Detroit Zoo turns 95 today and has month of celebrations planned: What to know
The Detroit Zoo is offering a rare glimpse into how its staff manages the morning feeding of animals as it kicks off a month of special programming and membership discounts for its 95th anniversary.
Celebrations begin this morning as the zoo opens at 8 a.m., an hour earlier than normal. Admission is free for the first 95 non-members to walk through the gate. Free one-way train rides on the Tauber Family Railroad will be given to the first 995 guests.
"This celebration is not only to celebrate the zoo, but it's a celebration for the guests as well," said Jeff Sell, the zoo's director of communications
Visitors can watch divers conduct tank cleanings at the Polk Penguin Conservation Center, view the feeding of polar bears and sea otters at the Artic Ring of Life enclosure and take in miniature donkey walks in the zoo's barnyard area. The Detroit Tigers mascot Paws is scheduled to be at the zoo from 8 to 10 a.m. for a meet-and-greet.
Country radio station WYCD-FM (99.5) will broadcast live until 10 a.m. at the Cotton Family Wolf Wilderness in the southwest corner of the zoo.
Though the Detroit Zoo officially opened Aug. 1, 1928 in Royal Oak, its roots can be traced back to 1883, when Detroit residents took care of animals abandoned by circuses in the Detroit Zoological Garden located at Michigan and Trumbull. It was across the street from what would become Tiger Stadium.
The zoo will be open for an after-hours event from 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday. Country artists Hannah Ellis and Louie Lee are scheduled to perform at the main picnic grove. Tickets to the concert are $19.95 for guests ages 2 and up and must be purchased in advance.
Lee, a Detroit native, said he visits the zoo with his nephew. "It's nice to see his eyes light up at the reptiles. He loves all the lizards."
Throughout the month, the zoo is offering $10 off new or renewed memberships. The first 950 customers to buy memberships in person will get a stuffed animal.
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The zoo also will offer beverage specials, including 95-cent refills on souvenir cups. Bear tracks — fried dough sprinkled with cinnamon sugar — will be buy one, get one for 95 cents throughout the month.
"The best thing is when I go out and walk. We have field trips," Sell said. "I get such a thrill and joy seeing the looks on these kids' faces — the looks of awe and wonder. They are truly learning."
Maria Witcher, a rising junior at Cass Technical High School, is a 2023 summer apprentice.
Editor's note: A previous version of this story misstated the name of Jeff Sell, director of communications at the Detroit Zoological Society.
This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: Detroit Zoo has big plans for 95th anniversary celebration
