Detroit Zoo Offers Wild Holiday Gift Ideas
While the shopping mall becomes a zoo, shoppers might as well head to the actual zoo, and pick out something wild from the Detroit Zoological Society holiday gift catalog.
The catalog offers "zoonique" gift ideas with proceeds to help support the animals at the Detroit Zoo.
For your friends and family, the zoo suggests:
Zoo Membership: A Detroit Zoological Society membership provides a year's supply of "Vitamin Z" with free admission to the Detroit Zoo and Belle Isle Nature Zoo, free parking, discounts at Zoo gift shops and many other benefits. Prices range from $48 to $175. Residents of Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties receive $10 off all categories and can purchase up to four gift memberships at the discounted rate.
Opt to adopt: An A.D.O.P.T.S. (Animals Depend on People to Survive) gift package includes a plush animal, photo, fact sheet, personalized adoption certificate and greeting card. The cost is $50 (regularly $70). Or, visit Zoofari Market on your next trip to the Zoo and, for a donation of $15, choose a plush and receive a certificate of adoption. Either way, a gift of A.D.O.P.T.S. helps to improve the Zoo animals' habitats and provide veterinary treatment.
Preserve the rainforest: Contribute to the Adopt-A-School program in lieu of exchanging gifts and provide school supplies to the rural schools and children in the Amazon. Sponsor a child for $25 for a year's supply of school materials or adopt an entire Peruvian school for $350.
Pay tribute: Make a lasting impression at the Zoo with a brick tribute paver engraved with a loved one's name or special message (cost is $100 to $1,000). A brass-finished laser-etched butterfly can be purchased to commemorate a birthday, wedding, anniversary or the life of a family member, friend or beloved pet (cost is $500).
Close encounters of the animal kind: Zoo Experiences such as Breakfast with the Butterflies ($300 per group of four), Breakfast with the Giraffes and Mingle with the Macaronis (each $500 per group of four) allow visitors to get up close and personal with these Zoo residents. A Guided ZooTour ($100 per person) offers the opportunity to tour the Zoo with a knowledgeable docent on a zero-emission golf cart and visit the animals before the Zoo opens.
To order your zoo gifts, visit www.detroitzoo.org/shop or call (248) 541-5717.
