New York, N.Y. - The holiday season is over, but the fun goes on at the Central Park, Prospect Park, and Queens Zoos! There, majestic animals and exciting activities await you all winter long. With low-cost admissions for children and seniors, they are also the perfect places to take the family during uncertain economic times. For less than the price of a movie, a family of four can spend an afternoon watching real-life animals like burly bison, playful polar bears, and graceful sea lions!

Winter fun at the Central Park Zoo includes:

Sea Lion Feeds - Come see the sea lions! Daily, at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., visitors can watch sea lions enjoy their delicious fish snacks. During the feedings, zookeepers demonstrate how they check the sea lions' bodies, teeth, and vision, and give other routine care.

Penguin Presentation - At 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. daily, watch the gentoos and chinstraps feast on the fish their keepers hand out. The Central Park Zoo is one of few zoos to hand feed penguins - watch for "Scrappy," the penguin that gets her fish de-boned as she can't digest bones.

Step Inside the Rain Forest - When it's really cold, this tropical paradise is a cozy place to be! Warm and humid with a variety of exotic plants and animals, the Rain Forest offers viewing platforms at various levels to help visitors discover the animals of all layers of this tropical forest-tortoises crawl on the ground, a two-toed sloth that hangs from
limbs, and many different exotic bird species fly above. For a complete list of animals programs at the zoo, visit www.centralparkzoo.com. Central Park Zoo - $8 for adults, $4 for seniors 65 and older, $3 for kids 3-12, free for children under 3. Zoo hours are 10am - 4:30pm daily. The Central Park Zoo is located at 64th Street and Fifth Avenue. For further information, call 212-439-6500 or visit www.centralparkzoo.com.

Winter fun at the Prospect Park Zoo includes:

Sea Lion Feeds - Every day at 11 a.m., 2 p.m., and 4 p.m., sea lions enjoy their delicious fish snacks, and you'll enjoy watching them. During the feedings, zookeepers demonstrate how they check the sea lions' bodies, teeth, and vision, and give other routine care.

Zookeeper Chats - Learn about your favorite animals at the zoo during Zookeeper Chats every weekend at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., both days. Learn how keepers care for the animals and help keep their daily routines lively with toys, foraging games, and habitat enrichment.

Discovery Center - Warm up in the zoo's Discovery Center, where various learning stations help children hone their science skills with the same tools that the experts use. Peer through a microscope lens, pretend to be a zoo vet and operate on animal puppets, and explore the zoo's living laboratory. Open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., weekends only.

Step Inside - Visitors should stop by the Hamadryas baboons, where an indoor viewing area overlooks the baboons' natural outdoor habitat. Meerkats, saki monkeys, reptiles, and colorful birds are some other animals that can be
seen indoors. For a complete list of animals and exciting family programs at the zoo, visit www.prospectparkzoo.com. Prospect Park Zoo - $6.00 for adults, $2.25 for seniors 65 and older, $2.00 for kids 3-12, free for children under 3. Fall hours are 10A.M. to 4:30 P.M., daily. The Prospect Park Zoo is located at 450 Flatbush Avenue in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. For further information, call 718-399-7339 or visit www.prospectparkzoo.com

Winter fun at the Queens Zoo includes:

Sea Lion Feeds - No matter what the weather brings, zookeepers continue the zoo's daily sea lion feeding schedule. Watch these playful sea mammals demonstrate various training techniques before they enjoy their delicious fish meals. Sea lion feeds are 11:15 a.m., 2 p.m., and 4 p.m.

Fun on the Farm - It's never too cold for the woolly sheep, furry goats, and blubbery pigs, on the farm! Guests can even get up-close-and-personal by feeding and petting these gentle farm friends.

Step Inside - Warm up inside the Discovery Center with the kids. With its library full of animal-themed storybooks, games, and a crafts station, this activity center is a great place for relaxation and exploration. A variety of special activities are planned for each weekend this season. Hours are noon to 4 p.m., weekends only.

And of course, it's business as usual for the animals! Like all the WCS facilities, the Queens Zoo is open all-year, giving visitors the opportunity to explore exhibits such as the magnificent aviary that houses wild turkeys, cardinals, and other birds, a Great Plains habitat where bison and pronghorn roam, and a natural woodland trail that transforms into a beautiful winter scene under a dusting of snow. To discover more animals and things to do at the zoo, visit www.queenszoo.com.

The Queens Zoo is located at 53-51 111th Street in Flushing Meadow's Corona Park and is open 365 days a year. Zoo hours are 10am to 4:30 pm weekdays, daily. Admission is $6.00 for adults, $2.25 for seniors, $2.00 for children
ages 3-12, and free for children under 3. For general information, please call (718) 271-1500, or visit our web site at www.queenszoo.com

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.
www.wcs.org

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