The Crowd: 31st annual Zoofari another success for Santa Ana Zoo
An amazing residential population of primates joined other creatures including an armadillo and a blue-tongued skink in welcoming 300 guests — many from the Newport-Mesa area— as they arrived for the 31st annual Zoofari gala hosted Aug. 19 by Friends of Santa Ana Zoo, also known as FOSAZ.
Attendees were greeted in high spirits by gala chair Cat Decker, executive director FOSAZ. The evening of adventure, food and fun, themed “Through the Looking Glass,” was catered by Parties by Panache. When all was said and done, $100,000 was raised in support of zoo programs. A special “Fund-A-Need” brought in money to enable the purchase of a portable X-ray machine needed for the zoo’s vet hospital.
Guests wandered the grounds and sipping on the specialty beverage of the night, the “Mad Hatter Cocktail,” created by the Panache team in keeping with the party theme. Emmy Award-honored meteorologist and sportscaster for KTLA 5 Morning News Henry DiCarlo entertained guests, serving as master of ceremonies and celeb auctioneer.
Taking a ride on the “Fifty Monkey Ferris Wheel” and touring the recently created Butterfly Habitat were dedicated FOSAZ supporters Patty McClendon, Howard Hull, Rip Ripple and Jeff LeMasters, all joining zoo Director Ethan Fisher in surveying the progress on a new habitat called the Giant River Otter Habitat and the Primate Trails Experience under development.
Hawk Scott, the new executive director of Park, Recreation and Community Services for Santa Ana, offered up words of thanks to those in the crowd who represented the city at the affair, then introduced Fisher to make major announcements, according to spokesperson Kelly Bennett.
“One [improvement] was creating a more significant way to find the zoo by working with Caltrans by changing the name of the street in front of the Santa Ana Zoo to ‘Zoo Lane’ as the new street name for the road formerly known as Elk Lane,” Bennett stated. “It will extend the entire street from South Lyon Street to past the 55 Freeway and have off- and on-ramp signage.”
Readers may recall that the zoo was established after Joseph Prentice, in 1949, donated the land for it, with the stipulation that the city must keep at least 50 monkeys at all times. Among the announcements made at Zoofari this year was that zoo officials had successfully worked with the Prentice family, and the zoo has been released of its requirement to always have 50 monkeys at the facility.
“This makes way for more flexibility for the best welfare of the animals,” Bennett noted.
Honors were bestowed upon the late Lori Babcock, lauded by her daughter, Donna Czekalski, for her years of service on the zoo board. Also praised was the late Kathleen Edman, who gave some 30 years of service to the animals at Santa Ana Zoo. Her daughter, Shellie Cluett, shared that at her memorial Kathleen was “surrounded by blankets and photos of all the zoo animals she loved and cared for over decades.”
Founded in 1952, the Santa Ana Zoo is distinguished in Orange County as a symbol of excellence and dedication to animal care and conservation. The zoo is home to over 150 animals, boasting a collection of monkeys and endangered species. For more information about the Santa Ana Zoo, visit SantaAnaZoo.org and FOSAZ contact Executive Director Cat Decker at [email protected].
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