Speaker 1: 0:00

This episode sponsored by Cram Crew Learn more at CramCrewcom. And Stuart Arango Oral Surgery. Learn more at SAOeralsurgeonscom. Welcome to the Bubble Lounge.

Speaker 1: 0:17

I'm Martha Jackson and this week we are talking about the Dallas Zoo Zoo to-Do event that is coming up on November 4th. I had the pleasure of going for the first time last year. It was the most beautiful evening. The weather couldn't have been more perfect, being able to meet so many interesting people, see the animals up close in like a more private setting, getting to ask questions of the zookeepers and just experiencing all the amazing Dallas chefs that were out there providing the food. It was just an incredible night, one of my best memories of anything that I've done from the Bubble Lounge. Let me tell you what it's like.

Speaker 1: 0:55

As soon as you arrive, you walk in, you catch a golf cart. They drive you up to the party location. There's endless amounts of amazing chefs from the Dallas area providing all sorts of food and you walk through there and you go from table to table and you get to experience little bites from every restaurant you could possibly imagine. Then there's the animals, of course, and they bring them out to you and you get to interact with them and talk and ask questions. You even get to feed the terrasse, which was my by far my most favorite moment of the night, and it's just a beautiful night.

Speaker 1: 1:29

The weather couldn't be more perfect. And then, of course, as all charity events have amazing auction. I mean, these things that they had to offer were incredible. So many unique experiences, like glamping at the Dallas zoo, waking up and hearing the animal sounds and just experiencing that overnight thing at the zoo was amazing, and I just couldn't wait to have them back on the show this year to talk about the event. Joining me today is Raelyn Carter, vp at Dallas Zoo, to talk about the Dallas Zoo to do event. Raelyn, thank you for joining me today.

Speaker 2: 2:02

Absolutely.

Speaker 1: 2:02

So happy to be here. So the zoo to do is coming up at the Dallas zoo and we're so excited about it. But can you, can we start with talking about a little bit about the zoo, how it started and just how it's evolved?

Speaker 2: 2:15

Absolutely. A lot of people don't know this, but we are actually the oldest and largest zoo in the state of Texas. So we started in 1888 downtown in what is now Old City Park and moved to our current location in Marsalis Park, Gosh I always forget if it was 1916 or 18 somewhere around there. So we've been deep in the heart of Oak Cliff for a really really long time, started with just a handful of animals downtown and have grown from there to be 106 acres. We see about a million people a year. We've got our fingers you know well out into the community and we look forward to another 130 years and what comes after that too.

Speaker 1: 2:56

Well, it's such an amazing place and it's changed a lot over the years, especially in recent years. Tell us about some of the newer changes.

Speaker 2: 3:03

Sure. So one thing people don't know is that the zoo, for most of its history, was actually run by the city of Dallas and that change, where we sort of took over and privatized from the city, only happened in 2009. So I tell people all the time, we are simultaneously, you know, 136, 37 years old, deeply rooted in the community, well established, a Dallas treasure and a bit of a gangly teenager, because we've been doing this in a bit of a new way for the last 12 or 13 years. So since we privatized, we've seen a tremendous amount of growth. We opened the Giants of the Savannah, one of our landmark exhibits, that's my favorite.

Speaker 2: 3:44

Yeah, that's where you'll find elephants and giraffes and lions and a lot of these sort of hallmark African species Just about a dozen or so years ago. So that was a huge undertaking for us and really brought the zoo up to the next level, because we know we want to have a great zoo for a great city. We've also, in 2017, opened the hippo exhibit, the Simmons hippo outpost, and we were really excited to bring that new species to the community and have some big things up our sleeve, probably in the next five or six years, that you'll be hearing about soon.

Speaker 1: 4:22

Well, I know it takes a lot of money to run the Dallas Zoo and your annual fundraiser is the zoo to do event. I attended for my first time last year and I was just blown away by how amazing it was. But tell me more about that and and why you need to do it.

Speaker 2: 4:36

Absolutely. It is our flagship fundraiser. It is our largest and oftentimes in years, our only sort of outright fundraising event. It's a really great way to Engage folks you know, new, friends and old in our mission of engaging people and saving wildlife. It's a heck of a lot of fun, first of all, and a delicious event.

