The Bramble Park Zoo Animal Ambassadors will be visiting Ipswich on Wednesday, June 5 at 1 p.m. at the Bandshell on Main Street.

The Animal Ambassadors have been invited to help kick off the 2019 Marcus P. Beebe Memorial Library Summer Reading Program, A Universe Of Stories, that begins later that same day at 4:15 p.m.

The Animal Ambassadors are part of a Formal Outreach Program designed by the Bramble Park Zoo to travel to outreach locations like Ipswich. The program will consist of an Animal Encounter in which Zoo staff choose four to six educational animals (depending on the length of the program and the number of participants) to inform students about the natural history, physical characteristics and adaptations of these chosen animals.

Bramble Park Zoo got its start in 1912. That year, the Watertown City Council agreed to display a collection of pheasants and waterfowl donated by Frank Bramble. This small display was the foundation of Bramble Park Zoo. In 1940, the collection was moved from a park near downtown Watertown to its present location on SD Hwy. 20, where new exhibits were constructed to form the core of the Zoo as we know it today.

In years following, the Zoo continued to add native and exotic species such as primates, big cats and hoof stock. Today, the Bramble Park Zoo is home to 800 animals spread across 15 acres for families to enjoy year-round. The Bramble Park Zoo is proud to be accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).

The Bramble Park Zoo continues to thrive today, due to the vision and generosity of Mr. Bramble, 100 years ago.

Don’t miss the Bramble Park Zoo Animal Ambassadors in Ipswich. This is a free event, open to public.