See What's Popping at the Detroit Zoo

Detroit Popcorn to offer gourmet popcorn at the zoo.

The Detroit Zoo’s “pop” culture now includes Detroit Popcorn. The new concession offers an assortment of gourmet popcorn, including the company’s signature caramel corn, a recipe that has been used since its founding in 1923. Additional menu items include cotton candy, fried fruit pies, funnel-cake bites, beverages and other treats.  Detroit Popcorn, which opened March 30, is located across from Rackham Fountain in the space formerly occupied by Kijiji Café. The concession is managed by Service Systems Associates (SSA), operator of concessions, retail and grounds services for the Detroit Zoological Society.  “The Detroit Zoo and Detroit Popcorn are the perfect combination, two Detroit traditions that have been popular with the community …

• Photos (1)

Detroit Zoo's Newest Attraction Fits in Your Pocket

The Detroit Zoo app is available for download at the iTunes App Store and Android Market (search for “Detroit Zoo”) for $1.99.

A new Detroit Zoo mobile application makes getting a daily dose of Vitamin Z easier than ever. The Zoo’s new and improved smartphone app helps guests plan their visit, find their way, learn more about their favorite animals and even go on a wildlife scavenger hunt. The app is available for both the iPhone and Android.  “The new app allows users to plan their visit as well as enrich their experience once they arrive,” said Detroit Zoological Society CEO and Executive Director Ron Kagan. “One exciting feature allows kids to become ‘secret agents’, using their imagination and special clues to discover the Detroit Zoo in a whole new way.”  Kids can explore the Zoo via an interactive scavenger hunt with the Detroit Zoo’s mascots, Junior Z and …

• Photos (4)

Tri-County Seniors Invited to Free Day at Detroit Zoo

Senior Day will feature live music, tractor train tours, bingo and more.

Senior citizens living in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties are invited to enjoy a free day at the Detroit Zoo on Senior Day, Wednesday, April 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Seniors 62 and older and a caregiver will receive complimentary admission and parking.  Senior Day will feature live music, tractor train tours, bingo and a senior resource area. The day’s activities will also include animal enrichment and zookeeper talks highlighting some of the Zoo’s senior animal residents.  The spring Senior Day is one of two free days for tri-county seniors held annually at the Detroit Zoo in appreciation for voter approval in August 2008 of the ballot proposal to keep the Zoo. A fall Senior Day will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2013. 

• Photos (1)

Detroit Zoo Ushers in Ice Age with New 4-D Film

“Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” now showing in the Wild Adventure Zone.

Detroit Zoo visitors can experience an adventure of mammoth proportions with “Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs”, now showing at the 4-D Theater in the Wild Adventure Zone.  The sub-zero heroes from the worldwide blockbuster venture into a mysterious underground world after Sid the sloth stumbles across three abandoned eggs and decides to raise them as his own. Once the eggs hatch, the adventure begins in the lost world of the dinosaurs. The 14-minute film is voiced by an all-star cast, including Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary and Queen Latifah. Back for a return engagement and alternating with “Ice Age 3” at the 4-D Theater is “Great Escapes: Life in 4-D”, which takes a look at the ingenious tactics animals have developed to …

• Photos (1)

It's Easy Being Green at Detroit Zoo's GreenFest

Inaugural weekend event April 20-21 celebrates Earth Day.

The Detroit Zoo will host its inaugural GreenFest on Saturday, April 20, and Sunday, April 21, 2013, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Zoo-wide event is dedicated to celebrating Earth Day and educating Zoo visitors about environmental conservation.  Each GreenFest guest who turns in a Green Zoo survey – which can be downloaded at www.detroitzoo.orgbeginning April1 – will receive a reduced admission price of $8, parking not included. Admission for Detroit Zoological Society members is free, but members are encouraged to participate in the survey. Green Zoo surveys will also be available at the admission gates during GreenFest.  GreenFest will feature earth-friendly craft projects, an endangered species and green scavenger hunt, a 30-foot rock climbing …

• Photos (1)

Science & Technology Leaders

Beaumont Cardiologist Heals Apes' Hearts

Zoos around the country, including the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak, turn to Ilana Kutinsky for help with their gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans.