Speaker 2: 4:59

You know it's a tasting event. There's there's lots to do and see, but it's a wonderful sort of primer to what we are about at the Dallas Zoo and to Engaging with some of our animal staff. Our conservation team will be on site, we'll have animal nutritionists, we'll do, you know, special keeper chats at some of the exhibits. So it's a great way, sort of without the typical daytime crowd, a different kind of crowd, to get kind of a peek behind the curtain and learn a little bit more about what goes on. I think we find often that even folks who are, you know, active member parents and feel like they're at the zoo all the time, when we really start talking about what it takes to To run a zoo like ours and the work that we're doing, both here locally, nationally and internationally, I think people are always surprised by the breadth of just what's going on behind the curtain.

Speaker 1: 5:52

Yeah, I would agree with that. I had such a great time last year and it was so Neat to be out there in a smaller setting, not just with the masses during the day, and just in a more social setting, a more Casual, slow-paced setting, and you just were able to ask a lot of questions and get a lot of answers, and the staff was amazing At at providing all that information. I think that's so important with understanding the conservation of animals.

Speaker 2: 6:20

Absolutely, and thank you. That's a very nice compliment. I appreciate it. We work really hard, sort of in all the events we do, whether it's you to do or you know an event for our household level members who may be come to see us a couple times a month. We work really hard to make sure that there's always sort of a mission tie to whatever we're doing, even if it is, on its face, just a fun social event and a fun excuse to get together. The team is very passionate about connecting Each of those opportunities to our mission, to the conservation work we're doing in the wild and to helping folks draw parallels between the animals they're seeing at the zoo and their counterparts in the wild and what we're doing to help Protect and bolster those species.

Speaker 1: 7:05

Well, I know these events tend to raise quite a bit of money. I'm just so interested to know where the money goes at the zoo. What does it benefit, and give me some examples of things that it has been able to provide for the zoo.

Speaker 2: 7:17

That's a great question and one of the more fun parts of my job to get to talk about. So the money we raise every year and we do tend to gross more than a million dollars every year I would knock on the table, except you asked me not to. That's the theater major and me a little superstitious, and that money goes straight to our bottom line. So that is paying. You know, the dedicated animal care teams who take care of our Animals. That's food for the animals. We spend more than a million dollars a year on food for animals.

Speaker 1: 7:48

Yeah, I could only imagine the amount of food that you guys go through.

Speaker 2: 7:52

It's unreal and again sort of to thinking of just how large the scope is and the things you don't think of. We have behind the scenes an entire animal nutrition center, so it's a huge, an essentially catering kitchen with huge walk-in fridges and freezers, and so we've got dedicated staff and lots of really wonderful volunteers who come and imprep all of the food that goes out every day. It's a really big operation and a cool space. We have an entire veterinary hospital behind the scenes with full-time veterinarians and vet techs and an entire support staff. We have a gas station for all of our vehicles that are moving around. We employ pool technicians and plumbers and electricians. It takes a lot to make 106 acres and several thousand animals and about 400, I think these days employees all run smoothly and open it up for the community, but it's also a lot of fun.

Speaker 1: 8:57

Well, there's just so many details that the average visitor doesn't think about Like we just come in there wanting to see the animals and enjoy the experience and there's so many behind the scenes things like what you're talking about and it's amazing the amount of people that it takes to run it.

Speaker 2: 9:11

Yeah, and our staff are incredibly talented, both in the work that they do for us at the Zoo Proper, and in the other ways they're engaged through conservation.

Speaker 2: 9:21

So we are part of an accrediting network called the Association of ZOOs and Aquariums that sort of accredits the best in class here in the States, and then there's another similar organization in Europe. But one of my favorite things to talk about with folks is kind of how that network helps us all maintain the health of our collections and our animal populations. So for each of our sort of hallmark species, there is one person at a zoo in the States who is essentially the stud book keeper. So just like you might think about white tail deer or cattle, and they are tracking, let's say, I'm the giraffe point. So I'm tracking every giraffe at every accredited zoo in the States. I know who has mated with whom, I know who is eligible to have babies and recommended I know who. Maybe we're over indexed on and we don't need any more of their babies. But oh, this guy over here, let's get some more of his genetic line dispersed.

