Woodland Park Zoo- PRESS RELEASE
| February 1, 2008 Calendar Advisory: Special
Valentine’s Day opportunities: Contact: |
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SEATTLE - Looking to purchase something truly unique for a loved one this Valentine’s Day? Then, look no further because Woodland Park Zoo’s orangutan Towan (toe-WAHN) has created two original paintings just for the occasion and, for the first time ever, it is up for bid on eBay. The paintings are beautifully framed and matted and ready for hanging on your wall. Also being offered, the opportunity to “adopt” the zoo’s 4-month-old western lowland gorilla through the zoo’s ZooParent Adoption Program.
Each of Towan’s masterpieces is painted on 12x16-inch canvases and is a kaleidoscope of colors: one is a sunny yellow with orange, brown and green swathes, and the second is a rich red background highlighted by deep blue and green (and even a bit of straw!). These instant classics will be a guaranteed conversation piece perfect for your home or office and it comes with a certificate of authenticity from Woodland Park Zoo. Bidding ends February 8, 2008, 2:26 p.m. (PST). Bidding on this painting gives you a piece of art created by a talented orangutan – the Picasso of Primates, the Andy Warhol of Apes. Your winning bid will go toward helping to fund the September 2009 combined conferences of the International Congress of Zoo Keepers (ICZ) and the American Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK) hosted by Woodland Park Zoo and the Puget Sound AAZK chapter. This conference represents the first time these two professional zookeeper organizations have joined to bring together animal care professionals from around the world to the United States. The conference will improve the levels of communication between keepers from around the world, and serve as a basis for supporting the development of zoo keeping as a profession in regions where professional keeper associations do not currently exist. Towan, along with four other orangutans, resides in the zoo’s award-winning Trail of Vines exhibit located in the Tropical Asia bioclimatic zone. To bid on the painting, visit eBay or the Towan Painting page on the zoo's website. And speaking of primates, an adoption featuring the zoo’s baby western lowland gorilla is another special being offered for Valentine’s Day. Imagine the surprise your significant other will have when you make them a “parent” to this endangered (and adorable) infant! The $69 adoption fee gives the recipient a host of benefits including a gorilla plush animal, gorilla fact sheet, personalized ZooParent adoption certificate and a photo of the baby gorilla. Plus the knowledge that money raised will help support the care of the baby and other animals at the zoo and for the zoo’s many worldwide conservation projects, including for gorillas. To donate to the baby gorilla ZooParent Adoption, visit the Special Adoption page on the zoo's Web site International Conference Zoo Keepers website American Association of Zoo Keepers website American Association of Zoo Keepers – Puget Sound Chapter website Accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA), award-winning Woodland Park Zoo is famed for pioneering naturalistic exhibits and setting international standards for zoos all over the world. Conservation, education and excellent animal care are at the core of the zoo’s mission. The zoo is helping to save animals and their habitats 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 people to care and act, Woodland Park Zoo is making a difference in our planet’s future.
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