Birmingham ZooRun rescheduled to September due to COVID-19

The 15th annual Birmingham ZooRun 5K Run for Future Rangers — previously scheduled for May 16 at the Birmingham Zoo — has been postponed due to the dangers posed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the event has been rescheduled for Saturday, Sept. 12, according to Samil Baker, the zoo’s public relations and social media manager.

In addition, the Zoo — the facility was forced to close beginning March 20 — recently used social media to adapt to the pandemic and present some additional content to zoo lovers.

The ZooRun is not your normal 5K and features runners racing past animal habitats and seeing exotic animals during the run. The race begins in the parking lot before weaving around the zoo, including local areas and the inside of the zoo, before finishing at Henley Park at the Birmingham Zoo green space.

The ZooRun is different from any other 5K in Birmingham, Baker said.

“The route of the race is the key feature because of its uniqueness, unlike any other 5K in the Birmingham metro area,” she said.“Runners will not only run on zoo grounds around the perimeter but inside of the zoo,” she said. “Not everyone can say they have run a 5K inside of a zoo amongst 700 plus animals of 230 species from 6 continents.”

All proceeds will benefit this year’s sponsored organization, Global Conservation Corps (GCC).

“The first way GCC tries to improve conservation is by supporting the Zululand Rhino Orphanage and the second is by helping to sponsor the future rangers program,” Baker said. “Each registration helps to support these different programs and makes a great impact on spreading the message of conservation, globally and locally.”

Over the last two years, The Birmingham Zoo and the Birmingham Chapter of the Association of Zoo Keepers have sent over $30,000 to the GCC. This year’s goal is to raise $20,000.

Following the zoo’s closure in March, the zoo experimented with social media to share some special content with the public for about three weeks.

The zoo’s education staff hosted the Virtual Zoo Camp each day on Facebook. Each 10-minute episode included a family-friendly activity, such as a zoo tour, lessons about various animals and information about the zoo’s conservation work.

The zoo also broadcast videos about various zoo animals, such as lions, goats, hawks and bobcats, on its Facebook and Instagram channels.

Broadcasting this digital content during the pandemic gave the zoo staff an opportunity to make “a positive impact” on the community in “a very uncertain time,” said Chris Pfefferkorn, the zoo’s president and CEO.

For updates and ticket information leading up to the rescheduled Zoo Run, go to birminghamzoo.com/events.

– Jesse Chambers contributed to this report.