AUCKLAND CITY COUNCIL

MEDIA RELEASE

10 October 2007

Comedy for conservation at Auckland Zoo

Friday 2 November (7.30pm)

Do yourself, your friends, family and the planet a favour by getting your weekend off to a laughing start at Auckland Zoo’s Comedy for Conservation night on Friday, 2 November.

ConArtists, a company of professional actors who love to support Auckland Zoo, will have you laughing like a hyena at their side-splitting humour. And it’s all for a good cause – to raise money for the Auckland Zoo Conservation Fund.

In a similar vein to “Whose line is it anyway?”, tell them your stories and they’ll sing you a song about your brother who looks like a lemur, or tell the tale of your mother-in-law with the hind of a hippo and tongue as long as a giraffe’s.

“Just like us humans, animals are intrinsically funny, as anyone who has pets or has spent any time at Auckland Zoo will tell you,” says ConArtists’ creative director Clare Kelso.

“It’s the perfect place for a night of comedy, and we’re expecting to raise the roof with our antics at the zoo’s Grasslands theatre.”

All profits from the evening, which is being organised by the Auckland Zoological Society, will go to towards supporting local and international field conservation projects.

“Comedy for Conservation is a great night out for all the family, or for friends looking for a fun event to start their evening,” says Auckland Zoo conservation officer Peter Fraser.

“Unfortunately, the plight of many animals and the destruction of their habitats is no laughing matter. But as individuals, people need to remember that they can help make a difference and that such efforts are vital,” says Mr Fraser.

Among field conservation projects the Auckland Zoo Conservation Fund assists are the restoration project “Ark in the Park” in Auckland’s Waitakere Ranges, the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Project, 21st Century Tiger’s Kerinici Seblat National Park (Sumatra), Turtle Conservation Centre (Vietnam) and Cheetah Outreach (South Africa).

Tickets for Comedy for Conservation cost $20 (adults and children) and can be purchased by phoning the Auckland Zoo Information Centre on 360 3805. Tickets for the first 10 children are being offered at the special rate of $5 – so be in quick! Tickets to this event are limited. Advance booking is recommended.

For more information about the Auckland Zoo Conservation Fund, visit www.aucklandzoo.co.nz

ENDS

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