AUCKLAND CITY COUNCIL

MEDIA RELEASE

11 October 2007

“White Planet” advance screening to help wildlife

Auckland Zoo is inviting nature lovers to attend a special advance screening of “The White Planet” next month to help raise funds for the Auckland Zoo Conservation Fund.

Not due for public release until December, the zoo’s 12 November (8.30pm) screening at Rialto Theatre in Newmarket, offers the chance to be the first to see this breathtaking documentary about animals living in the harsh Arctic environment.

Directed by intrepid outdoor specialists Thierry Ragobert and Thierry Piantanida, “The White Planet” exposes how the delicate Arctic ecosystem is under threat from global warming and was shot over three years by several crews working in parallel. As its narrator Jean-Louis Etienne points out, in the past 30 years the Arctic has lost nearly two times the surface area of France!

Opening with the birth of two polar bears in their underground ice den, the documentary features miraculously fluid and classy camerawork that accompanies the flow of seasons.

“For anyone who loves animals, and cares about the environment, this really is a must-see. Coming along to the zoo’s screening is a fantastic opportunity to directly help the planet,” says Auckland Zoo Conservation Officer, Peter Fraser.

The Auckland Zoo Conservation Fund was established in 2000 to support a diverse range of local and international field conservation projects – from restoration project “Ark in the Park” in the Waitakere Ranges, to the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Project in Sumatra.

Tickets for this 12 November event cost $20 per person (including free ice cream) and are available from the zoo’s information centre (phone 360 3805). Seats are limited and advance booking is required.

All profits from tickets sales will go to the Auckland Zoo Conservation Fund. For further information visit www.aucklandzoo.co.nz

ENDS

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