Holiday fun includes wildlife ice carving competition; Demonstrations; interactive ice play area; ice displays; and more

Thursday, Dec 26 – Tuesday, Dec. 31

Bronx, NY – Nov. 25, 2013 – The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo’s Salute to Wildlife Ice Carving Celebration is back for the holiday season.. The week-long celebration, running from Thursday, Dec 26 – Tuesday, Dec. 31 features professional ice carving demonstrations, wildlife-themed ice sculpture displays, an interactive play area, and the popular Salute to Wildlife Ice Carving Contest.

Professional ice carvers will demonstrate their ice carving skills by creating icy representations of animals native to Arctic Beringia – an area that spans from Russia across Alaska into Northwest Canada. The region’s tundra, coastal, and marine habitats are home to polar bears, whales, seals, muskoxen, arctic foxes and caribou and more, and these carvings will highlight the conservation work WCS is doing in the area.

The featured event of the week-long ice carving festival will be the Salute to Wildlife Ice Carving Contest on Saturday, December 28. The carvers will be judged by popular vote in categories including most lifelike, best in theme, and overall favorite.

Additional activities include animal enrichment activities, crafts, an ice play area featuring a giant polar bear ice slide, and lifelike animal displays all carved out of solid ice. Toy Soldiers on Parade – a high-energy holiday carol trio – will provide entertainment as they sing and dance fully costumed as toy soldiers.

For a full schedule of holiday activities, please visit bronxzoo.com.

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 5:00 p.m. weekdays, 5:30 p.m. weekends from April to October; 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m November to March. Adult admission is $16.95, children (3-12 years old) $11.95, children under 3 are free, seniors (65+) are $14.95. Parking is $14 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’s Prospect Park Zoo – $8 for adults, $6 for seniors 65 and older, $5 for kids 3-12, free for children under 3. Zoo hours are 10 A.M. to 5 P.M. weekdays, and to 5:30 P.M. on weekends and holidays, April through October. 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. November through March. The Prospect Park Zoo is located at 450 Flatbush Avenue in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. For further information, call 718-399-7339 or visit www.prospectparkzoo.com.

Note to the Media: If you would like to guide your readers or viewers to a Web link where they can make donations in support of helping save wildlife and wild places, please direct them to www.wcs.org.