LINCOLN PARK — The Lincoln Park Zoo is celebrating February and the month of love by hosting an evening for adults exploring "how the magic happens" for its animals.
The zoo has been buzzing over the past two years since the birth of baby black rhino King and silverback gorillas Patty and Nayembi.
The births weren't simply the product of nature "taking its course," but were the result of careful population management.
Zoo scientists keep track of "online dating profiles" on hundreds of animals at Lincoln Park Zoo and find match-making recommendations from a database of thousands of animals living at zoos and aquariums around the world.
The "Science Behind Zoo Sex" event on Feb. 27 is part of the zoo's Wine & Wildlife series.
Lisa Faust, vice president of conservation and science, and Sarah Long, director of the Population Management Center, will explain how zoos and aquariums plan animal populations generations down the line.
The Lincoln Park Zoo has hosted the Population Management Center since 2000 to help animal managers from around the country make breeding recommendations.
Long and her staff manage 600 species across 220 accredited zoos nationwide and have made transfer recommendations for 100,000 animals.
The event is $17 for non-members and $14 for zoo members 18 years and older.
Pre-registration is available on the zoo's website.
