Zoo Hosts 38th-Birthday Bash : Celebration: Cake-eating monkeys and 1,300 human guests help the Santa Ana Zoo mark an auspicious anniversary.

Carolyn Morton knew she was going to a birthday party and made a special card for the event. It read “Happy Birthday Zoo.”

The 4-year-old Tustin girl was one of about 1,300 guests who showed up Saturday to celebrate the 38th birthday of the Santa Ana Zoo.

The freckle-faced girl went prepared with a thick, pink coat to ward of the morning chill and a bag containing a stuffed zebra and giraffe.

“They are silly, silly, silly,” she said as she watched caged monkeys pull apart and eat a birthday cake made especially for them.

It was all part of the zoo’s festivities, which also featured free face painting, ice cream cones, clowns, jugglers and a puppet show by Santa Ana Police Officer John Reed.

Parents carrying their children on their shoulders, pulling them in little red wagons or holding their hands crowded into the caged monkey walkway at about 11 a.m. to catch the birthday countdown. After zoo staff and attendants sang “Happy Birthday to Zoo,” the monkeys were released into their cages, free to tear at their gift, an angel cake topped with cream, strawberries and carrots.

Other gift recipients were two mountain lions receiving two large bones and other monkeys receiving fruit kabobs.

Nona Stripe of Santa Ana brought her daughter with seven other children and friends for the birthday party.

“I think it is really fun,” she said. “I like to see them give the presents out. Next, we’re going to the petting zoo.”

An Upland couple read about the birthday party in the paper and decided to bring their two children. Roy and Myra Roosevelt also said this was their first visit to the Santa Ana Zoo.

“It’s great. We’ll bring them next year,” said Roy Roosevelt as his 4-year-old son was getting his face painted as a tiger.

Jacqueline Beurskens, program director with Friends of the Zoo, said most of the special features were donated.

“Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream donated 24 gallons of ice cream, and the face painting is done by students from Santa Ana Valley High School,” she said. “We’ve had the birthday party for the past three years. I think we will continue this next year. It’s a neat event, and it’s included with zoo admission.

“The clown donated his time, and he was out here last year too,” she said.

Concluding the birthday bash was police Officer John Reed and his puppet, “Short Stuff” the dog. His show, “Safety Talk,” was a highlight for the children.

In uniform, Reed showed his audience of about 50 posters with important safety rules and tips. With jokes and magic tricks, he entertained the children and told them how important it is not to talk to strangers and how to use the 911 emergency number.

Sitting and laughing with the crowd of toddlers and children was Sherri Stuart, a Garden Grove mother of three.

She said: “He’s good with kids. I think he is great, and they respond to him well.”

Stuart brought her 3-year-old son and two daughters, 4 and 6. As her daughters laughed at Reed’s show, Stuart said they had planned to come to the party and were “having a blast.”

“You can never start them too young. They pick (the safety rules) up,” she said.

Alex Charez of Santa Ana brought his two daughters to the zoo and said he did not know about the party.

“We just happened to come. We lucked out,” he said. “It was a thrill a minute. Now my daughters want to come every weekend. We look forward to coming next Saturday.”