Contact: Laura Stegman
310/470-6321

Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association's
"Travel Night" Open to Public at No Charge

The Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association (GLAZA), a private, non-profit
organization that supports the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens,
presents a free "Travel Night" on Tuesday, September 23, 2008, 7 p.m., at
the Zoo. Open to the public at no charge, the evening features a preview of
a private safari with Director John Lewis. This unique GLAZA- sponsored
travel program from July 25 - August 9, 2009, includes visits to Botswana,
Zambia and South Africa, offering authentic wildlife and wilderness
experiences. "Travel Night" includes detailed presentations about the trip,
the opportunity to ask questions, and refreshments.

This GLAZA trip is operated by Wilderness Safaris, a conservation
organization and ecotourism company dedicated to responsible tourism
throughout the southern Africa areas in which it operates. Its goal is to
share these wild areas with guests from all over the world, while at the
same time helping to ensure the future protection of Africa's spectacular
wildlife heritage and sharing the benefits of tourism with local
communities. The 25-year-old company operates camps and safaris in
Botswana, Namibia, Malawi, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and the Seychelles
and is run by a group of likeminded wildlife enthusiasts who came together
to build a successful safari business while ensuring that southern Africa's
pristine wilderness areas remain sustainably protected. Wilderness Safaris
was honored this year by Travel & Leisure as #2 in its list of "Top 15 Tour
Operators and Safari Outfitters," and it has been included in this award
category for the last four years.

The year 2008 marks more than four decades of GLAZA's success in supporting
the Los Angeles Zoo's work as an educational resource for the citizens of
Los Angeles, and as an international center for the conservation of
endangered wildlife. GLAZA provides support for Los Angeles Zoo exhibits,
conservation, capital projects, education programs, community outreach,
research, and more through fund-raising and an endowment, membership,
special events and more. GLAZA currently has 65,000 member households, the
second largest non-profit organization membership in Los Angeles. Many of
its nearly 300,000 individual members have sustained their GLAZA support for
more than 20 years. The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens is an
international leader in the conservation of endangered species and one of
the city's major cultural and entertainment resources..

The free "Travel Night" evening takes place in Witherbee Auditorium at the Los Angeles Zoo.

The Los Angeles Zoo is located at 5333 Zoo Drive in Los Angeles' Griffith Park at
the junction of the Ventura (134) and Golden State (5) freeways.  For
tickets and information, call 323/644-4708.

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