Latest news with #JimBreheny
New York Post
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Bronx Zoo's fascinating World of Darkness exhibit reopens after 16-year hiatus
The spotlight is back on New York's darkest exhibit. World of Darkness, the Bronx Zoo's 'groundbreaking' shadowy attraction showcasing more than two dozen rare and unusual nocturnal animals, is back after a 16-year hiatus. 4 World of Darkness, the Bronx Zoo's 'groundbreaking' shadowy attraction showcasing animals such as the sand cat (above), is back after a 16-year hiatus. Terria Clay / Bronx Zoo The revamped exhibit, which opened to the public Saturday, offers a glimpse into the behaviors and adaptations of 25 species across the world, from two-toed sloths and cloud rats to sand cats and vampire bats. Entry to the 13,000-square-foot, 21-habitat exhibit is included with the purchase of a Bronx Zoo ticket. 4 Aye-ayes also are part of the exhibit. Bronx Zoo 'The opening of the new World of Darkness will once again provide Bronx Zoo visitors with a unique immersion experience to observe amazing creatures that have evolved to live and thrive in darkness,' said Bronx Zoo Director and Wildlife Conservation Society Executive Vice President of Zoos & Aquarium Jim Breheny in a statement. The first World of Darkness exhibit at the zoo opened in 1969. It served as the first major zoo exhibit to feature nocturnal animals in a 'reverse light cycle' so that onlookers could watch the nocturnal world in action during daytime hours, officials said. The new modernized exhibit – the first iteration since the original closed in April 2009 because of financial issues – will continue on the legacy of creative lighting design, zoo officials said, with a new set of programmable LED lighting systems that simulate 'soft' sunrise and sunset transitions. 4 The modernized exhibit features creative lighting designs, zoo officials said. Bronx Zoo The 'reimagined' nocturnal house also offers 'immersive soundscapes, interactive elements, and meticulously recreated habitats' from tropical forests and wetlands to deserts and caves, the zoo said. Visitors can expect hands-on educational consoles, outdoor photo-op stations and up-close views of blood pythons, tarantulas and naked mole rats. The exhibit also serves as the zoo's only permanent bilingual attraction, with all signage, graphics and interactive elements in both English and Spanish. 4 A broad-snouted Caiman lays in wait at the Bronx Zoo's World of Darkness exhibit. Julie Larsen / Bronx Zoo The revitalized exhibit also features species rarely seen in zoos, including cloud rats, fat-tailed leumurs, and Guatemalan beaded lizards. 'Many New Yorkers have great memories of the exhibit which originally opened in 1969,' Breheny said, adding the zoo has 'updated all aspects of the experience to ensure an amazing opportunity to enter a shadowy world rarely seen.'
CBS News
20-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Bronx Zoo hosts New York City boroughs honey-tasting contest
Battle of the boroughs over which one produces the best-tasting honey Battle of the boroughs over which one produces the best-tasting honey Battle of the boroughs over which one produces the best-tasting honey The Bronx Zoo hosted a contest on Tuesday to see which New York City borough produces the best-tasting honey. Jim Breheny, the director of the Bronx Zoo, said the tasting was an opportunity to share how bees and other pollinators are key to a healthy ecosystem. "The taste come from the pollen of the flowers or the plants that the bees are visiting. So some of them ... these very sweet. Some really fruity. Some will be more earthy," Breheny said. "Bees are vital to all of our food crops. All the fruits and the vegetables that we need. Bees are the major pollinators. And we're actually facing a crisis in the country where the population of honeybees is declining." So which borough rules? People from near and far weighed in on their favorite, but at the end of the competition the Bronx won with 34 votes followed by Staten Island with 23 and Manhattan with 22 votes. Queens came in fourth place, leaving Brooklyn in fifth. "It was a tie between the Bronx and Brooklyn, but the Bronx took it," contest voter Lanaya Bellamy said. "I voted for Staten Island. That was stronger. I think the strongest flavor," said Samantha Dates. You can email Erica with Bronx story ideas by CLICKING HERE.
Business Wire
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Wire
Bronx Zoo Debuting New World of Darkness This Summer with Nocturnal Species from Around the World
BUSINESS WIRE)--The Bronx Zoo is opening the new World of Darkness featuring 25 nocturnal species on Saturday, July 12. The World of Darkness invites Bronx Zoo visitors to explore a nocturnal experience highlighting over 20 different habitats including tropical forests, wetlands, deserts, caves, and subterranean environments. Some of the featured species include sloths, pygmy slow loris, broad-snouted caiman, aye-aye, sand cats, naked mole rats, vampire bats and many other species. All the habitats in the World of Darkness are designed to showcase specialized adaptations and behaviors that allow these species to thrive in darkness. The World of Darkness first opened to the public on June 12, 1969, as the first major zoo exhibit to utilize a reverse light cycle. This innovation made it possible for visitors to see night-dwelling creatures during their active period. For the re-opening this summer of the exhibit, which closed in April 2009, the zoo built on its history of innovative lighting design and on the original concept of a reverse day-night cycle. The new World of Darkness features programmable LED lighting systems that simulate natural day-to-night transitions, with soft fades that mirror sunrise and sunset. Said Jim Breheny, Bronx Zoo Director and WCS Executive Vice President of Zoos & Aquarium: 'The opening of the new World of Darkness will once again provide Bronx Zoo visitors with a unique immersion experience to observe amazing creatures that have evolved to live and thrive in darkness. Many New Yorkers have great memories of the exhibit which originally opened in 1969. It was the first major zoo exhibit to feature nocturnal animals in a reverse light cycle. We have updated all aspects of the experience to ensure an amazing opportunity to enter a shadowy world rarely seen.' The exhibit, which will include English and Spanish graphic interpretation, will open to the public on Saturday July 12; and for Wildlife Conservation Society members, it can be previewed on Tuesday, July 8 (10AM-4PM), and Thursday, July 10 (1PM-4PM). World of Darkness is included in all Bronx Zoo entry tickets. Tickets can be purchased HERE. A link to the World of Darkness online can be found HERE. The Bronx Zoo The Bronx Zoo, located on 265 acres of hardwood forest in Bronx, NY, opened on Nov. 8, 1899. It is world-renowned for its leadership in the areas of animal welfare, husbandry, veterinary care, education, science and conservation. The zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and is the flagship park of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) which manages the world's largest network of urban wildlife parks including the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, Queens Zoo and New York Aquarium. Our curators and animal care staff work to save, propagate, and sustain populations of threatened and endangered species. We have educated and inspired more than 400 million visitors at our zoos and aquarium since our opening and host approximately 4 million guests at our parks each year – including about a half-million students annually. The Bronx Zoo is the largest youth employer in the borough of the Bronx, providing opportunity and helping to transform lives in one of the most under-served communities in the nation. The Bronx Zoo is the subject of THE ZOO, a docu-series aired world-wide on Animal Planet. Members of the media should contact mdixon@ (+1 (347) 840-1242) for more information or with questions.
