A traveling outdoor sculpture exhibit highlighting the importance of conservation is making its world debut at Seneca Park Zoo this Memorial Day weekend.
The immersive experience features 12 life-size and larger-than-life sculptures of animals that were brought back from the brink of extinction with the help of zoo conservation programs.
"It's a way of expanding our message of connecting people through playful, immersive activities to the real core mission of the zoo, which is we want people to become a conservationist, become an environmentalist, really fall in love with nature, and learn that what that means is we all have a responsibility to act on its behalf," said Seneca Park Zoo Society President and CEO Pamela Reed Sanchez.
The "Tales of Conservation: Wildlife Rescue" exhibit includes climbable sculptures of a Bornean orangutan, black rhinoceros, cheetah, Panamanian golden frog, Eastern Massasagua rattlesnake, peregrine falcon, Burmese star tortoise, mudpuppy, Orinoco crocodile, paddlefish, pangolin, and Puerto Rican crested toad.
They were designed so that people with low vision can feel the texture of the animal's feathers, skin or scales. Each sculpture includes a story about the species and its importance in the natural world.
The exhibit, which was created by Little Ray's in Ontario, Canada, will be on display throughout the Seneca Park Zoo campus and playground area through August 18.
