Expo – an 18-day showcase of companies and organizations with green products, services and valuable information for consumers about green practices. It’s a way to introduce consumers to think smart and learn how to help safeguard the Earth, its environments, and all of its inhabitants.
 
Run for the Wild on Saturday, April 25, is a 5K run/walk for participants of all ages. It’s an opportunity to start the day making a difference. Participants get to experience some of the 265 acres during the program and see the zoo in an early morning light (the zoo officially opens to the general public at 10 a.m. each day.) Run for the Wild kicks off at 8:30 a.m. with online pre-registration beginning March 1 at www.wcsrunforthewild.org or Run Day registration begins at 7:00 AM on April 25 at the Bronx Zoo.

Run for the Wild schedule:
7:00 AM:  Pre-Run Area Opens (Run Day registrations, t-shirt pick up, pledge tents open)
8:30 AM:  Run warm-up for all participants
9:00 AM:  Run/Walk starts
11:00 AM-4:30 PM: Post-Run Festivities ~ Earth Month Activities: Live Music and Entertainment plus Fun, Educational Activities for Kids.                                                                                                

DID YOU KNOW?

·    The Bronx Zoo is headquarters for the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS,) which manages the largest system of urban wildlife parks in the world. 
·    WCS has a global reach with more than 500 conservation field projects in 65 nations.
·    The Bronx Zoo is the largest urban zoo in the United States on 265 acres of wooded parkland.
·    There more than 600 different species of animals at the Bronx Zoo.
·    The UN “Year of the Gorilla” is particularly important to WCS since the Bronx Zoo has one of the largest breeding populations of Western lowland gorillas in North America. WCS has also been a leader in gorilla conservation for five decades and studies all four species in nature (visit www.wcs.org for more gorilla conservation facts.)
·    WCS recycles everything at the Bronx Zoo from paper/cardboard, glass/plastics, cooking oil, and even animal poop!
·    The Bronx Zoo produces its own power – it runs on cogeneration.
·    The new Madagascar! exhibit is actually a 1903 landmark building that has been completely restored as a green building from its roof design to the complex water/heating system in the basement.
·    The zoo’s Eco-Restrooms at the Bronx River Parkway entrance are eco-friendly – they are composting toilets - and even the sink waste water helps to keep our grey water gardens fed.
·    Visit www.wcs.org  to learn more about WCS’s global efforts.

 The Wildlife Conservation Society saves wildlife and wild places worldwide.  We do so through science, global conservation, education and the management of the world's largest system of urban wildlife parks, led by the flagship Bronx Zoo.  Together these activities change attitudes towards nature and help people imagine wildlife and humans living in harmony.  WCS is committed to this mission because it is essential to the integrity of life on Earth.    

 Special Note to the Media: If you would like to guide your readers or viewers to a web link where they can make donations in support of helping save wildlife and wild places, please direct them to www.wcs.org/donation.

Note: Sponsorship for Earth Month and other opportunities are available by contacting smatthews1@wcs.org