Saturday, Sept. 20; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Activities planned at both facilities

Brooklyn, N.Y. – Sept. 18, 2014- The Wildlife Conservation Society’s New York Aquarium and Prospect Park Zoo have planned educational activities to celebrate Sea Otter Awareness Week on Saturday, Sept. 20, at both facilities. The aquarium will also hold activities on Sunday, Sept. 21 and the weekend of Sept. 27. The festivities will raise awareness about sea and river otters, oceans, and other aquatic wildlife. Sea Otter Awareness Week is Sept. 21 to 27 this year. Many zoos, aquariums, and other institutions participate in this annual recognition of sea otters and the conservation issues they face.

WCS has partnered with the Brooklyn Book Festival to offer storytelling about otters at both the New York Aquarium and Prospect Park Zoo. Author Jennifer Holland will be reading from the sea otters chapter of her new book, Unlikely Heroes, at both facilities: 11 a.m. at the aquarium and 2 p.m. at the zoo.

Activities at the New York Aquarium include:

Learning the Facts – Visitors will see and feel otter-related bio-fact materials including replicas of otter skulls.

Otter Games – Aquarium docents will hold exciting rounds of otter trivia for visitors of all ages.

Sea Otter Feeds– Keepers will give the aquarium’s sea otters their favorite kinds of fish at different times throughout the day.

*These activities will also take place on Sunday, Sept. 21, and Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 27 and 28, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Activities at the Prospect Park Zoo include:

Crafts for Kids – Children will work with zoo docents to make otter-themed crafts that they can take home as keepsakes from their zoo trip.

Otter Chats – Docents will be stationed at the zoo’s river otter exhibit ready to answer visitor questions about these aquatic mammals. (12:30 and 2:30 p.m.).

River Otter Snacks - Keepers will give the zoo’s river otters a variety of fish snacks. (11 a.m. and 3 p.m.)

Learning the Facts – Docents will show off otter biofact materials including representations of otter food species, and replicas of otter skulls.

More information about Sea Otter Awareness Week can be found at www.nyaquarium.com and www.prospectparkzoo.com.

CONTACT:
undefinedundefinedundefined undefined undefined

Barbara Russo – 718-265-3428; brusso@wcs.org
Max Pulsinelli – 718- 220-5182; mpulsinelli@wcs.org   

Wildlife Conservation Society's New York Aquarium is open every day of the year. Summer hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Fall/winter/spring hours are 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., daily. Tickets are $11.95 per person (ages 3 & up), and include Aquarium admission plus one admission to the new 4-D Theater; children age 2 and under are admitted free. Fridays after 4 p.m. in the summer and after 3 p.m. in the fall, Aquarium admission is by pay-what-you-wish donation. The aquarium is located on Surf Avenue at West 8th Street in Coney Island. The New York Aquarium is located on property owned by the City of New York, and its operation is made possible in part by public funds provided through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. For directions, information on public events and programs, and other aquarium information, call 718-265-FISH or visit our web site at http://www.nyaquarium.com. Now is the perfect time to visit and show support for the WCS New York Aquarium, a beloved part of Brooklyn and all of the City of New York. Due to Hurricane Sandy we are partially opened. Check our website for more information. www.nyaquarium.com.


The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Prospect Park Zoo – $8.00 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.

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.

Special 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 wcs.org.