Woodland Park Zoo- PRESS RELEASE
| February 29, 2008 Seattle’s newest conservation ambassador needs a name – Ivar’s and Kidd Valley partner with Woodland Park Zoo in baby gorilla naming contest Contact: |
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SEATTLE - Woodland Park Zoo female western lowland gorilla, born last October, is nameless but not for long. Beginning March 2, Ivar’s, Kidd Valley and the zoo invite the community to name Seattle’s newest conservation ambassador. The contest ends March 23.
The zoo names its animals in languages that reflect their area of origin, so contestants will have to do a little extra work. Only names submitted in the African languages of Swahili, Hausa (HOW-suh), Igbo (E-boo), or Yoruba (YOUR-uh-buh) will qualify for the grand prize (hint: use a search engine online to find a name or visit a local library for dictionaries with these languages). “We hope the contest inspires people to see these magnificent apes up close at the zoo and learn more about gorillas and other wildlife native to Africa,” said Dr. Nancy Hawkes, general curator at Woodland Park Zoo. The naming contest is open to both children and adults residing in Washington state. Entry forms will be available at any Western Washington Ivar’s or Kidd Valley. Forms also will be available at Woodland Park Zoo’s Visitor Assistance Center and ZooStore, or can be downloaded from the Gorilla Naming page on the zoo's Web site. Completed entry forms must be returned to any Western Washington Ivar’s, Kidd Valley or Woodland Park Zoo by 5:00 p.m., March 23. The winner will be announced at a naming ceremony at the zoo on Friday, April 4. “ Everyone at Ivar’s Seafood Restaurants and Kidd Valley is thrilled to support Woodland Park Zoo’s baby gorilla naming contest,” said Kirsten Wlaschin, Ivar’s Seafood Restaurants and Kidd Valley director of marketing. “We’re equally excited our Puget Sound restaurants are destinations for zoo enthusiasts to suggest names for its baby gorilla; after serving Seattle families for 70 years in our restaurants, we find the partnership to be a perfect fit.” The winner of the contest will receive the Grand Prize of: a 12-month family membership to Woodland Park Zoo, $150 Ivar’s gift card, 12-month adoption of the baby gorilla, commemorative gorilla print, large plush gorilla, and an invitation for the winner and family to attend an official naming ceremony at the zoo. The judging panel will consist of the zoo’s gorilla keepers and volunteers. The 4-month-old, female gorilla made recent headlines when neurosurgeons from Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center surgically removed a growth near her spine. “The operation was a success and she has recovered fully. She’s thriving and she continues to bond with her mom,” explained Hawkes. The infant represents the twelfth successful gorilla birth for the zoo and the third offspring between 38-year-old Amanda and the father, 29-year-old Vip. The zoo currently houses 11 gorillas in two separate groups in the award-winning Tropical Rain Forest. The western lowland gorilla lives in six countries across west equatorial Africa: southeast Nigeria, Gabon, Cameroon, Central African Republic, west Congo and Equatorial Guinea. All gorillas are endangered and the western lowland gorilla is the most numerous with a population of approximately 94,000. However, the population is declining due to poaching and disease (World Wildlife Fund). The bushmeat trade, facilitated by logging, and the Ebola virus have become immediate threats to the western lowland gorilla population, particularly in Cameroon. Started on Seattle's waterfront in 1938, today, there are 24 Ivar's fast casual Seafood Bars, three Fish Bars, and three full-service restaurants: Ivar's Acres of Clams, Ivar's Salmon House and Ivar's Mukilteo Landing. Ivar's Soup and Sauce Company markets and sells its award-winning soups, chowders, and sauces both nationally and internationally. The company also operates 19 regional stadium concessions including Safeco Field, Qwest Field, Husky Stadium and the Everett Event Center. Learn more at www.ivars.net. Kidd Valley's made-to-order burgers, old fashioned hand-mixed shakes, fresh onion rings and signature fried mushrooms began in 1975 in a small Seattle storefront. Today, Kidd Valley has several locations throughout Western Washington. Learn more at www.kiddvalley.com. 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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