Note to Editors and Reporters: For more information on the press conference, contact Rod Hackney (336-879-7204) or Tom Gillespie (336-879-7202) in the North Carolina Zoo's Marketing Office.

ASHEBORO, N.C. - John Walsh, International Projects Director for the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), who led the first team of animal experts to provide assistance to Afghanistan's war-torn Kabul Zoo, will hold a press conference at the North Carolina Zoo next Wednesday to talk about his experiences and express his appreciation for the support provided by the world zoo community.

Walsh just this week returned to the U.S. after spending more than a month leading a WSPA team that delivered the first veterinary care, food, supplies and funds for the animals as well as beginning repairs and paying the staff at the beleaguered Kabul Zoo. He will speak to reporters and show photos of the Kabul effort during a press conference set for noon in the N.C. Zoo's Stedman Education Center. Also on hand for the presentation will be Dr. David Jones, Director of the N.C. Zoo; Russell H. Williams, Executive Director of the N.C. Zoological Society; and Sydney Butler, Executive Director of the American Zoo & Aquarium Association (AZA).

Most of the funds for Walsh and the WSPA effort in Kabul were raised by the North Carolina Zoo and its support organization, the N.C. Zoological Society, on behalf of AZA-North America's leading organization of zoo and aquarium professionals based in Silver Springs, Maryland. Other international zoo support for the Kabul Zoo has been provided by the British Federation of Zoos, the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria and the World Association of Zoos and Aquaria (WAZA). The fundraising effort that was launched in December has already exceeded half a million dollars, with $382,000 contributed for the Kabul Zoo and an additional $122,000 raised to help other animals, including domestics, in Afghanistan. Contributions came from more than 4,700 donors representing every state in the U.S. and several foreign countries. To date, about $70,000 has been provided to WSPA, one of the world's largest animal welfare organizations, for its Afghan programs.

The N.C. Zoo is a member institution of AZA and an agency of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, William G. Ross, Jr. Secretary; Michael F. Easley, Governor.