Speaker 2: 10:24

And so the work that they do is really fascinating and they're essentially it's a little bit like matchcom right and so they're actually making pairings and that's one of the ways that animals kind of move back and forth among zoos, which is really cool when you think about it and is really good for zoos. But sometimes just on the face follow, you think, oh man, I really loved that giraffe or that tiger, and you think, oh gosh, why did they have to leave? And I find people are just really fascinated to learn more about what's happened behind the scenes.

Speaker 1: 10:56

Well, when you were talking about that, I was literally thinking like you're at the gossip column of the animals in the little nation Absolutely, and temperament and those kind of things factors in as well.

Speaker 2: 11:07

There is, depending on the species, some level of considering temperament of two potential mates, depending on the animal and how much time they might spend together after such a pairing. Of course it dramatically varies depending on the species, but it's a lot to manage and keep track of and they do such an incredible job.

Speaker 1: 11:26

I mean, you literally can screen who they want to interact with across the whole country, and I love that. That's so interesting and we'll be right back after this short break. Finding an oral surgeon is hard enough for yourself, and when it comes to your kids it can feel impossible. We suggest our friends at Stuart and Orango because from emergencies to wisdom teeth and everything in between, they have you covered. Stuart and Orango are board certified with MDs who specialize in full scope oral, facial and implant surgeries for both children and adults. Not only is their office state of the art, they lead the industry with the most advanced techniques and procedures and when it comes to safety, they are pediatric and adult advanced life support certified and use a three day local anesthesia which keeps you comfortable while limiting the use of opioids. Best part is they're conveniently located at Northwest Highway in Hillcrest Avenue. So if you want the best of Big D caliber oral care, come see the friendly staff at Stuart and Orango To learn more about them or book your appointment. Visit saoralsurgeonscom. That's saoralsurgeonscom.

Speaker 1: 12:35

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Speaker 1: 13:34

It's coming up really soon.

Speaker 2: 13:36

It is. So we'll be Saturday, November 4th, on site at the Dallas Zoo. We are largely an outdoor event. Being an outdoor facility, we typically will see between 700 and 750 folks who trickle in between six and 11. It's a tasting event so we've got, depending on the year, anywhere between kind of 25 and 30 of our top rock star chefs from around town who will prepare tasting portions of appetizers and entrees and fun sweet and salty late night bites and desserts, all set against the beautiful backdrop of the Giant Soda Savannah exhibit. And then we'll wrap up on the other side with a formal program and our live auction, which is a lot of fun. And again, those funds all go straight to caring for the animals here at the zoo and helping protect and conserve their counterparts in the wild.

Speaker 1: 14:35

Well, it's such a great cause and last year was my first time to attend and I absolutely loved it. I mean the weather could not have been more perfect and just walking around and feeling like you're having this private time at the zoo and being able to interact with animals and ask questions and learn a lot more, and then, of course, sampling all the amazing food. It was just so great. Like it's so funny, because on the invitation they say wear comfortable shoes. And that is a really good tip. We do mean it. They do mean it, like they said, because you are gonna walk around a bit and you're gonna go from a spot to spot and taste foods and see the different animals, and it's just such a beautiful night. I mean I have an amazing experience. I loved every moment of it.

Speaker 2: 15:19

Thank you so much. We do mean it. Concrete floors outdoors. We'll do a number both on your shoes and your legs and back by the end of the night, and we want people to be comfortable and it's a different kind of event. We are a relatively casual institution. It's not a stuffy sit-down formal dinner. It's in our personality to do something a little bit different, and so you'll see everything from cocktail dresses and heels for maybe a few folks who didn't quite get that memo on the invitation, and you may see some of our closest friends and donors in jeans and cute leopard print sneakers and sort of everything in between. But it's important for us to let people feel comfortable and at home in the space, and so we say come on down and wear whatever makes you happy.

