Oklahoma City Zoo Introduces BarZ's Interactive Video Zoo Tour

Visitors to the Oklahoma City Zoo have a new way to see the exhibits, have fun and learn more about the animals while exploring the 110 acre park. BarZ Adventures Inc and the Oklahoma City Zoo collaborated to introduce Zoo Ranger™, a self-guided video tour system that gives visitors a behind-the-scenes tour of the zoo that’s the closest thing to a personal tour with a zookeeper.

 Zoo Ranger is a patented handheld video tour guide system that delivers informative and entertaining full-color videos, audio, photography and animation based on location using the power of GPS (Global Positioning System) technology. The tour includes about 30 tour stops throughout the zoo and is hosted by Tara Henson, the zoo’s Director of Marketing and Public Relations.

The self-paced tour includes in-depth, behind-the-scenes video footage of many of the zoos exhibits and animals. Some highlights of the tour are:

• Oklahoma Trails, the zoo’s largest exhibit featuring 11 distinct eco-regions and over 800 animals from different native Oklahoman species
• Pygmy Hippos and a recounting of the unique ‘I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas’ fundraising campaign responsible for the purchase of the zoo’s first hippo, Mathilda, in 1953
• Red River Hogs and a look at the different types of animal enrichment activities that the zoo provides and why these are so important for the zoo’s animals
• Andean Condors, the largest flying land bird in the Western Hemisphere, and the conservation efforts the zoo is making to protect this South American species
• Venomous Snakes from the Oklahoma Trails reptile exhibit and a discussion of their distinguishing characteristics by Herpetologist and General Curator, Brian Aucone
• Grizzly Bears and a wild story of how the zoo’s grizzlies flew in from Alaska on Southwest Airlines
• Sea Lions and a special session of sea lion training with Senior Animal Trainer, Shannon Ray.

In addition to the fascinating video content of the tour, the experience is further enhanced with interactive trivia questions and animal I.D. slides with close-up photographs and Latin names for the different species. The GPS components of the Zoo Ranger not only ensure that tour stop footage is automatically delivered as a user approaches an exhibit, but also includes a MapTracker ™ feature so users always know where they are in relation to tour stops and zoo facilities such as restaurants, gift shops and restrooms. Attraction and event listings in the Zoo Ranger keep visitors up to date with all the fun happenings at the zoo.

“BarZ Adventures is proud to enable the innovative merging of new technology with conservation messages and animal education. We are delighted to further expand our presence in zoos across America with the new addition of a tour at the beautiful Oklahoma City Zoo,” said Wm. Lee Little, founder and CEO of BarZ Adventures Inc.

The Zoo Ranger Oklahoma City Zoo tour is available for only $9.95 for a 3.5 hour experience and can be rented from the stroller rental window at the main entrance of the zoo. To view a demo version of the Oklahoma City Zoo tour, visit http://www.barzadventures.com/media/demos/OklahomaCityZoo/OklahomaCityDemo.html.