Get in to the Oklahoma City Zoo for FREE next week!
Admission is free to the Oklahoma City Zoo on July 17. Here’s some more information from the good folks at the zoo:
We thank you, Oklahoma City Zoo supporters, for all you do! Tuesday, July 17, 2012, marks the twenty-second anniversary of the 1/8 of a cent dedicated sales tax being passed by Oklahoma City citizens for the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden, and to celebrate, the Zoo is offering free admission to all on Tuesday, July 17.
Passed by Oklahoma City citizens in 1990, the sales tax has made numerous capitol improvements possible at the Zoo including Great EscApe, Cat Forest/Lion Overlook, the main entrance facility, the Canopy Food Court, Oklahoma Trails, the Children’s Zoo and the Elephant Habitat. Moving forward the sales tax will help fund a new animal hospital slated to open in 2014.
“We are extremely grateful to the citizens of Oklahoma City for their ongoing dedication to the Zoo. The significant support we receive from the community enables the Zoo to continue to grow and strive for excellence in our mission of conservation, education, research and recreation; while becoming a world class attraction that Oklahomans are proud to call their zoo.” said Dwight Scott, Executive Director/CEO.
Take advantage of the free admission and make plans to visit the Zoo on Sales Tax Appreciation Day, Tuesday, July 17. Group reservations are not required. Regular prices apply for all rides and attractions.
Visit Oklahoma’s #1 attraction and one of the top three zoos in the country as named in the 2012 10Besties Readers’ Choice Travel Awards. The Oklahoma City Zoo is a proud member of Oklahoma City’s Adventure District located at the crossroads of I-44 and I-35. Admission is $8 for adults, $5 for children ages three-11 and seniors ages 65 and over. Children two and under are admitted free.
Now through August 26, the Zoo is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for Morning Zoo Rise. Guests can take advantage of our late Saturdays through September 1, and stay and play until 8 p.m. All guests must leave grounds at closing. Become a Zoo fan at http://www.facebook.com/okczoobg or follow us on Twitter @okczoo. To learn more about these and other happenings, call (405) 424-3344 or visit okczoo.com.
Cheetah play time
My reaction to this photo: a half second after it was taken, there was no little deer left. But I was wrong, thank goodness. A photographer captured some amazing photos of a tiny deer playing – yes, playing – with cheetahs. Don’t worry, things didn’t end badly. The deer headed for the hills before anything happened. But luckily this photographer caught some images of play time.
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
Mommy, there’s a cheetah in the garden
When Julie-Ann Taylor’s 9-year-old son came running into the kitchen yelling about a cheetah in the garden, she thought his imagination was getting the best of him. How many cheetahs roam the plains of England, after all?
Then she looked out the window and saw the 66 pound cat taking chunks out of his bicycle in their driveway. 
The boy, Toby, was just 15 feet away from the cat when he spotted it, dropped his bike and ran in the house. By the time he reached the door, the cat was chewing the bike’s seat and ripping at the tires with its claws.
Turns out, the six-foot long cheetah had escaped from a nearby animal sanctuary.
The woman called authorities, and zoo keepers and police arrived, coralling the cat in the family’s farmhouse stable as they harnessed the cheetah, named Akea.
Toby has since had nightmares over the incident, not surprisingly. Although cheetahs tame quite well for a large cat and rarely attack humans, a cat of Akea’s size could clearly be dangerous to a 9-year-old.
Cheetahs, which are considered vulnerable in the wild, are the world’s fastest land animal. They hunt fast prey such as impala in their native Africa, chasing them down with short bursts of speed up to 70 miles per hour.
- Staff Writer Bryan Dean
