A night safari aglow by moonlight, new exotic performances and animal encounters will set the mood for �Park at Dark,� an entertaining and educational summer nights adventure at the San Diego Zoo�s Wild Animal Park �� running from June 19 through Sept. 6.

Cooler temperatures and twinkling stars create an atmosphere at the 1,800-acre Wild Animal Park that both visitors and the 3,500 animal inhabitants will find enchanting. With 429 animal species, guests are bound to run into nocturnal animals such as the lions and tigers that are more active in the evenings. Even the animals in the Park�s larger multi-species exhibits such as the rhinoceros, giraffe and antelope of East Africa change their stride at night.

Visitors will find the new entertainment pleasing to the heart and soul as they listen to the sounds of African drums and watch the energetic movement of traditional African dancers. The 20-minute performance will happen several times a night in the Heart of Africa, while a steel drum band, �Trinidad and Tobago,� will liven up Nairobi Village with its flare. The trio will be performing nightly at Thorntree Terrace.

�Urban safari,� a New Zealand show group is making their United States performance debut at the Wild Animal Park this summer. Following a nutty guide, visitors will go in search of mysterious stilt animals lurking in the night. The guide will enlighten guests throughout the trek with tidbits of information on the adaptations of mystical creatures that only live on an island.

Visitors who can�t get enough of unknown animals can take a stroll to Conifer Forest where they will encounter animals of the past. From May 1 through Sept. 6, the Park will also be home to some of the world�s extinct creatures that ruled the world before humans appeared. Life-size robotic dinosaurs return to the Park after several years of absence in hopes that visitors will learn about some of the animals long past.

For close and personal animal interaction with live animals, guests can catch several �Animal Encounters� throughout the day and evening at numerous locations throughout the Park. Animal Encounters is a fun and educational way for visitors to come face-to-face with dozens of rare and exotic animals including a cheetah, serval, caracal, binturong and more. During each encounter, guests have the opportunity to interact and ask questions of the animal�s trainer.

In addition to the captivating and exotic performers, the animal encounters and the robotic dinosaurs, visitors to the Wild Animal Park should pack their cameras for the photographic opportunities of a sunset ride aboard the Wgasa Bush Line Railway. Inspired by the legendary safari trains of Africa, the railway takes guests on a 5-mile, 60-minute narrated tour around the perimeter of the Park. Herds of gazelles, deer, antelope, rhinos, giraffe and more can be viewed interacting in enormous enclosures that replicate their indigenous homelands of Africa and Asia. The Park at Dark celebration starts June 19. Gates are open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., but guests may remain on grounds as late as 10 p.m. Admission to the Wild Animal Park is $29.50 for adults, $22 for children 3-11 and age 2 and younger are admitted free. Admission includes entrance, the Wgasa Bush Line Railway, the special life-size robotic dinosaur exhibit, animal shows and entertainment. There is a $6 parking fee. For more information visit the Park�s Web site at www.wildanimalpark.org or call (760) 747-8702.

The 1,800-acre San Diego Zoo�s Wild Animal Park (more than half of which has been set aside as protected native species habitat) is operated by the not-for-profit Zoological Society of San Diego. The Zoological Society, dedicated to the conservation of endangered species and their habitats, engages in conservation and research work around the globe. The Zoological Society also manages the 100-acre San Diego Zoo and the Center for Reproduction of Endangered Species (CRES), and is working to establish field stations in five key ecological areas worldwide.

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Media Contact: Paul Garcia +1 619-685-3291 pgarcia@sandiegozoo.org