Meet Our Wish Kids

Eight-year-old Avril, a vivacious girl with a special love for animals, longed to meet some fascinating creatures up close – to see the colors of their eyes, and to touch their fur and feathers.

After completing chemotherapy for leukemia, Avril was ready for some happy adventures.   To carry out the dreams and wishes of this hopeful animal lover, Avril was made the Honorary Zookeeper of the Bronx Zoo for a day.   As her special day drew near, Avril was also invited to flip the switch for the Bronx Zoo's Holiday Lights with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Avril's adventure began with a visit to the zoo's education department where she and her family enjoyed hands-on experiences with many special animals.   Avril met Lily, a silvery-cheeked hornbill bird from Africa, and she held and nuzzled Vada, a fennec fox.   The group fed Frankie, a two-toed sloth, and Sam, a tortoise.   But, Avril especially enjoyed meeting Nachman, a wallaby who snacked on whipped cream.  

Avril fed penguins and played medic to a flamingo's sore, cracked feet by applying a special cream to them.   In the Tiger Mountain exhibit, Avril and her crew played tug of war with Taurus, a 300-pound Siberian tiger cub.   Despite a secure barrier between them, Taurus demonstrated the mighty power of a tiger cub as he pulled with his teeth on the rope that they held.   And, thanks to an observant fulltime zookeeper, Avril now has one of Taurus's whiskers – a rare find, and a great wish memory.

Following lunch, Avril and her crew received official Bronx Zoo honorary zookeeper credentials in recognition of their loyalty as Wildlife Conservation Society members.  

As Avril headed for her limousine, she contentedly considered her wonderful, wishful day and said, “It was really cool!   I got to see amazing animals and take care of them.”   But Make-A-Wish ® experiences always have a special touch… so when Avril opened the door of the limo, she discovered many, many stuffed zoo animals waiting for her love and attention.   At this, she erupted with shrieks and squeals of joy.   Her mom said, "My heart is full.   She's been through so much and it's nice to have a break from all that for something that means so much to her.”   The Make-A-Wish staff was also pleased to know that Avril's magical wish would live on as she nurtured her own stuffed zoo at home.