Twilight Trek offers a closer look at nocturnal zoo animals

Q: We’ve been to Atlanta Zoo during the day but would like to know about the twilight event. How is it different from a daylight visit?

A: You are inquiring about Zoo Atlanta’s Twilight Trek after-hours adventure geared for all ages and running through Nov. 5. The theme is “Saving Species.”

This event is offered from spring through fall and is part of the zoo’s school and family programs.

“It started as an opportunity to get families connected outdoors without having to stay overnight, such as the Night Crawlers program,” Senior Director of Education Staci Wiech said. “They have the opportunity to come and experience the zoo, learn a little bit about our mission, our conserva- tion, our research and what we do in an environment that is generally quieter.

“The evening brings about its own magic with our ani- mals that live here as well as the natural, our native animals, like owls and hawks that come through,” she added.

The eastern indigo snake reintroduction program will be one of the highlights of the night.

Participants are broken up into groups and rotate through a number of dif- ferent engaging activities led by an educator (team staff member) ranging from the PIT (Passive Integrated Transponders) tags of (fake) snakes, the zoo tours, stories and games. Conversations are tailored to the ages of the groups.

There are some animals that have ‘access’ to choose where they would like to sleep: inside or outdoors. “There is a great opportunity that participants will see elephants and the rhino,” Wiech said. “The clouded leop- ard is a nocturnal species. You might see her during the day, but she tends to be more active at night. Our bird species also are more active at night, so we generally see them.

“When we go up to Scaly Slimy Spectacular, which is our reptile and amphibian complex, those animals, too, will be fairly active. We try to highlight those species that we know we are going to see.”

The rehabilitation story of Sequoyah, the zoo’s bald eagle will be shared.

Depending on what is out and if the evening is dark enough night vision goggles will be used, which is “always a crowd favorite,” according to the senior director of education.

Note: This is not a full zoo tour. Activities are geared for children ages 6 and up. Twilight Tots (ages 0-5) is a condensed program that will kick back up next spring.

Time: 6:30-9 p.m. Sept. 24, Oct. 21 and 28, Nov. 5.

Address: 800 Cherokee Ave. SE, Atlanta 30315

For more information or to register, visit: https://zooatlanta.doubleknot.com/2020twilight-trek/69991

COURTESY Guests have the opportunity to explore the zoo at night during Twilight Trek at Zoo Atlanta. Twilight Trek activities can include use of night-vision technology to spot animals not ordinarily seen during the day.