Free Admission for Grandparents at Zoo Atlanta Today

by Patch Staff

In honor of Grandparents Day, is offering free admission Sept. 9 for up to two grandparents.

Families enjoy free admission for up to two grandparents with purchase of any full-price adult’s or child’s general admission ticket. Mention “Grandparents Day” at Zoo Atlanta Admissions to redeem the discount. The Grandparents Day discount is valid only on Sunday, Sept. 9, and is not valid with any other discount, offer or promotion.

Zoo patrons should take note of two significant milestones for two of Zoo Atlanta's two most popular residents.

While he’s not yet a grandparent, Atlanta’s favorite papa bear marks a milestone this weekend: Yang Yang the giant panda turns 15 on Sept. 9. In the tradition of the elaborate “cakes” presented to Lun Lun, who turned 15 on Aug. 25, and Xi Lan, who turned 4 on Aug. 30, Yang Yang will receive an edible extravaganza featuring bamboo, bananas, apples and sweet potatoes. His birthday surprises may also carry hints of the smell of Tabasco, known to be his favorite scent. Yang Yang will receive his cake at 2 p.m. in the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation Giant Panda Conservation Center.

Sunday also brings another birthday for one of the Zoo’s most beloved senior citizens. Farasi the lion, who turns 22 on Sept. 9, is the oldest male African lion living in the North American population of pedigreed cats managed by the Lion Species Survival Plan.

Born in 1990 in Kruger National Park, South Africa, Farasi lived at the De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Centre and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park before moving to Zoo Atlanta in 2000. Since that time, he has impressed his caregivers with his remarkable aptitude for training advances, including voluntary nail trims, injections and blood draws. Farasi has also made longstanding impressions on Zoo visitors with his trademark roar, which can be heard throughout the immediate Grant Park community. He will receive birthday treats at 11 a.m. in his habitat in the African Plains.