Utah's Hogle Zoo hosts event to celebrate all family stages ahead of Mother's Day

Utah’s Hogle Zoo hosts its first "My Cubs and Me" event on Saturday to celebrate all family stages and dynamics.

Utah’s Hogle Zoo hosts its first "My Cubs and Me" event on Saturday to celebrate all family stages and dynamics. (Utah Hogle Zoo)


Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's Hogle Zoo held its first "My Cubs and Me" event Saturday to celebrate different family dynamics ahead of Mother's Day.

The Hogle Zoo is again offering moms and "mother figures" of all stages free entry on Mother's Day with the purchase of a full-price child or adult ticket. The promotion is only available in-person at the ticket window.

Saturday's event was presented by the Utah Fertility Center and sponsor Utah Foster Care, with other resource partners available throughout the zoo. The event featured activities, animal demonstrations, games and a drawing to offer up to $10,000 for future infertility treatment services to one guest supplied by the Utah Fertility Center.

"Mother's Day is bittersweet because for those who haven't been able to achieve that goal yet, it's hard. It's a very challenging and very emotionally tough time," said Diane Fletcher, Utah Fertility Center spokeswoman. "Infertility affects 1 in 8 who are trying to conceive. Feelings of frustration and isolation are commonly used to describe infertility and one of the best things we can offer people is hope."

The event showcased several other aspects of family building, such as adoption or fostering. Attendees were able to learn the journey stories of animals at the zoo, including adoption, fertility support, sibling caregivers, gender roles, lifetime mates, and blended families through placards outside of the exhibits.

The zoo's Bornean orangutans, Acara and Tua, were among fan favorites. When Acara was 9-years-old and Tua was 2-months-old, the young orangutans were orphaned. Although orangutans often are communal animals, Acara was young to take care of her brother and had no experience as a mother.

Through caretaker's assistance, Acara began to care for her brother and became his caregiver.

"This is actually a topic we take on a lot because we are trying to connect that human and animal together — families are probably the easiest connection that people can make. Because we all want to feel like we're part of a community we all want to feel loved. We all want to help each other in the community," said Heather Barnum, of Utah's Hogle Zoo.

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

EntertainmentUtahSalt Lake CountyFamily
Ashley Fredde covers human services and and women's issues for KSL.com. She also enjoys reporting on arts, culture and entertainment news. She's a graduate of the University of Arizona.

STAY IN THE KNOW

Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

KSL Weather Forecast