A chance to party with the animals

Forget cummerbunds and bejeweled earbobs. At the Los Angeles Zoo’s annual Beastly Ball, safari clothes are de rigueur. “The first year I went to this event I thought it was a real ball, and I went looking for a fancy dress,” said guest Kristen Montet, grasping a plastic cup of fizzing bubbly as she rumbled into the party aboard the Safari Shuttle. “I figured out they called it a ball because everybody has such a great time!”

Indeed. From the moment guests arrived, they were met with opportunity. Hungry? Help yourself to restaurant fare offered at -- count ‘em -- 18 food stations. Thirsty? Open bars are available at nearly every turn along the jacaranda-lined paths. Miss the mall? Make a bid on dozens of items -- such as a tufted silk pet bed with an attached reflecting pool -- at seven silent auction tables. Or check out the luxury auction under a straw canopy hung with sparkling crystal chandeliers, where, for a minimum bid of $1,000, you can name a giraffe or bathe an elephant. “The chance to stand close to an animal that size and give it a bath is a priceless experience you don’t soon forget,” a zoo docent hawked. And then there were the leashed goats that nuzzled guests’ clothing, and the possums cuddled in the arms of handlers. Oops -- not too close. “Possums have very sharp teeth,” a zoo staff member warned.

The party was so action-packed that maps were handed out so guests could navigate the scene, which began in the aquatics zone, continued in the red ape rain forest and elephant yard, and ended in a palm-rimmed meadow strung with a rainbow of twinkle lights. “This reminds me of Africa,” Robbin Itkin said as she surveyed a dining area dotted with exotic floral displays and tables spread with lilac and mango-colored cloths. “The flowers in Africa took my breath away.”

Perhaps most intriguing for the hundreds of partygoers was the action provided by the orangutans, which did everything from gobble down boxed pizza to return the steady gazes of curious onlookers. “I like watching the animals. You see yourself,” said Barry Freeman.

For new zoo trustee Deborah Brener, the June 14 event marked an opportunity to raise funds -- more than $600,000 -- for continued improvements on a favorite haunt. “I have four children, so I’m here all the time,” she said. “I’m excited that the zoo is making all of its exhibits state-of-the-art -- more hands-on, for example, so little visitors can see better.” Already the orangutan area has been refurbished. “These days, you can walk up to a window and they come right up to you. What could be better than that?”