90 Wild Days of Summer

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  1. Chill Out. Grab some Dippin? Dots and head over to our jaguar exhibit to watch Magia cool off too with her very own frozen treat.
  2. World Ocean's Day. Friday, June 8th. Even though we don?t have an ocean in our backyard, we support this important cause and hope you do too!
  3. Polka Dot- Afro-Circus! Saturday, June 9th join us at the Mary Pickford Movie Theater in Cathedral City for the Premier e of Madagascar 3 with animal encounters from The Living Desert's Wildlife on Wheels Program.
  4. Get Campy! Register for ZooCamp
  5. Where's Elvis? Find Elvis in our Train Display
  6. Livin' the Life. Palm Springs Life, that is. Check out the June issue of Palm Springs Life for 90 other things to do in the Valley this summer!
  7. Art & Animals. Use your Living Desert Membership to get in FREE to the Palm Springs Art Musueum!
  8. Delight in our butterflies. Count the "painted ladies" in the butterfly garden before they are gone for the summer.
  9. Face It. Become our friend on Facebook and stay connected to our latest developments, contests, animal news and special discounts (we hope to reach 7,000 fans before the end of the summer).
  10. Take the Road to Rodin. Visit the Palm Springs Art Museum in Palm Desert and view their Rodin to Now: Modern Sculpture. Remember, Living Desert Members get in free! Just show your membership card (now thru Labor Day).
  11. Do Feed The Animals. Come feed our giraffes at 9am everyday during the summer. (look for baby Niara who is growing up fast)
  12. Go on a morning photo safari! Grab your camera and take pictures of our animals as they eat breakfast. Be sure to post on our Facebook Page!
  13. Count sheep. Can you spot all six bighorn sheep on Bighorn Mountain?
  14. Look Sharp. See if you can find the blue agave cactus (the tequila plant). Learn more here
  15. Make it a Point to Learn. Learn how people have used desert cactus as a source of hydration for hundreds of years.
  16. Up in Smoke. Living Desert's smoke trees are starting to bloom and will through most of June! Native bees LOVE smoke trees so check them out and enjoy!
  17. Picnic in the park. Pack your own food or buy it from the café. Enjoy your picnic on the benches at the Discovery Center.
  18. Ride a hummingbird on our carousel.
  19. Get to know our babies! Visit with our new baby oryx.
  20. Buy one- get one free Fridays! Come to the park any Friday and buy a soft serve ice cream at the Thorntree Grill and get on free or buy a 16 oz drink at the Coyote Café and get one free.
  21. Keep up! You think you're fast? Learn the speed of the fastest land animal.
  22. Veg out at Village WaTuTu. Listen to the sounds of Africa at the Village WaTuTu and enjoy a veggie burger and sweet potato fries.
  23. A fish in the desert? Yes! Visit one of our two pupfish ponds in the park. They are native to the desert.
  24. Have a good hair day. See if today is a good hair day or a bad hair day for our pigs and peccaries (be sure to tell them they are beautiful no matter what!).
  25. Dream big. Make a wish in the "Grand Canyon".
  26. Dig it! Don't badger the badger (but do watch him try to dig to China).
  27. Salute our Mexican Military Macaws. These colorful birds aren't shy and will let you know what's on their mind.
  28. Find out how many ecosystems The Living Desert represents.
  29. Answer Ze Question! Discover if a zebra is white with black stripes or black with white stripes! (there really is an answer to this)
  30. Find the Freeloaders. Keep your eye out for our friendly freeloaders! Many desert animals including rabbits, lizards, birds and chuckwallas find their way into the park. They pop up everywhere!
  31. Find Out What's Worzt! Visit the beautiful Wortz Demonstration Garden as seen in Sunset Magazine. It's actually the best!
  32. Spot the Stripes! During the month of June keep your eyes out for the roaming Zebra Lizard. When it curls up its tail you can see black and white stripes.
  33. Put On Your Beret. Indulge your inner artist and visit the Chase Building and view our plein air art collection donated by Steven Chase.
