June was a big month for the Saskatoon Zoo Foundation, with one of its major fundraisers, the Zoo GALA, which was a roaring success. (See what I did there? Roaring as in a roaring lion? Ya, I’m full of corny jokes.)
If you have never been, the GALA is held at the Saskatoon Zoo after hours. You are welcomed with entertainment and champagne and shooters along the path to the Lions Event Pavilion, which houses the mainstage and all of the participating restaurants with signature dishes to taste test. The Johner Brothers entertained the crowd, and if you want to check out the Zoo, you can also do that in style with the Kinsmen Express Train. By the way, these pictures are not professional. They are from my phone. I say this so you don’t think some professional botched up their job at the event. It was me!
In the picture below, you can see some of the animals I communed with while at the GALA. When I saw the owl, I couldn’t help but take a picture. It looked like it was welcoming us to the party, like a maître de. The pronghorn was in a habitat very near the Pavilion, and was not bothered by the music or all the activity. There were two pronghorn by the fence. I was told by a Zoo employee that they were brought in as babies, whose mom had been run over. Then I saw the giant blue butterfly almost the size of my hand in the Prairie Butterfly House. It’s called a Blue Morpho Butterfly and it’s one of the largest butterflies in the world.
The Saskatoon Zoo Foundation raises funds to try to improve the lives and the habitats of the Zoo, and one of the main focuses right now is a larger area for the two grizzly bears, Koda and Mistaya. You can see a picture of one of them below and a picture of part of their current habitat. They have lived here since 2008. The two are not related, but were orphans and were introduced to each other at the Calgary Zoo and then transferred to their now permanent home in Saskatoon. By the way, the week of July 21st to 27th will include activities in honour of Mistaya and Koda’s 20th birthdays.
So, if you are able to donate to the Saskatoon Zoo Foundation, please know your hard-earned funds are going to improve the lives of the animals that live there.
Your Zoo Foundation blogger,
Carol Thomson
