• Special Debut of Two New Babydoll Sheep
  • Help Choose Their Names
  • Saturday and Sunday, May 8 - 9

Brooklyn, N.Y., April 28, 2010 – The sheep and alpacas are looking quite fluffy at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) Prospect Park Zoo… but not for long.  On Saturday and Sunday, May 8 and 9 their thick wool coats will be cast off at the zoo’s annual Fleece Festival in order to help these wonderfully wooly animals stay cool all summer long.  It will be a fleece-filled weekend complete with sheep-themed crafts, live music, and lots of soon-to-be-shorn sheep and alpacas.

Of course, the highlight of the weekend will be watching the shearers in action. Zoo-goers will get a sheep’s-eye view of the process as the zoo’s sheep and alpacas are helped out of their winter wear by expert shearer Don Kading. As the animals get their stylish new look, the professional shearers will guide visitors step-by-step through the process while local artists discuss the many uses of wool.

As a special treat for this year’s festivities, WCS’s Prospect Park Zoo will debut two eleven-month-old Babydoll sheep, and those on hand can vote on what the new sheep should be named. 

Visitors can vote at the zoo’s Barn for the following pair of names:
  • Raggedy Ann and Andy
  • Peep and Beau
  • Lucy and Ricky
  • Amy and Charlie
  • Ginger and Fred

The Fleece Festival is free with regular zoo admission.

Photo: Julie Larsen Maher © WCS. Two new babydoll sheep will make their public debut at WCS Prospect Park Zoo’s annual Fleece Fest to be held on May 8 and 9.

Contact:
Fran Hacket: fhackett@wcs.org, 718-265-3428

Wildlife Conservation Society Prospect Park Zoo – $7.00 for adults, $4 for seniors 65 and older, $3.00 for kids 3-12, free for children under 3. Zoo hours are 10am to 5pm weekdays; 10am to 5:30pm weekends. The Prospect Park Zoo is located at 450 Flatbush Avenue in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. For further information, call 718-399-7339 or visit www.prospectparkzoo.com.

Wildlife Conservation Society saves wildlife and wild places worldwide.  We do so through science, global conservation, education and the management of the world's largest system of urban wildlife parks, led by the flagship Bronx Zoo.  Together these activities change attitudes towards nature and help people imagine wildlife and humans living in harmony.  WCS is committed to this mission because it is essential to the integrity of life on Earth.

Special Note to the Media: If you would like to guide your readers or viewers to a web link where they can make donations in support of helping save wildlife and wild places, please direct them to: www.wcs.org/donation