  34. Slurp! Saturday, July 7th Free Soda Saturday! Receive a free soda upon entry into the park (while supplies last).
  35. Scoop! Take the Daily Program Schedule you receive upon entering the park to Ben & Jerry's and receive a free scoop of ice cream with a paid one! (please see coupon on the Daily Program Schedule).
  36. Hydrate! Saturday, July 21st- Free Bottle of Water with admission. Come explore our many unique gardens including the Madagascar Garden, Mojave Garden, Butterfly Garden, East African Garden, Barrel Cactus Garden, Sonoran Garden, Yuman Garden, Cahuilla Ethnobotanical Garden and many, many more! Come early, beat the heat and receive a free bottle of water! (while supplies last).
  37. Grow a Garden! Purchase native plant seeds at the zoo?s Palo Verde Nursery (like Dune Primrose or Poppies) and plant in late summer for a beautiful garden in the fall!
  38. Make Memories. Create a Living Desert scrapbook with your family, filled with photos, postcards, and remembrances.
  39. Become a Cacti Guru. Identify all the species of Cacti at The Living Desert. You'll be amazed at what grows during the highest temperatures of the year!
  40. Get Wild. Visit other zoos for free with your Living Desert membership! Weekend getaways are all the rage this summer, and California offers plenty of zoos that are on The Living Desert's reciprocal list. For more information, contact our membership department!
  41. Adopt a Train! Give to yourself or to a friend as a gift. They will never forget choo - choo.
  42. Walk Like an Egret. Walk through our Palm Oasis Walk-Through Aviary where beautiful birds abound.
  43. Sleep Walk! It's pajama day on Saturday, August, 4th. Wake up early and wear your pajamas to the park. Come watch the animals eat breakfast and get a free muffin with the purchase of an iced coffee.
  44. It's a Bird, It's a Plane. No! It's a Pteradactyl! Hang out with our not-so-scary pterodactyl in the Sonoran Pond.
  45. Decipher the Symbol. Learn what the red cross symbol stands for on some of our animal exhibits signage.
  46. The Doctor is In! Take a tour of our animal hospital, The Tennity Wildlife Animal Hospital.
  47. Find a Fault... line, that is. Explore the nature trails and discover the San Andreas Fault Exhibit. Remember to bring water!
  48. Match Game. Identify the paw prints in cement throughout the park. Match the prints to the animal that made them.
  49. Zen at the Zoo. Bring your yoga mat and practice your best downward facing wild dog at the zoo.
  50. Be Bookish. Buy a book or video at one of our gift shops that celebrates nature. You'll learn about endangered species and exotic locations without the long plane ride!
  51. Act Artsy. Get out that easel and paint some of the most stunning landscapes around.
  52. Give a Hoot. Look for wild owls that perch from the tops of our tallest trees. From Great-horned to Barn Owls, they know they're protected, and the rent at TLD is excellent!
  53. Blog On. Start a wildlife blog inspired by the zoo. Share your adventures with the rest of the world!
  54. Dad's Day. Celebrate Father's Day and take dad to the zoo (c'mon, it's a lot better than another neck tie).
  55. Beat It. Head to Village WaTuTu's Elder's Grove and rock out on vintage African drums!
  56. VIP Private Safari. Includes narrated riding tour, DC House featuring Amur leopards, Wildlife Hospital and Children's Discovery Center. $40 for Adults and $20 for children.
  57. Dish up a Desert Dessert. Celebrate native plants found at The Living Desert, and craft a sweet treat made from Agave Nectar, Prickly Pear Cactus, Desert lavender, and more.
  58. Girls Morning Out. Bring your BFFs to the zoo for a morning walk, chat, and coffee amidst the flowering plants at Coyote Café.
  59. Tweet, tweet. We love it when our friends tweet about us! Be sure to follow our tweets too: https://twitter.com/#!/livingdesert
  60. Upcycle: Don't throw it out! Transform trash into treasure by giving old objects a new life. Examples? Old mason jars or bottles can be turned into light fixtures; old computer chips into jewelry; and cardboard boxes into book covers. Visit Terracycle.com for ideas!
  61. Share the Love: If you think Living Desert animals are cool, then help out their domestic sisters and brothers, too! Adopt a pet from a local animal shelter, and give your own "wild" animal a loving home.
