Chill out at End of Summer Blast
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 29, 2019
TACOMA, Wash. – Polar bears, tigers, elephants and more will chill out with icy treats and other enrichments during the End of Summer Blast at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium over Labor Day Weekend – along with a baby Malayan tapir, making his debut.
And zoo visitors can have a blast watching them, making memories and enjoying the zoo in these last few days of summer.
The event runs from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Aug. 31, Sept. 1 and 2. It is free with Zoo admission or membership.
There’s nothing like watching a 9,000-pound elephant stomp a watermelon, or sea otters play in a pile of ice. Polar bears and red wolves (and pups) will also devour watermelons, while meerkats and lemurs explore a beach scene filled with balls, towels, chairs and umbrellas.
Marine animals like sea lions, walruses, seals, otters and sea birds will splash around in their Rocky Shores habitats.
Plus, the seven-week-old tapir calf will make his public debut in the Asian Forest Sanctuary, exploring grass, treats and a pool with his mom Yuna.
Here’s the special event schedule:
Saturday, Aug. 31
11 a.m. South Pacific Aquarium Shark feed
11 a.m. Rocky Shores Ice piles, blocks and pops for sea otters
11:30 a.m. Arctic Tundra Keeper chat plus watermelon ice treats and icing for polar bears
12 p.m. Rocky Shores Puffin feed
12:30 p.m. Asian Forest Sanctuary Keeper chat plus ice, watermelon or whipped cream for tigers
1 p.m. Elephant Barn Keeper chat and watermelon for elephants
1:30 p.m. Critter Corner Animal encounter
2 p.m. Discovery Hut Close Encounter and ice piles for Butternut the beaver kit
2 p.m. Red Wolf Woods Keeper chat, plus ice piles and watermelon for red wolves
3 p.m. Rocky Shores Keeper chat
Sunday, Sept. 1
10 a.m. Plaza Leafy and Fruity garden tour
11 a.m. Rocky Shores Ice piles, blocks and pops for sea otters
11 a.m. South Pacific Aquarium Lagoon feed
11:30 a.m. Arctic Tundra Keeper chat plus watermelon ice treats and icing for polar bears
12 p.m. Rocky Shores Puffin feed
12:30 p.m. Asian Forest Sanctuary Keeper chat plus ice, watermelon or whipped cream for tigers
1 p.m. Elephant Barn Keeper chat and watermelon for elephants
1:30 p.m. Critter Corner Animal encounter
2 p.m. Discovery Hut Close Encounter and ice piles for Butternut the beaver kit
2 p.m. Red Wolf Woods Keeper chat, plus ice piles and watermelon for red wolves
3 p.m. Rocky Shores Keeper chat
Monday, Sept. 2
10 a.m. Pacific Seas Aquarium Dive in Northwest Waters
11 a.m. Rocky Shores Ice piles, blocks and pops for sea otters
11:30 a.m. Arctic Tundra Keeper chat plus watermelon ice treats and icing for polar bears
12 p.m. Rocky Shores Puffin feed
12:30 p.m. Asian Forest Sanctuary Keeper chat plus ice, watermelon or whipped cream for tigers
1 p.m. Elephant Barn Keeper chat and watermelon for elephants
1:30 p.m. Critter Corner Animal encounter
2 p.m. Red Wolf Woods Keeper chat, plus ice piles and watermelon for red wolves
3 p.m. Rocky Shores Keeper chat
All weekend, various times
Kids’ Zone: Beach enrichments for meerkats and lemurs; beach balls, watermelon and ice for goats
Asian Forest Sanctuary: Popsicles and summer enrichments for other animals
Younger visitors can have splashy fun themselves in the Kids’ Zone sprayground, touch Puget Sound animals in the Pacific Seas Aquarium Tidal Touch Zone or feel a velvety stingray in the South Pacific Aquarium.
Look for animal close encounters, two action-packed live-action animal shows each day, and keeper talks across the zoo.
Performances of the entertaining Wild Wonders Outdoor Theater Show, “The Wildest Show in the West,” are scheduled at noon and 3:30 p.m. each day. The show features a cast of zookeepers and animals including the dogs Herald and Mazie Mae alternating as Sheruff Bones. They ride to the rescue aboard a hot air balloon to finish a performance starring an array of animals from an aardvark to a sloth to a flock of hilarious chickens.
Visitors are sure to leave with big smiles, inspired to help preserve our Earth – and its animals – via the show’s motto: Choose to Reuse.
All activities are free with zoo admission or membership.
For more information, go to www.pdza.org/summer-blast.
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Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, the Northwest’s only combined zoo and aquarium, promotes responsible stewardship of the world’s resources through education, conservation, research and recreational opportunities. The zoo, a division of Metro Parks Tacoma, is accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) and the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums (AMMPA).
Media Contact
Whitney DalBalcon: 253-278-6343, 253-404-3637 or whitney.dalbalcon@pdza.org