Saturday, May 17, 2008
10 a.m to 3 p.m
Find out what you need to know to share the great outdoors
with these amazing animals.
During
Bear Awareness Day, our zookeepers will offer camping tips during
“Good Camper/Bad Camper Theatre” presentations with dramatic assistance from our spectacled bears. In humorous skits, keepers will demonstrate how to make your campsite “bear proof.” And if you’d like to know what bears eat, then visit our commissary booth filled with “beary” yummy treats!
It’s a long, slow process, but black bears are on the rebound in Louisiana and there have been a number of verified sightings in East Texas. If you enjoy camping, there’s a chance you might spot a bear on a camping trip this summer.
Representatives from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Big Thicket National Preserve will be on-hand with informational booths to speak with Zoo guests and answer your questions.
Bear Awareness Day is designed to educate the public about the integral role that bears play in nature, as well as the importance of respecting biological diversity. There are eight species of bears around the world. Here in North America we are fortunate to have three of them: polar bear (Ursus maritimus); grizzly (brown) bear (Ursus arctos); and the American black bear (Ursus americanus).
Activities:
Carnivore Keeper Presentations:
11:00am - Spectacled Bear Exhibit
2:00pm - Grizzly Bear Exhibit
Booths:
Texas Parks & Wildlife
Big Thicket National Preserve
Houston SPCA
Houston Zoo Commissary (Bear Food)