  62. Make Composting Cool. Californians throw away nearly 6 million tons of food scraps each year. By returning composted food scraps to the soil, we can enrich the earth. Out of decay, new plants grow! Learn more at calrecycle.ca.gov.
  63. All Hail the Hyena. Visit Gregor, our handsome Striped hyena in Village WaTuTu. The near threatened species that hails primarily from North and East Africa, is known as an omnivorous scavenger.
  64. Take a VIP Tour. Head out on a morning adventure with our exclusive VIP Private Safari Package. This narrated riding tour includes a Behind the Scenes experience at The District Commissione's House and tour of The Wildlife Hospital.
  65. Go Egyptian. Visit Living Desert wildlife that all originally hailed from Egypt, including fennec fox, dromedary camel, striped hyena, slender-horned gazelle, plus serval, sand, and wild cats!
  66. Fan Yourself. Explore and identify the 40 types of palm species in our Palm Garden.
  67. Get Yer Goat. Visit our pet kraal in the Village WaTuTu and pet our Nubian goats!
  68. Be an Early Bird. Become a member of The Living Desert and have access to the park one hour earlier than regular admission.
  69. Discover. Build your own sand dune or discover the power of wind and solar energy in our Discovery Center.
  70. Get Antsy. Take a peek into an active colony of 2000 ants!
  71. Lounge Lizard. Visit Gecko Gulch and lounge like a lizard (pantsuits optional).
  72. Mojave Maxine. Check out our not-so-shy desert tortoise, Mojave Maxine. Learn about the importance of desert tortoise conservation.
  73. Bee Native! Buzz down to our native bee garden and learn more about these fascinating pollinators.
  74. Expand Your Mind. Visit the Palm Springs Art Museum in Palm Springs for the highly anticipated Michael Petry exhibition: The Touch of the Oracle. Remember, Living Desert Members get in free! Just show your membership card (now thru Labor Day).
  75. Collectors Corner. Order a refreshing drink in our collector?s cups at our Coyote Café. They are cool, fun and educational!
  76. Kudu's to our Kudus. Visit our new kudus on exhibit with the giraffe and ostrich in Africa.
  77. Celebrate! Plan your next birthday party at our Birthday Boma inside the Village WaTuTu. It will be a birthday you won?t soon forget. You party animal, you.
  78. Give Us Your Two Cents. Every paid admission will receive a quarter to"vote" with at our Quarters for Conservation booth (located at the Meet & Greet area). Choose which cause you want YOUR quarter to go to.
  79. Tube'in. Check out our YouTube Channel for cute, fun, and educational videos. Click here to become a subscriber.
  80. Did Someone Say Shopping? Check out the Kumba Kumba Market in the Village WaTuTu. You never know what beautiful hand-carved items you might find.
  81. Feel the Power. Check out our very own minor league baseball team, Power Palm Springs. We will let you know which night you can come out for an animal encounter!
  82. Unicorns? Check out our Arabian Oryx. They are often called the unicorn of the desert because they look like they have one horn from the side.
  83. Help us celebrate Independence Day in the park with special animal enrichment and activities.
  84. ZooNews! Sign-up for our e-newsletter and receive the latest news from The Living Desert.
  85. Honk, Honk. Come see the biggest horns in town on our Ankole Longhorn Cattle.
  86. Zoo to You! That's right. We will bring the zoo to you through our Wildlife on Wheels program. This is great for classrooms, events and private birthday parties.
  87. Camel Clyde. Don't tell him he's no Picasso. Watch Clyde, our Dromedary Camel, paint a masterpiece for you with non-toxic paints during a private tour.
  88. Adopt! Are you interested in adopting a desert tortoise? Call us for more info 760-346-5694.
  89. The Apples of Our Eyes. Visit babies born at The Living Desert who are growing like weeds! Niara, our Reticulated Giraffe, is sky-high, and Tisa, our Grevy's zebra foal, is now almost the size of her mother! They sure do grow up right before your eyes.
  90. The Bird's The Word. Meet our Abyssinian Ground Hornbill and go home happy!