On the Town: Zoo keeps things wild at its Beastly Ball
It’s been called “one of the best parties in Los Angeles” and, for the 44th year, that’s just what this year’s Beastly Ball was for the 700-plus who attended the wild evening of fun, feasting and fundraising for the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Assn.
Always supported by a contingent of Burbank residents, businesses and studios, this year’s ball, which was held on June 14 on the zoo’s grounds, gave ball-goers the opportunity to get up close with some of the facility’s inhabitants. They were accompanied by their handlers, who offered expert insight and answered questions about their beastly charges.
The evening, hosted by comedian Jimmy Pardo, paid tribute to the support of animal advocate Heather Mycoskie, co-owner of TOMS Shoes, for establishing the TOMS Animal Initiative, which partners with animal-focused organizations to raise money and awareness for endangered species.
The event also saw veteran entertainment-industry attorney Ken Ziffren presented with the 2014 Tom Mankiewicz Leadership Award, which honors entertainment-industry professionals who show outstanding leadership in local or global wildlife and environmental conservation or for efforts to promote civic pride and harmony in L.A.’s multicultural community.
The award was established in memory of film and television writer/director Tom Mankiewicz, who served as the zoo association’s chairman and passed away in 2010.
“Mank,” as he was affectionately known, was a great champion for saving and protecting wildlife and the environment through education and conservation. Since the establishment of the Mankiewicz award in 2011, it has also been bestowed upon actresses Pauley Perrette and Sarah Michelle Gellar and rock ‘n’ roll icon Slash, who serves as an association trustee.
In keeping with the zoo’s role as an international leader in the preservation of endangered species and a conservation center for the care and study of wildlife, this year’s ball also celebrated the 50th anniversary of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s red list of threatened species that was created to assess and monitor species at a global level and to highlight their risk of extinction, therefore promoting their conservation.
Ball attendees, many dressed in safari attire, spent the evening strolling through the zoo, watching after-hours feedings, perusing hundreds of silent-auction items, enjoying various musical performances, dancing and dining on fare provided by some of L.A.’s most popular restaurants and bakeries, including Burbank’s Yummy Cupcakes.
For five decades, the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Assn. has funded plant and animal exhibits, species conservation, capital projects as well as education and community outreach programs at the zoo.
With a volunteer corps of more than 800, and 65,000 member households, representing more than 240,000 adults and children, it boasts the largest membership base of a cultural organization in Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, which attracts more than 1.6 million visitors each year, is home to a diverse collection of 1,100 animals, representing 250 different species, many of which are rare or endangered.
Its 133 acres feature a botanical collection comprising more than 800 different plant species with approximately 7,000 individual plants. Among its most popular habitats are the Elephants of Asia, Campo Gorilla Reserve, Rainforest of the Americas and Living Amphibians, Invertebrates and Reptiles.
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DAVID LAURELL may be reached by email at dlaurell@aol.com or (818) 563-1007.
