News Release

April 28, 2011

Contact: Sondra Katzen
Public Relations
708.688.8351
sondra.katzen@czs.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Enjoy Some Rays at Brookfield Zoo
Stingray Bay Exhibit Opens April 30

     Brookfield, IL— Beginning this Saturday, April 30, Brookfield Zoo guests can once again get up close to cownose rays at the zoo’s seasonal Stingray Bay exhibit, which will be open daily through Labor Day. After Labor Day, the exhibit will continue to be open through September, but on weekends only.

Located on Brookfield Zoo’s East Mall, Stingray Bay features more than 50 cownose rays housed in a 16,000-gallon saltwater touch pool that is landscaped with its own waterfall. The lagoon is less than two feet deep and measures about 25 feet by 55 feet, allowing guests of all ages to gain access and touch the stingrays while still providing a center area where the animals can rest.
Rays are incredible creatures and they make for a fun, hands-on, educational family experience. To ensure the safety of visitors, caretakers who carefully monitor the stingray exhibit also trim the animals’ barbs—the whiplike tail parts that can sting—in a painless process that is similar to trimming human fingernails. In addition, zoo staff are available to answer guests’ questions, explain how rays live, and demonstrate the best ways to touch them.

In addition to the rays, Stingray Bay also focuses on sustainable seafood and provides guests with information on how to make choices that promote an abundance of healthy wildlife at markets or restaurants.

Admission to Stingray Bay is $4 for adults and $2 for children ages 3 to 11 and seniors 65 and older.
The Chicago Zoological Society, which manages Brookfield Zoo, inspires conservation leadership by connecting people with wildlife and nature. Open every day of the year, Brookfield Zoo is located off First Avenue between the Stevenson (I-55) and Eisenhower (I-290) expressways and is also accessible via the Tri-State Tollway (I-294), Metra commuter line, CTA, and PACE bus service.

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