Zoo to You puts on first-ever Wild Lights Dec. 7
Children from Atascadero United Methodist Church learn about the animals at Zoo to You on a tour in August. Photo by Heather Young
Holiday event will raise money for nonprofit animal rescue
For the first time ever, Zoo to You is lighting up its animal compound outside of Paso Robles for the holiday season. The fundraiser will take place on Sunday, Dec. 7 from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. at its location at 2445 Adobe Road in Paso Robles. The family-friendly event is $5 per person, those under 3 are free.
Fundraising coordinator Janet Marcotte said that there will cookies, hot cider and hot chocolate included in the price of admission. Children will also be able to write letters to Santa, which the organization will then mail to the North Pole. A few crafters will be setup selling their wares and there will be a hot dog and hamburger barbecue for a small added cost. Santa will also make an appearance to visit with the children. Some of the animals will be taken out of their homes for photos with visitors, though Marcotte said only a few animals will be taken out a time so there aren’t a lot of empty enclosures.
At 4:30 p.m., the zoo keepers will begin giving special presents — food wrapped up in a present — to the animals. The animal rescue has more than 300 animals including all of its reptiles.
“Making them work for their food,” Marcotte said, adding that it is something that happens throughout the year as behavior enrichment since in the wild these animals are not given food on a regular schedule as they are in captivity. “We won’t do it all at once, we’ll do each animal [separately] so everyone can watch.”
The event was the brain child of two volunteers, Su and Scott Ellis, who thought this would be a fun event to do.
“They took it on,” Marcotte said, adding that they’ve been searching sales of all kinds for lights and have been stringing wire and lights throughout the property.
When it starts to get dark, which Marcotte said will likely be between 5:30 and 6 p.m., the lights around the compound will be turned on. She said there are well over 100 strands holding thousands of lights that have been acquired and put up over the last couple of months.
Via Vega Wines will sell its Zoo to You tribute wines at the event with 25 percent of the sales going to Zoo to You.
The local nonprofit’s mission is to provide “wild encounters that inspire people to protect our wild planet.” The organization looks to give a worldwide voice to wildlife. It provides a permanent, loving home for displaces, abused, abandoned and permanently injured wild and exotic animals and shares the animal ambassadors with people of all ages to educate them about conservation and their connection to the “wild world.” More than a million children around the state have experienced Zoo to You’s educational programs that include live animals and story telling.
“Our whole goal,” Marcotte said, ” is education.
As this is the first year for this event, Marcotte is unsure how it will turn out, but she said as long as there are volunteers to help put it together, it will happen again.
For more information, call (805) 391-0604, go to www.the-zoo-paso-robles.com or see the event on Facebook.
