(Salt Lake City, UT) - For years, millions of visitors to Utah's Hogle Zoo have loved seeing the elephants, especially the three currently living at Elephant Encounter. Now the country's second-oldest African elephant, Hogle Zoo's own Dari, is turning 48 and the celebration is about to begin! Join Hogle Zoo Saturday June 14, 2008 from 11 am to 2 pm for the biggest birthday Party for Dari.

On this day, Elephant Encounter will be turned into Party Central, complete with interactive kids' crafts, African dancers and drummers and cupcakes for the first 1,000 guests. Kids will even have a chance to sign an elephant-sized birthday card for Dari herself. Then at 11:30 am, Hogle Zoo keepers will present a tasty birthday treat for the elephants, a gigantic cake in Dari's honor!

Born in 1960, Dari came to Hogle Zoo in 1967. Since then, she has delighted several generations of Hogle Zoo guests while helping Hogle Zoo staff teach about the importance of conservation to African elephants in the wild.  Although poaching of elephants for their ivory has declined since the 1989 "ivory ban", it remains a widespread problem in west and central Africa. A more long-term threat to the species, however, is the reduction of habitat available to elephants in the face of expanding human populations. At Hogle Zoo's Elephant Encounter, people can learn about African elephants, and how decreasing populations in the wild can be helped.

It's birthday time, but no stupid party games here-only the best for an animal as majestic as Dari! For more information about Hogle Zoo's Party for Dari celebration contact Community Relations Coordinator Holly Braithwaite at (801) 584-1729 or email at hbraithwaite@hoglezoo.org

About the Association of Zoos & Aquariums: Utah's Hogle Zoo is one of only 216 accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA).  Look for the AZA logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you, and a better future for all living things.  AZA is a leader in global wildlife conservation, and your link to helping animals in their native habitats. For more information visit www.aza.org