GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — John Ball Zoo is ending this year's Lantern Festival with a completely sold-out last day and record attendance numbers.
More than 110,000 guests visited last year's event. John Ball Zoo anticipates this year's official numbers will be far past that.
The festival features handcrafted Asian lantern displays, highlighting Asian culture and wildlife, such as the zoo's red pandas.
Amanda Cone, a red panda keeper, explained why it's so important to spread awareness about these endangered animals.
"They are expert climbers, so trees are very important for going around in their territory, and then the locals also use a lot of bamboo for like fences and rooftops," Cone said. "It's kind of just learning how to manage their resources to share."
The zoo is committed to giving 3% of its profits to conservation, both in Michigan and abroad. The zoo works with the Red Panda Network, an organization that does on the ground work in their natural habitats in Asia, like planting bamboo forests.
Cone's work with the animals is a little more personal.
"You're pretty much a janitor, a nurse, almost a culinary chef," Cone said. "We make sure that they're always healthy. They're getting the best nutrients, and that they are able to live out the lives like they would in the wild."
Her love for animals started as a kid. Events like Lantern Festival help get people of all ages out to the zoo and excited about conservation.
"I think it's important to get them excited and be able to have that connection, because you only take care of things that you care about," Cone said.
The zoo added more dates to the festival last month due to popularity.
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