Out & About: Zoo to Do Patron Party

The Zoo To Do 2023 “Adventure Awaits” Patron Party was hosted Oct. 16 by Shawna and Josh Hinkel in their Preston Hollow home. 

The event featured award-winning portraits of Dallas Zoo animals from hostess Shawna Hinkel’s “Almost Human” photographic series and live animals mingling with the crowd courtesy of the Dallas Zoo’s Animal Adventures Outreach program. 

“Where else can you hear an elephant trumpeting in the background and feed the giraffes?” said Sean Greene, executive vice president of park operations and chief operating officer asked.

Zoo to Do event is a major source of funding for the nonprofit Dallas Zoo, bringing in more than $1 million each year to help support the zoo’s dedication to provide the best animal care, deliver unique education offerings, and strengthen its wildlife conservation efforts.  

Harrison Edell, executive vice president of animal care and conservation and chief mission officer, explained that their support is impactful on the zoo’s strategic conservation work, like the progress being done around wild releases.

The patron party came before Zoo to Do 2023, which fell on Nov. 4.