On our most recent visit, my daughters and I made sure to check out the new live show, Fimi's Forest Adventure: An Elephant's Journey Home. The show is part of the Zoo's new 96 Elephants campaign to promote awareness of African forest elephants that are being hunted by poachers for their ivory tusks. This is an important animal rights issue and, like many serious issues, it can be tricky finding a way to give kids informative and educational experiences in a gentle way that inspires compassion. My youngest daughter has wanted to be a veterinarian all five years of her life. She adores animals and is a natural caretaker. Elephants happen to be her favorite animal, so when I first heard about the campaign I was curious, but also wondered if it would be too much for her and my other young daughter. I want them to be sensitive and mindful of all living creatures but don't want to scare them with images of animals being mistreated or worse. I wanted to learn more about the campaign and what we could do to help, yet worried about harsh images or shows surrounding the initiative.

I'm happy to report that Fimi's Forest Adventure did a great job providing a gentle story with loveable characters, while informing the audience about poachers and eco-guards—men and women tasked with stopping poachers and keeping animals safe in the wild. The live musical show runs about half an hour and features very talented performers and large, friendly looking puppets. The audience is introduced to baby elephant Fimi, as she gets separated from her mother during a poacher attack and journeys to Dzanga Bai—the safe haven her mother told her to find if they ever got separated. Along her journey, Fimi meets other forest animals and learns about how they coexist in the forest. My girls loved the show, learned fun facts about animal habitats, and understood the message about poachers and eco-guards. They walked away humming songs from the show and discussing the differences between elephants and red river hogs—and we all discussed why elephant tusks are coveted and why it's important not to buy ivory products.

After the show, we headed to Somba Village for crafts and other information surrounding the 96 Elephants campaign. After that, we spent the afternoon strolling through the zoo, checking out the animals and exhibits. The zoo is especially fun in the spring when lots of babies can be seen. My daughters loved the baby giraffes and were thrilled to pieces to see a mother gorilla nursing her baby in Congo Gorilla Forest (that was quite an experience for all the adults as well). The baby ape was one of two new gorilla arrivals to the zoo in over eight years.

You can catch Fimi's Forest Adventure: An Elephant's Journey Home on the Wild Asia stage weekends through June and Wednesday-Sunday from July through Labor Day at noon, 1:30pm, 2:30pm and 3:30pm. The show is free with general admission. The Bronx Zoo is open seven days a week year-round. General admission tickets cost $16.95 for adults, $12.95 for children ages 3-12. Total Experience tickets are $33.95 for adults, $23.95 for children ages 3-12 and include unlimited access to the special rides and attractions. Check the Zoo's website for full details on hours and admission. 

This post is sponsored by the Bronx Zoo.