One Weekend Left for Wild Days At SeaWorld

Wild Days, presented by Coca-Cola rounds out this weekend, February 7 – 8, with animal expert Jungle Jack Hanna at SeaWorld, Orlando.

Jack Hannah made his 95th appearance on Letterman last night with a groundhog, bush baby, a black leopard, cobra, caracal and a Harris’s hawk. While it’s always fun to watch him interact with the animals (and David Letterman!) on TV, how amazing is it to say you got to watch him in person?!

SeaWorld park guests get the opportunity to see Jack Hanna from the Columbus Zoo on the Wild Days stage in the Nautilus Stage. He’ll share stories from his travels around the world, and introduce guests to some of his favorite animal friends. Wild Days is included with park admission. Shows are at 11:00am and 3:00 pm.

For those wanting a more intimate up-close encounter, there are a few add on experiences available as well.

• Breakfast with Jack Hanna (available Saturday and Sunday) at Dine with Shamu®. Package includes breakfast at Dine With Shamu, meet-and-greet with Jack Hanna, a complimentary family photo and special reserved seats during the 11 a.m. show.
• Dinner with Jack Hanna (only available Saturday) at Dine with Shamu®. Package includes dinner at Dine With Shamu, meet-and-greet with Jack Hanna, a complimentary family photo and special reserved seats during the 3 p.m. show.

This is the third and final weekend of Wild Days. Animal Ambassador Julie Scardina kicked off the event with a Penguin Party, and last week Bindi Irwin, 16-year-old daughter of Terri Irwin and the late Steve Irwin (The Crocodile Hunter) thrilled “Generation Nature” with her passion for education and conservation.

Insider tip: Buy your annual pass now! The incredible BOGO deal ends February 8, 2015. Special this weekend from Coca-Cola: Buy one souvenir drink cup ($11.99) and receive one for 50% off with free refills of Coca-Cola products on the day of purchase. 

All weekend, don’t miss the fun at SEA Garden Block Party featuring a high-energy DJ, whimsical Storyteller, animal encounters, and special character appearances. There are also chances to earn limited edition Wild Days trading cards around the park, plus opportunities for kids to play games that teach how they can help the environment.

You can also hear from SeaWorld trainers who will be on hand to introduce you to some of your favorite SeaWorld animal friends. Discover what goes into training, feeding and loving these animals every single day, plus ask questions of your own! See the in-park flyer for times and locations.

We love going to Wild Days. It’s a great opportunity to see world-renowned animal experts and hear how they’re making a difference every day. It’s great, too, to learn new ways we can be a part. If you’d like to be inspired to action (and have tons of fun doing it), visit SeaWorld during Wild Days, or any day.

Conservation begins with Inspiration. Be inspired. Go DO.

 

See “Sea Lion Splash” Before It Slips Away

Time is running out! Now through May 31 visit some of the slipperiest Sea Lions you’ll ever want to meet at Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo. This limited-time exhibition features coastal sea lions in all their splish-splash-iest glory educating audiences not only about themselves and their habitats along the coasts of Mexico, Central and South America, but also on conservation efforts through offering tips on keeping our earth beautiful by recycling.

Just beyond the splash zone, you’ll find a huge inflatable slide (that, ahem, grownups can slide down as well!), a bounce house for smaller guests, a giant sandbox, specialty gift shop, and food kiosk with pool party-inspired food and beverages.

Admission to Sea Lion Splash is $2 per person in addition to Zoo general admission.

We were invited to visit to check out the exhibit and went with another homeschooling family, though we weren’t able to see everything at the zoo in the one day. Tampa and surrounding area residents: This is a great place to get an  annual pass. Not only is Lowry Park Zoo ranked one by Parents Magazine (read more about it here), and accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (which is very important in my book) but there are lots of activities, rides, animals and more that are sure to keep you busy all year long.

We enjoyed using the KidQuest Science Adventures “Wild At the Zoo” workbook on our trip. We did a little research with it on the way, worked on it more at lunch, then reinforced what we learned on the way home. There were lots of cool activities. The kids in our group ranging in age from 1st to 4th grade especially liked working on Animal Profiles. We ran into a Docent in the Lorikeet Landing Aviary by the Asian Gardens and the kids were proud to have already learned what “docent” meant so they could share their knowledge with her, and ask questions in return!

Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo is a kid-friendly zoo that has lots of activities for visitors young and old alike. We look forward to our next visit to see our favorite animals and meet a few more we missed the first time.

Visit Lowry Park Zoo before the month is out to see Sea Lion Splash!

PS Here’s a special link from Twinkl.com for teachers and homeschool moms of preschool to early-elementary students to help in
combining beginning word blends with Sea Lions!
http://www.twinkl.co.uk/resource/t-w2-20627-initial-letter-blends-on-sealions/alt338943 It’s free to join. Check them out.

Disclosure: I received tickets to visit Sea Lion Splash with no expectation for review or promotion. I did, however, enjoy it so much that I wanted to share my experience. All opinions are my own.

Busch Gardens Welcomes Baby White Rhino

Kirisi the white rhinoceros gave birth to her second calf, a female, on Tuesday, October 23, 2012 at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.

Weighing in at around 140 pounds, the newborn will gain about four pounds a day. At maturity she’ll weigh between 3,500 and 4,000 pounds. The calf’s father is Tambo. This is his seventh time being a father. This is Busch Gardens seventh baby white rhino since 2004.

Busch Gardens is part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP), a collaborative program with a goal of sustainability and genetic diversity to ensure the health and continued longevity of an animal population, especially those that urgently need to be protected in the wild.

According to Busch Gardens, “Kisiri, Tambo and another female white rhino were airlifted from Kruger National Park in South Africa in 2001 through the efforts of the International Rhino Foundation (IRF), a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of rhinos. Fewer than 15,000 white rhinos remain in the wild, and approximately 200 live in zoological facilities across North America.”

Since its inception in 2003, The SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund
has granted $7 million USD to more than 500 projects in the U.S. and around the world, including $194,000 USD grants to rhino conservation projects. The Fund
was created by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment and is a registered
501(c)(3) non-profit charitable foundation dedicated to supporting
environmental and wildlife conservation initiatives.