Jackson State University will celebrate a “Day at the Zoo” on Saturday, April 25.
From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., a variety of fun activities and specials will be offered, said C. Ashton Hall, JSU social media associate. They include:
— Small animals provided for petting and interaction
— Food vendors
— JSU mascot available for photos and “selfies”
— JSU Band performance
— Children’s Tiger face painting
— Space Jumps
— Carousel rides (Only JSU general admission or JSU Zoo membership get a free carousel token that day)
There also will be a Prelaunch JSU Day at the Zoo with a “How Do You Zoo JSU” event. The Jackson Zoo mobile will be set up during JSU’s annual Blue and White Tiger Fest event on April 11. The zoo mobile will have small animals for JSU students to pet and interact with. They will also have discounted membership information available.
During JSU Zoo Day, April 25, JSU general admission and JSU Zoo membership attendees will pay for regular entry JSU Zoo Day, Hall said. But those identified by their JNumber are entered to win a prize.
Plans are to create a Jackson Zoo webpage; special memberships will be promoted; and Zoo supporters are asked to use the social media hashtag #HowDoYouZooJSU.
Jackson State and the Zoo entered an agreement in November in the raising of a rare Sumatran Tiger. Named EKO, which is Indonesian for “first born,” the JSU Tiger is the centerpiece of the partnership which provides educational resources, community service and learning opportunities to current, former and future JSU students and children in the community.