Boo at the Zoo: Creatures of the Night
By Andrew Glover
After a visit to the Bronx Zoo, many Halloween thrill seekers discovered that things that go bump in the night might not be ghosts, goblins or werewolves. More likely they are nocturnal animals such as raccoons, frogs or owls that are giving them the heebie jeebies.
The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo welcomed back Boo at the Zoo: Dragons and Dinosaurs October 4th. “Boo” goers enjoyed a eerie walk through Jack O’ Lantern Illumination – Creatures of the Night. “Walking through here is about scary, but when you get to see all these pumpkin carvings up close it gets pretty amazing,” said Bronx native Rafael Mercado, 33.
Mercado and others were able to watch professional pumpkin carvers from Sand Sculpture create 3-D pumpkin carvings. Visitors were invited to join the effervescent costume parade and to crawl through the Hay Maze. Meanwhile, Magician David Levitan performed astounding magic tricks and optical illusions. The Extinct Animal Graveyard was a vivid illustration of extinct and endangered animals, while Gigi and the Lend Me a Hand Band played live music.
Boo at the Zoo isn’t like your normal Halloween decorated venue designed to leave in tearful horror. Production designers made it a point to showcase the beauty of nocturnal animals and to avoid supernatural creatures such as ghost, goblins and zombies. “I’m surprised I haven’t seen one ghost here,” said Julissa Ocasio, 23. “There are all these carvings of monkeys and owls and raccoons. It’s like an organic Halloween.”