Take a walk on the wild side and explore the wonders of the zoo at the annual Zoofari at the Great Plains Zoo in Sioux Falls.
For adults 21 and older, the one-night-only event combines fundraising efforts and entertainment—all taking place after hours.
“We want to help adults understand the zoo is for everybody,” stated development director Kate Johansen. “Setting it up in this fashion offers such a unique experience.”
Zoofari offers the opportunity to bring the community together to raise awareness for the zoo’s mission.
“There will be fun activities for adults, but zoofari is another chance for them to learn about the great things happening here that they might not learn when visiting with their kids.”
– Kate Johansen
With the Great Plains Zoo’s goal to physically merge with the Butterfly House & Aquarium, Johansen explains this attraction is a step in educating guests about their efforts.
“Our goal is to bring the elements of land, sea, and sky to one campus,” she said.
Zoofari is the perfect opportunity for adults to see a behind-the-scenes look at the wildlife park.
With the Great Plains Zoo’s goal to physically merge with the Butterfly House & Aquarium, Johansen explains this attraction is a step in educating guests about their efforts.
“Our goal is to bring the elements of land, sea, and sky to one campus,” she said.
Zoofari is the perfect opportunity for adults to see a behind-the-scenes look at the wildlife park.
“Zoofari is a chance to celebrate all of the recent changes to the zoo and talk about the exciting things to come,” said Johansen.
Johansen explained that for this year’s event, her team wanted to use the entire zoo campus. To achieve this experience, Zoofari is taking a step away from local food trucks and partnering with Vespa Catering. Cuisine and dessert stations will be scattered throughout the entire property, encouraging guests to wander the zoo.
“The tapas dishes will be continentally themed, matching our various exhibits,” shared Johansen.
Other catering choices include themed drinks, beer, wine, and cocktails at a cash bar.
“The Vespa team has worked very hard to create these menus for us, and we’re grateful,” expressed Johansen.
SAVE THE DATE
Zoofari // Great Plains Zoo June 27 // 5-9 p.m.
Guests can enjoy Keeper Chats while visiting the exhibits, where animal care and education experts discuss facts about the exhibit’s respected creatures.
“They’ll go in-depth about the animals, the work that goes into caring for them, discussing if they’re endangered and what zoos do to help those endangered populations, and our conservation efforts,” said Johansen.
The Red Wolf is the subject of the latest conservation work at the Great Plains Zoo.
Red Wolves have been labeled critically endangered since 1967, but with the zoo’s efforts, the staff has worked to introduce the rarities back to North America. This past spring, the wildlife park introduced six Red Wolf pups to their exhibits.
“Our goal is to aid in repopulating or reintroducing endangered species into their original habitats,” explained Johansen. “Our Red Wolf project is very important to us.”
Other conservation efforts include the Black-Footed Ferret and the Dakota Skipper Butterfly.
“Every person who works here wants to make the world a better place for our animals,” shared Johansen.
Zoofari offers an overall understanding of WhAT THE GREAT PLAINS Zoo & the Butterfly HOUSE AND AQUARIUM HAVE TO OFFER, AND WHAT THEY MEAN TO THE COMMUNITY.”
– Kate JOHANSEN
A hands-on highlight of Zoofari is the opportunity for guests to interact with the zoo’s animal ambassadors. These encounters offer a chance to mingle and learn about the exotic animals up close. The list of ambassador animals includes a chinchilla, an owl, an armadillo, snakes, a Skink Lizard, and more.
Guests can engage in interactive activities with butterflies and marine life through the traveling butterfly exhibit and Ocean in Motion—a mobile marine experience.
Johansen shares during this event, the team is offering tours of the onsite veterinary clinic.
“Not everyone is aware we have a veterinarian and a vet team on staff who care for our animals daily,” added Johansen. “We have a clinic where they can perform surgeries and more. It’s safe to say they’re always busy.”
Other activities throughout the night include giraffe feedings, an outside look at the upcoming lion exhibit, interacting with the farm animals, and raffles. All raffle packages include activities guests can only experience at the zoo, which Johansen says is something guests won’t want to miss.
As Zoofari evolves each year, its powerful message will not change.
“We want to help people understand all of the good zoos do,” said Johansen.
She continued, “The zoo is also important to our quality of life in our community, and I think helping people understand that is important.”
