CALENDAR LISTING:

CONTACT:

Barbara Russo: 718-265-3428; 917-494-5493; brusso@wcs.org

Max Pulsinelli: 718-220-5182; 571-218-7601; mpulsinelli@wcs.org

Steve Fairchild: 718-220-5189; sfairchild@wcs.org

WCS’s Queens Zoo and Prospect Park Zoo Host Annual Sheep Shearing

And Fleece Festival Events

Sheep Shearing at the Queens Zoo

Saturday and Sunday, April 30 and May 1

11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Fleece Festival at the Prospect Park Zoo

Saturday and Sunday, May 21 and May 22

11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

New York – April 26, 2016 – The WCS’s (Wildlife Conservation Society) Queens Zoo and Prospect Park Zoo have Sheep Shearing and Fleece Festival events planned at each facility in April and May. The highlight of the event at both zoos is watching the sheep get their wool sheared. Other activities are below:

Sheep Shearing at the Queens Zoo

Saturday and Sunday, April 30 and May 1

11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Breeds of sheep at the Queens Zoo: Jacob’s four-horn, Suffolk and mini Southdown sheep.

Activities planned for this year’s event include wool-themed crafting and opportunities to learn about sheep and wool. Professional wool spinners will demonstrate their craft both days.

More information about Sheep Shearing is available at www.queenszoo.com. 

Fleece Festival at the Prospect Park Zoo

Saturday and Sunday, May 21 and 22

11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Breeds of sheep at the Prospect Park Zoo: Jacob’s four-horn and Cotswold sheep.

Farming and farm life will be the theme throughout the weekend. Felt-making and games pertaining to wool will be among the planned activities. Zoo volunteers and wool experts will be available to answer questions about wooly animals and their coats. The zoo’s daily sea lion demonstrations will take place at 11:30 a.m., 2 and 4 p.m., and the Discovery Center will be open both days.

More information about Fleece Festival is available at www.prospectparkzoo.com.

The weekend of wool continues with the Prospect Park Alliance at the Lefferts House, located in the Children’s Corner outside the zoo. Activities will take place 1 to 4 p.m. both days and include wool carding, spinning demonstrations, felt-ball making, and wool washing.

More information about activities at the Lefferts House is available at www.prospectpark.org/fleecefun.

*Members of the media wishing to cover these activities should make an appointment in advance.  Only Saturday appointments will be arranged. Contact Barbara Russo at brusso@wcs.org or 718-265-3428.

The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Queens Zoo – Open every day of the year. Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors 65 and older, $5 for kids 3-12, free for children under 3. Zoo hours are 10am to 5pm weekdays, and 10am – 5:30pm weekends, April through October, and 10am – 4:30pm daily, November through April. The Queens Zoo is located at 53-51 111th Street in Flushing Meadow’s Corona Park in Queens. For further information, call 718-271-1500 or visit www.wcs.org.

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.

WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) MISSION: WCS saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. To achieve our mission, WCS, based at the Bronx Zoo, harnesses the power of its Global Conservation Program in nearly 60 nations and in all the world’s oceans and its five wildlife parks in New York City, visited by 4 million people annually. WCS combines its expertise in the field, zoos, and aquarium to achieve its conservation mission. Visit: newsroom.wcs.org Follow: @WCSNewsroom. For more information: 347-840-1242.

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.

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