The Santa Barbara Zoo invites the community to Fairytale Weekend (formerly Princess Weekend), 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, March 14-15. Princesses, pirates, frog lovers and all costumed characters are welcome.
Family friendly Fairytale Weekend features meet-and-greets with favorite fairytale characters, photo opportunities, activities, and animal encounters, as well as ways to learn about frog-conservation efforts.
“Princess Weekend was never just limited to princesses, but in the spirit of inclusivity, we felt it necessary to let the community know that princes, pirates, and characters of all types are welcome to this celebration,” said Cheyanne Brooks, event manager.
Highlighting Fairytale Weekend are a Kiss-a-Frog booth, face-painting, bounce house, and crafts. Guests can dance to DJ Hecktik, get makeovers by the Santa Barbara City College Cosmetology Academy, and enjoy Story Time with a princess.
Fairytale characters like Snow White and Sleeping Beauty will be on hand to visit and take photos with. The zoo’s popular live show, featuring DJ the T. Rex and his friends, will also be fairytale-themed to celebrate the day. Santa Barbara Zoo members can enjoy early admission to the event at 9 a.m.
Live animal encounters and keeper talks will focus on several of the zoo’s amphibians. Guests can learn about and join FrogWatch USA, in which citizen scientists are trained to identify and count frogs and toads in local wetlands, creeks or other habitats.
During the breeding season, February to August, FrogWatch USA volunteers listen for the croaks, peeps, trills and other calls of common species and report their findings, which go into a national database. The commitment is just three minutes twice a week. Visit www.sbzoo.org/frogwatch-usa/.
Worldwide, estimates are that at least one-third of known amphibian species are threatened with extinction, a rate higher than that of birds or mammals.
While the major culprits historically have been habitat loss and destruction, the main challenge today is the rapidly dispersing infectious fungal disease chytridiomycosis, which is causing population and species extinctions at an alarming rate.
AZA accredited zoos and aquariums are committed to ensuring the survival of all amphibian species and are already an active force in amphibian conservation. For more information, visit www.aza.org/amphibian-conservation/.
For more about the Santa Barbara Zoo, visit www.sbzoo.org.