Tag archives: Rich Block

Long serving Santa Barbara Zoo President and CEO Rich Block is retiring in January after 27 years leading the 30-acre menagerie through the most transformative period in its history. Rich is the zoo’s second director succeeding the late Ted McToldridge, who retired in 1997. The zoo’s board of directors has formed a transition committee, and […]

If you visit the Zoo and blink your eyes, you may think you’re “down under” in Australia. Our Santa Barbara Zoo has some new critters in the new Australian Walkabout Habitat: Bennett’s wallabies, western gray kangaroos, and emus. The grand opening was in January, 2022 and the exhibit is 15,000 square feet where you can […]

Lions and tigers and zebras, oh my! Yes, the Santa Barbara Zoo was back, wilder than ever for the XXXV Zoofari ball. This year’s theme was “Return to Basecamp” and all the safari clothes and animal prints came out of the closet. Rincon Events was back serving up a spread at “camp” along with sunset […]

The party animals were out in force, vaccination passports in hand, when the Santa Barbara Zoo hosted Zoofari Ball XXXV Return to Basecamp, attended by more than 630 supporters and raising nearly $200,000 for the popular menagerie. Guests in their safari gear and Harrison Ford lookalikes joined the party on the hilltop for sunset cocktails, […]

It’s not too big of a stretch to suggest that a lot of people probably felt like they might never get out from under the “new reality,” what with several surges and multiple levels of lockdown over the past 15 months. But the folks over at the Santa Barbara Zoo are emerging from the COVID […]