It was a moment that 3-year-old Charlotte Broderick has been looking forward to since last year's celebration.
“I videotaped it on my phone,” said her mom, Bailey Broderick. “I think we've watched it two to three times a week, all year.”
One could see why the event
would make an impression. Zookeepers Grace Erker and Mindy Weaver
played guitar and saxophone during the singing of “Happy Birthday” and a
special song to the tune of “Bingo.” Tilly got to enjoy a meat cake
topped with hot dogs, while her guests were served cupcakes.
The
party also served as a belated welcome for Timber, who was adopted from
an animal shelter last fall as a companion for Tilly and whose
bloodline is thought to contain some wolf.
Broderick
even picked up her 6-year-old son Cooper from school early so that he
could join Charlotte and Oliver, 5, to share the event together.
“I
wish they would do (birthday parties) for all the animals. My kids love
it,” she said. “They know that it's Tilly's birthday – like, they think
that it's a big deal.”
This was Tilly's
sixth brithday, but her second party. The event was introduced last year
because she was alone after her fellow wolf Mowgli died, and keepers
were looking for ways to give her more enrichment.
“We were trying to increase
the amount of enrichment we were putting in her environment, just
because we knew she was by herself and probably a little lonely,” said
keeper Heather Purdeu. “It was so positive last year that we actually
had people ask us if we were doing it again this year.”
Both
animals seemed to enjoy the extra attention, frequently heading up to
the glass window the exhibit to peer at the excited visitors. Keepers
also gave them papier-mache balloons with treats inside.
Amir and Rebecca Lilienthal brought their three children: Jordan, 4, Henry, 2, and Benjamin, 13 weeks.
The
two older boys often use the nearby playground, said Rebecca
Lilienthal, so they have been able to see Tilly and Timber through the
fence, even when the zoo is closed.
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