David with his now adult children, Amanda and Ryan.
It was December 1985, and Oak Cliff resident David Luther was about to celebrate his daughter Amanda’s first Christmas. He wanted to give his little girl something special, something she’d have for years to come that would never be the same. David gave her the intangible gift of adopting a Dallas Zoo animal.
“It was like eating potato chips — once you did it, it just made sense to do it again and again,” David said.
And he did. The following Christmas he adopted another animal for his newborn son, Ryan.
“It wasn’t until they were 3 and 4 that they started understanding the adoption,” David explained. “When we adopted the red panda, it was always the first place we would stop, to find them in the trees. Then when baby gorilla Jake became the adoptee, the kids would say, ‘That’s our gorilla!’ It made each visit a little more special and personal.”
It’s a present David has continued to give for almost 30 years now, making him one of our longest-running adopters in the Adopt-An-Animal program. While we’re incredibly grateful for his decades of generosity, David says it’s nice to have one Christmas gift in the bag he never has to worry about.
“Adopting these animals is just another way we can support the Zoo,” he said. “It’s fun, and it gives us something to look for every time we go. Their wellbeing is important to us, and to know we have a special connection to that Zoo resident.”
Baby gorilla Wakub (nicknamed Jake) born in 1998.
Luther says to this day, his daughter remembers baby Jake. “My kids are grown up, but we’ll still come to the Zoo, and my daughter still says Jake was her favorite. I think it’s a lifelong commitment for us. I’ve made it this long, I might as well continue.”
Adopting one of 50 available animals helps provide care and feeding for that resident, habitat improvements, enrichment items and zookeeper training. Your adopted animal will remain at the Zoo, where we can give it the expert care it deserves with the help of your support.
All adoptions are valid for one year and include a personalized package. For more information and to see the list of available adoptees, click HERE.
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