Page 8 - Impact Report_2018
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breaking the mold (1966)                                                 todaysecond nature (2001)

                              The first Mold-A-Rama machine is installed.                       HAMILL FAMILY PLAY ZOO, the first exhibit based on nature
                                                                                                play for children ages birth to 10 years old, opens.
                        Now: Thirteen Mold-A-Rama machines are
                                                                                                Now: Children continue to be delighted in this
                                  still operating at Brookfield Zoo, and millions
                                  of figures have been made over the years—                     exhibit as they connect with nature in fun and
                                  including special limited-edition holiday figures             exciting ways. CZS staff have also expanded this
                                  during Holiday Magic. These figures continue                  program exponentially—not only are children
                                  to be a hit with all ages, exciting young guests              engaging in nature play at Brookfield Zoo, but
                                  while evoking nostalgia in older visitors. These              through our NatureStart™ initiative, CZS staff are
                                  machines might not seem like much, but they are               instructing informal educators at zoos, aquariums,
                                  one of the small things that has made Brookfield              nature centers, and other conservation organizations
                                  Zoo a special destination for decades.                        how to deliver effective nature-play-inspired, early-
                                                                                                childhood programs. The impact of this training
answering the call (1971)                                                                       can be seen in programming that is developing
                                                                                                across the country.
The Volunteer League is created.
                                                                                                home for pangolins (2014)
Now: CZS has 1,439 volunteers, who help with
                                                                                                Bill Zeigler, the society’s senior vice president of animal
everything from education to research to directing guests                                       programs, proposes bringing about four dozen white-
around the park to special events. In 2018, volunteers                                          bellied tree pangolins from their native Togo, a small
contributed 82,523 hours to CZS. Some volunteers have                                           country in west Africa, to accredited U.S. institutions.
loved participating in this program so much that they have                                      Pangolins are the world’s most illegally trafficked
been volunteering for more than 40 years! Our volunteers                                        mammal, and a consortium to protect them is formed.
truly help the zoo run smoothly and allow us to
participate in our many conservation efforts.                                                   Now: CZS is leading the charge in pangolin

making magic (1982)                                                                             conservation. Not only do we have 11 pangolins
                                                                                                thriving under our care, in 2018, we hosted the
The first Holiday Magic is held.                                                                first-ever International Symposium on Pangolin
                                                                                                Care and Conservation. More than 50 experts
Now: Holiday Magic is Chicagoland’s                                                             from all over the world came to Brookfield Zoo
                                                                                                to collaborate on strategies for saving these
largest and longest-running lights festival,                                                    threatened animals.
featuring more than one million
twinkling LED lights. In 2018, Holiday                                                          We’re so grateful to our members, guests,
Magic expanded even further, as the zoo
held its first-ever Reindeer Run and                                                            volunteers, and staff who make this life-changing work
Lights & Lagers events, which allowed                                                           possible. Each year we continue to do more and more
zoo visitors to experience the magical                                                          amazing things, and we cannot wait to see what we
lights in new and special ways.                                                                 accomplish in upcoming years, decades, and century! █

1987                                                                                                   43,933 181,670
     The Nutrition Department
                   is created.                                                                          pounds of meat pounds of fish

66 CCHHIICCAAGGOO ZZOOOOLLOOGGIICCAALL SSOOCCIIEETTYY || 22001188 IIMMPPAACCTT RREEPPOORRTT            234,684 813,196

                                                                                                        pounds of produce insects (crickets

                                                                                                       165,670 and earthworms)
                                                                                                       pounds of hay 570 eggs
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