It’s a night for party animals

If you’ve ever wanted to do the limbo with lions, bossa nova with bears or get jiggy with giraffes, here’s your chance: The Los Angeles Zoo will hold its family-friendly “Music in the Zoo” night Tuesday -- albeit at a safe distance from the wildlife.

This year’s lineup features eight world music acts alternating on stages in four zoo locations. Included are the Scottish-influenced group Wicked Tinkers; flamenco artists Incendio; and Tropical Punch, a calypso trio founded by singer-keyboardist Mike Berman and his wife, Cile, who doubles on vocals and steel drums.

“It’s amazing how the animals respond when we play,” says Cile, whose group has gigged at the zoo for the last four years. “We’ve performed in front of elephants, giraffes and gorillas, and they come closer to hear us.”

Jugglers and stilt-walkers will provide strolling entertainment, and, if you’re hungry, there are burgers, barbecue and pasta dishes, to name a few options. Docents will also give tours of the zoo, home to more than 1,200 mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles representing more than 370 species.

And talk about animal magnetism: Nearly 3,000 people are expected to attend the evening, which began in 1990 and serves as a “friend-raising event,” says Connie Morgan, president of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Assn.

-- Victoria Looseleaf

Los Angeles Zoo, 5333 Zoo Drive, L.A. 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday. $6.50 to $15; $2 extra charge per person for the “Destination: Dinosaurs” exhibition. (323) 644-6042.