While many visit the zoo to spend a leisurely day strolling through the exotic animal exhibits, Dr. Ilana Kutinsy heads to the apes to listen to their hearts. Kutinsky, 44, cardiologist at Beaumont Hospital, helped start the Great Ape Heart Project, which is the first database of its kind on primate hearts, and has been collecting data for 12 years. She is one of the science and technology leaders whom Patch is highlighting in recognition of Women's History Month. "Now we treat apes for what we think is heart disease," she said. "It translates to them living longer." Her attraction to hearts has been around since she learned their physiology. There aren't, however, many women in her field. "There are four female electrophysiologists in the…

•  2 Comments
• Photos (4)

Aysha Jamali

5:34 pm on Monday, March 25, 2013

And she manages to find time for her "hobby" while working as a cardiologist. Impressive!   more ›

Detroit Zoological Society Leads Expeditions to Peru

Volunteers will work with zoo staff delivering school supplies.

For the fifteenth year, the Detroit Zoological Society (DZS) is leading an expedition to the heart of the Peruvian rainforest to deliver school supplies to rural communities along the Amazon River.  From April 6 to 15, 2013, DZS staff members and volunteers from Michigan and around the country will deliver school supplies purchased with donations to the Peru Adopt-A-School program.  The volunteers – who travel to Peru at their own expense – will work with DZS staff passing out books, paper and supplies to hundreds of students in remote villages, enabling them to attend school and achieve a basic education with a focus on conservation.  “It is part of our mission to provide outstanding and unique educational opportunities to thousands of …

• Photos (1)

Ask Yourself: Do I Want to be a Detroit Zoo Volunteer?

No experience is necessary to become a Detroit Zoological Society volunteer.

The Detroit Zoological Society (DZS) is asking people to “Ask Yourself” in a new volunteer recruitment video. The question: Do you want to be a Detroit Zoo volunteer? The answer may be just a click away for those who are considering a volunteer position at the Detroit Zoo or Belle Isle Nature Zoo.  The short film, produced by DZS volunteer Giff Rogers, highlights the various volunteer opportunities at the Detroit Zoo. Positions include Zoo Ambassador, Gallery Guide at the Wildlife Interpretive Gallery, Guest Assistant at the Arctic Ring of Life, and member of the “Mob Squad” at the Australian Outback Adventure, among others. “Fast Facts” for each position help lead viewers to the position that may be the right fit for them.  “Volunteering …

• Videos (1)

Red-letter Day for Detroit Zoo's Red-eyed Tree Frogs

National Amphibian Conservation Center offers rare glimpse of life cycle.

Catch a red-eye from Detroit, but skip the expensive airfare and long security line. For the first time, the Detroit Zoo’s National Amphibian Conservation Center has red-eyed tree frog tadpoles on exhibit, providing a look at the species in various stages of metamorphosis. A clutch of approximately 25 eggs was laid on January 30 and the tadpoles will soon begin to emerge as juveniles.  “The next four to six weeks will offer an excellent opportunity for visitors to see the fascinating metamorphosis of the frogs at various stages of their life cycle,” said Curator of Amphibians Marcy Sieggreen.  Most of the 75 amphibian species at the National Amphibian Conservation Center are bred in carefully controlled environments, and the development of…

• Photos (1)

Detroit Zoological Society to Host Salvation Army Drive

Clothing and household goods accepted March 9-10 and 16-17 .

The Detroit Zoological Society and The Salvation Army will conduct a donation drive to collect clothing and household goods during two consecutive weekends in March at the Detroit Zoo.  Donors can drop off used but usable clothing and household goods at The Salvation Army truck in the Zoo’s front parking lot beneath the landmark water tower March 9 and 10 and March 16 and 17, 2013, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  A tax receipt will be available upon request at the time of donation. Contributions to the drive can be made without entering the Zoo; however, regular admission and parking fees apply for those visiting the Zoo.  Donations to The Salvation Army’s Thrift Stores generate total funding for the organization’s Southeast Michigan Adult …

• Photos (1)