Speaker 1: 16:11

Well, we were at the very front when people were entering and doing interviews as people entered and we just had such a good time. But you're right, I saw a little bit of everything as far as what people were wearing casual and more formal but stilettos are not needed at the zoo to do events.

Speaker 2: 16:27

Save them for something else.

Speaker 1: 16:29

Exactly so. Tell me of all the organizations you could have worked for in Dallas. Why did you pick the zoo?

Speaker 2: 16:36

Easy question. The zoo has been a really special place for my family. I have a 10 year old son and we have been heavy users of our Dallas Zoo membership since before he was born, and I grew up visiting the zoo with my family, so it was a really special place for us when he was a toddler. It's also a place that's open early, right. I know when you've got little little kids and you're thinking, gosh, 10 am is basically mid afternoon, right? Where can I?

Speaker 1: 17:04

where can?

Speaker 2: 17:05

I be occasionally at eight or by nine. We found ourselves at the Dallas Zoo, you know, in good weather more weekends than not, and it became a really special place for us. And I happened to have some friends both on the staff and on the board and in the donor pool. So when the opportunity came available it just seemed like a wonderful, a wonderful move for me to make, and I'm really interested in spending my career helping Dallas be the best possible version of itself. And so I always say, you know, as an active member, mom, I think I felt like I knew more maybe, than our casual visitor. And then I was blown away as I just started to kind of peel the onion and learn more about, you know, the work that the zoo's doing on the other end, right In Africa, in Costa Rica, in South America, all around the world, as well as here locally. It just I'm more and more passionate about it all the time.

Speaker 1: 18:07

Well, that makes perfect sense. I took my kids so many times when they were younger, and even this summer they're 14 and 18 years old. They asked to go and I just love that because it's such a special place and they have really good memories of visiting and I love that you were able to cultivate your good memories into working there and like doing so much good for the zoo.

Speaker 2: 18:31

Yeah, and we also know that sort of family learning, when a family is learning and engaging together. There's data that will tell us that there's more stickiness there to that information and we take that really seriously. We love to be a place where families can come and just have a good time and get outside and have a good day, but we also, at our heart, are a scientific institution and we love sharing information and helping our guests understand conservation actions they can take home with them and implement in a way that really does directly help out the animals and our world.

Speaker 1: 19:10

Right. Well, let's talk about the theme this year. Adventure awaits. What is going on that we can wait for?

Speaker 2: 19:19

Well, I think you can expect it to be beautiful.

Speaker 2: 19:23

We again knocking on the table that I'm not knocking on are going to have gorgeous weather, exceptional food and, as I said, just myriad ways to engage with our animals and our staff.

Speaker 2: 19:35

We'll have members from our animal outreach team are actually going to bring some of our outreach animals, so they're the ones who have been hand raised and we might take to schools or libraries for visits in the community so that we can take the zoo to folks who don't necessarily come to us. So you might even get to scratch a turtle's back or put a flamingo gently on their back. You're going to see, alongside the delicious food we'll be eating, you'll be learning about what it is our animals eat and how. Those two things may be more similar sometimes than you think and you're going to hear in the formal presentation a little bit more about our mission and our direct conservation work and a lot of our flagship education programs. So it's a great opportunity to come and have a good time. Nobody's going to leave hungry I can promise you that and I think you would leave inspired and ready to come back for a more in depth Dallas zoo visit sometime during the cooler weather this winter.

Speaker 1: 20:40

I will confirm everything you said. That's exactly how I felt when I left. I loved being able to ask so many questions and enjoy the food and experience the animals. My favorite thing was feeding the giraffes. I mean, you just can't beat that. It never gets old.

Speaker 2: 20:55

It really doesn't, it really never gets old. My son. Obviously he gets to do some pretty special things to tag along with mom, happy to put him to work on the weekends, and then busy times like spring break but seeing you know at 10, how special that still is to him to feed a giraffe or, you know, even go behind the scenes occasionally to tag along with me on something or a donor event it's. It warms my heart as a mom to see him still so engaged and proud and proud of the information he's learned in our camps and our programs and to see him share that with his friends and neighbors really warms my heart.

