Visit the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens to Participate in the World Animal Festival

By Mercede New

Jacksonville, FL - Join us at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens for the World Animal Festival on December 26 – 30, 2009 and January 1 - 3, 2010, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day. Areas of the Zoo will be highlighted to showcase the different parts of the world from which our amazing animals come. Activities include: live international entertainers (on weekends only), information booths, animal encounters, animal enrichment (on December 26 only), cultural crafts, inflatable slide, bounce house, prize drawings, and visits from Jazoo. There will also be a special “Happy Birthday” celebration for the jaguar cub, Harry, on January 1. A schedule of activities is posted on the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens’ Web site at www.jacksonvillezoo.org. World Animal Festival is sponsored by Winn-Dixie.

On Thursday, December 31st, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens will also be hosting Radio Disney AM 600’s Noon Year’s Eve celebration. A special Radio Disney will count down to noon with games, prizes and an apple juice toast. Noisemakers and hat giveaways will add extra fun to the activities.

For over 90 years, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has been dedicated to inspiring the discovery and appreciation of wildlife through innovative experience in a caring environment. From the beginning in 1914, with an animal collection that consisted of only one red deer fawn, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has become one of the top zoos in the nation, now with more than 1,400 rare and exotic animals and over 1,000 unique plant species. The Zoo is a non-profit organization and an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. It is open year-round, seven days a week, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is located on Jacksonville’s north side at 370 Zoo Parkway, one-half mile east from I-95. For more information, go to www.jacksonvillezoo.org.

To view Jacksonville Zoo's web page on Zoo and Aquarium Visitor, go to:  http://www.zandavisitor.com/forumtopicdetail-97-Jacksonville_Zoo_and_Gardens