Belmont BID to host pasta feast at Mario’s Restaurant to support 4th Annual 5k and Family Fun Run at WCS’s Bronx Zoo

Runners, walkers, and ALL pasta lovers welcome

Runners, walkers, and wildlife supporters can load-up on carbs before the run or just enjoy specialty pastas

Presented by Con Edison: WCS Run for the Wild 2012 is dedicated to saving lions

Pasta for the Planet: Friday, April 27, 2012, 3:00–9:00 p.m.

WCS Run for the Wild: Saturday, April 28, 2012

Visit www.WCS.RunfortheWild.org for tickets and event information


Bronx, N.Y. – April 20, 2012 – The 4th annual WCS Run for the WildTM at the Bronx Zoo is right around the corner, and the restaurants on neighboring Arthur Avenue are rallying behind this year’s runners and walkers by offering a feast fit for a lion and a chance to carbo-load the night before the big event.

On Friday, April 27 from 3 to 9:00 p.m., the Belmont Business Improvement District will host Pasta for the Planet at Mario’s Restaurant that will feature special pasta dishes from eateries throughout the historic Little Italy in the Bronx. Runners, walkers, wildlife supporters, and anyone interested in the best Italian pasta that New York has to offer, can feast for only $10. All proceeds from Pasta for the Planet will be donated to the WCS Run for the Wild 2012.

Participating restaurants will create signature Pasta for the Planet dishes for the feast. Everyone can enjoy a taste of neighborhood favorites including Antonio’s Trattoria; Arthur Avenue Trattoria; Cerini; Full Moon Pizza; Gerbasi Restaurant; Gino’s Pastry Shop; La Dolce Vita; Mario’s Restaurant; Mike’s Deli; Modern Food Center; Zero Otto Nove, and more. In addition, neighborhood businesses will be donating a percentage of sales of specialty items to WCS Run for the Wild throughout April.

This year’s 5k-run/walk takes place on Saturday, April 28, 2012 and is dedicated to saving lions, their habitat and other wildlife. The Wildlife Conservation Society works across Africa and in the native range of lions in places such as Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda, and Nigeria’s Yankari National Park.

Participants are encouraged to seek individual sponsors for their run, and all adult (and senior) participants are required to raise a minimum of at least $30 in order to participate. Prizes will be awarded to those who meet various fundraising goals with the top prize being a breakfast at the Bronx zoo and a special animal experience. Visit www.wcs.runforthewild.org for the details.

Participants can choose from two different events. The 5k run for individual runners will begin at 8:00 a.m.; casual runners and walkers can take part in the Family Fun Run/Walk at 8:45 a.m.

After the run, those who took part are invited to stay and enjoy the zoo and its animal residents for the rest of the day. Everyone is encouraged to visit the Bronx Zoo’s famous African Plains exhibit where they can see African lions and many of their prey species like zebras, Thomson’s gazelles, nyala, giraffes, and more.

The Wildlife Conservation Society works around the globe to save wildlife and wild places. Lions are an iconic species and symbolic of strength. Today, fewer than 30,000 remain. Over the last 50 years, their range has collapsed catastrophically to a relatively small number of countries and protected areas. The lions of Asia have been all but wiped out. Today, Asiatic lions exist only on a single reserve, the Gir Forest in India. North Africa lost all of their lions a century ago and they have been steadily disappearing in other parts of the continent. There are few places conservationists would consider a safe haven for the species.

WCS’s Run for the Wild is made possible by the following generous sponsors:

Presenting Sponsor: Con Edison

Featured Sponsors: Monroe College, Montefiore

Supporting Sponsors: Anvil, Benjamin Moore, Hard Rock Cafe,
Stevia In The Raw, UBS

Media Partners: ABC7, Daily News, Z-100

Promotional Partner: JackRabbit Sports

Contact
Max Pulsinelli – 718-220-5182; mpulsinelli@wcs.org
Steve Fairchild – 718-220-5189; sfairchild@wcs.org

The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Adult admission is $16, children (3-12 years old) $12, children under 3 are free, seniors (65+) are $14. Parking is $13 for cars and $16 for buses. The Bronx Zoo is conveniently located off the Bronx River Parkway at Exit 6; by train via the #2 or #5 or by bus via the #9, #12, #19, #22, MetroNorth, or BxM11 Express Bus service (from Manhattan that stops just outside the gate.) To plan your trip, visit www.bronxzoo.com or call 718-367-1010.

The Wildlife Conservation Society saves wildlife and wild places worldwide. We do so through science, global conservation, education and the management of the world’s largest system of urban wildlife parks, led by the flagship Bronx Zoo. Together these activities change attitudes towards nature and help people imagine wildlife and humans living in harmony. WCS is committed to this mission because it is essential to the integrity of life on earth.