Speaker 1: 21:38

One of the things that I enjoyed the most last year was walking from table to table and just experiencing all the food that was there. Tell me who's going to be there this year, oh wow.

Speaker 2: 21:47

so we've got a really great lineup led by our our chef leadership team, which is Dan Landsberg, brett Kraft and Jimmy Contreras. So they are rounding up some of Delza's bests and yummiest. So you can expect treats from, you know, seve from Seve's Grill, from Janice at Parigi another longtime favorite from Salome, from Encina, a lot of our long time chef partners, as well as some newer faces from some restaurants popping up around town in a no-cliff.

Speaker 1: 22:19

Well, she has a list in front of her and I don't know how many is on the list, but it's extremely extensive and I think it's a really good opportunity, because a lot of us are like I want to try that restaurant and then we like let time get away from us and so we don't do it. So coming out to this event is a really good opportunity to be able to come out and take a little taste test and say, oh gosh, I really need to go back to that place?

Speaker 2: 22:41

Yeah, absolutely, I know. I always leave with a date night list myself, so I did as well last year.

Speaker 1: 22:47

It was so great. My favorite thing about interviewing people that are working on charity events is talking about the auction. I mean, this community does such an amazing job of gathering the best items to put in the auction. Tell me what you guys have this year.

Speaker 2: 23:02

So our silent auction will go live a couple of weeks before the event and you can follow along for our progress there, with some sneaks peaks on Instagram at Dela Zoo to do or online at DelaZoocom slash Zoo to do, and then our live auction, which is where things really get fun and special. We'll probably have 10 to 12 items again this year. That again will be posted in advance so you can follow along online. But that's where you're going to find the things that are just really really, really, really special experiences that, frankly, you can't buy. You can't buy anywhere else. So, depending on year to year, we always have an all-star chef dinner. So there are about five of our long-time chef favorites who will actually come to your house for a party of 10 and cook in your kitchen and serve an absolutely incredible meal. That's a fan favorite. Every year. We actually have the opportunity.

Speaker 2: 23:59

A lot of people don't know we have a small campsite at the Dela Zoo, so one of our prime opportunities is actually a glamping experience. So we've got six tents. They're semi permanently installed and there will be real beds and they will be comfortable with real linens, but you could bring as many as 12 people for a really special overnight at the zoo. So it would be a wonderful seat of dinner by our executive chef at the Dela Zoo, paired with a couple of behind-the-scenes opportunities tailored to your interest. So, whether that's going in the giraffe barn or maybe even taking a sneak peek at our about six-month-old baby elephant Okabele behind the scenes he's so cute he doesn't even look real and then ending up literally around a campfire in the middle of the Dela Zoo under a very dark night sky, it's a really, really incredibly special experience. And then, of course, with our network of others, yous and partners, we've got some other really fun travel experiences up our sleeves too that you'll hear more about as we get a little bit closer.

Speaker 1: 25:05

Well, I can't even imagine camping out at this glamping, rather. Yes, glamping, absolutely that just sounds amazing and getting some behind-the-scenes experiences, I mean, that seems extremely worth it it is, I mean it's.

Speaker 2: 25:20

The evening itself is incredibly magical, but I think almost as special to me as what happens in the morning. And you know seeing the zoo at its quietest at 7 am, when everybody's just coming out, and you know, maybe you're hearing the lions chuffing in a way that you don't normally hear on an afternoon visit, or you know even hearing some vocal call and response that some of our primates do to each other every morning between the males and females, and you know you just might get to hear a really special duet that you're just not going to ever get to see, unless you're there between the hours of 7 and 8.

Speaker 1: 25:52

Oh, well, well, I love unique experiences that you can't get anywhere else, and that just sounds amazing. Well, thank you so much for being here today. I really appreciate it and I can't wait for the event.

Speaker 2: 26:03

Oh my gosh, thank you so much for having us and we hope to see you all at the party on Saturday, november 4th, and, as always, I will include a link that you can go to to buy tickets, make donations, anything that you would like to do.

Speaker 1: 26:17

That's been another episode of the Bubble Lounge. I'm Martha Jackson and we'll catch you next time.