What:
Woodland Park Zoo is throwing a birthday bash for Asian elephant Hansa (HUN-suh), the much-celebrated elephant who turns the big 5! Enjoy festivities for the whole family including face painting, storytelling, live music by Mad Frogs, crafts, elephant baths, and a complimentary cupcake courtesy of Cupcake Royale, while supplies last. Hear an elephant keeper talk about Hansa growing up and why she’s a symbol of hope for her cousins in the wild. And, of course, join the zoo in singing "Happy Birthday to Hansa" as she and the herd enjoy their own birthday cake made of cornmeal, carrots, grapes, bananas, raisins, bamboo leaves and other favorite treats.

When:
Saturday, November 5, 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Where:
Woodland Park Zoo’s Elephant Forest and South Entrance Plaza. Enter the zoo through the South Entrance at N. 50th St. & Fremont Ave. N. or West Entrance at N. 55th St. & Phinney Ave. N.

Cost:
Hansa’s birthday bash is free with zoo admission. Get a $1 off admission discount coupon for up to four people (valid November 5 only) on the Hansa Birthday page of the zoo's Web site.

Zoo admission: Adult (13-64) $10; Child (3-12) $7; Toddler (0-2) Free. Seniors and disabled receive a discount and zoo members receive free zoo admission year-round. Parking: $3.50. Parking is limited – call Metro at 206.553.3000 for bus service to the zoo.

Info:
For more information, call 206.684.4800 or visit www.zoo.org.

Asian elephant Chai gave birth to Hansa on November 3, 2000. Hansa’s arrival was the first elephant birth in the zoo’s 100-year history and in the state of Washington. Hansa has been a famous ambassador for her wild counterparts as she offers visitors the opportunity to be inspired to learn about elephants and participate in preserving elephants and their habitat.

Other:
Long believed to be extinct, the magnificent ivory-billed woodpecker was rediscovered in the swampy bottomlands of eastern Arkansas in early 2004 and publicly announced by The Nature Conservancy and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology last April, an event that touched off headlines around the world and a flurry of scientific activity and even controversy. The bird’s last confirmed sighting had been more than 60 years ago.

The ivory-bill, the largest woodpecker in North America, vanished after extensive clearing destroyed millions of acres of virgin forest throughout the South between the 1880s and mid-1940s. It was rediscovered in the Big Woods of Arkansas, where the Conservancy and its partners have safeguarded more than 120,000 acres.

Accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, award-winning Woodland Park Zoo is famed for pioneering naturalistic exhibits and setting a standard for zoos all over the world. With conservation, education and excellent animal care at the core of the zoo’s mission, the zoo is helping to save endangered species in Washington state and around the world including tree kangaroos, snow leopards, red-crowned cranes, African wild dogs, western pond turtles and Oregon silverspot butterflies. By inspiring visitors and others to care and act, Woodland Park Zoo is making a difference in our planet’s future.