Zoo alternative to shopping: Black-and-White Friday
Discounted day out at Atlanta zoo features giant pandas
From Staff Reports
ATLANTA — One of Atlanta’s premiere tourist attractions is encouraging nonshoppers looking for a Black Friday alternative to opt for a Black-and-White Friday at Zoo Atlanta.
Rather than fighting the crowds at malls and retail outlets, Georgians are encouraged to spend a day outdoors with family and friends at the home of the only giant panda twins in the U.S. at Black-and-White Friday.
Visitors to the zoo Friday can enjoy 50 percent off on up to two children’s general admission tickets with the purchase of any single regularly-priced adult general admission ticket. Mention the offer in person at Zoo Atlanta admissions to redeem the discount.
Zoo Atlanta is one of only four zoos in the U.S. housing giant pandas. Giant panda twins Ya Lun and Xi Lun, who turned 2 on Sept. 3, and their parents, Lun Lun and Yang Yang, both 21, are well-adapted for cooler weather and may often be found in outdoor habitats at the Zoo’s Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation Giant Panda Conservation Center in the fall and winter months.
The giant pandas are ambassadors for Zoo Atlanta’s most significant long-term investment in wildlife conservation. Fewer than 1,900 giant pandas are estimated to remain in the wild in China’s Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces. Of these, more than 1,200 live inside nature reserves, and eight of these reserves have been supported by Zoo Atlanta.
Although the International Union for Conservation of Nature downgraded the species’ status from “endangered” to “vulnerable” in 2016, giant pandas remain heavily reliant on conservation programs. Their threats include habitat fragmentation and habitat loss as a result of deforestation and other human activities. Zoo Atlanta has contributed well in excess of $10 million in support of wild giant pandas in China and has provided support for reforestation projects, conservation education programs, giant panda nurseries, and field research programs and supplies.
The Black-and-White Friday discount is valid only on Friday and is not valid online; the discount may not be combined with any other offer or promotion.
Share the Zoo with even more family and friends with Zoo Atlanta’s Cyber Weekend Gift Membership offer, valid from Black Friday through Cyber Monday. From Friday to Monday, visitors may receive two bonus single-day general admission tickets with purchase of a Zoo Atlanta Gift Membership Gift Card.
Zoo Atlanta, located at 800 Cherokee Ave., S.E. in the state’s capital, will be closed on Thanksgiving Day. Visit zooatlanta.org to plan a holiday weekend visit.
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