Dear Colleagues,

As you know, AZA President Bill Foster has asked me to spearhead a national
initiative to help provide relief for
the Audubon Nature Institute, its staff and their families, the animals and the
facilities in New Orleans. I was
honored and pleased to accept.

The tragic news reports coming out of New Orleans are horrific and illustrate
the devastating consequences of
Hurricane Katrina. However, we have received some encouraging reports, via Dr.
Betsy Dresser, from Audubon
employees and we remain optimistic about the situation there. To access
up-to-date information from Dr. Dresser,
please visit www.aza.org/Newsroom/hurricaneupdate/
<http://www.aza.org/Newsroom/hurricaneupdate/>

To kick off this campaign, the three Chicago-area institutions—Shedd Aquarium,
Brookfield Zoo and Lincoln
Park Zoo—will each donate a minimum of $35,000 to the fund. I want to thank Ted
Beattie, President and CEO of Shedd
Aquarium, and Stuart Strahl, Brookfield Zoo Director, for their extraordinary
generosity.

We hope you will join us and contribute what you can to this effort. To make a
donation, please either visit the
home page of the Lincoln Park Zoo Web site at www.lpzoo.org
<http://www.lpzoo.org> or mail checks. Checks should be made out to The Lincoln
Park Zoological Society and be sent to:

Lincoln Park Zoo
P.O. Box 14903
Chicago IL 60614
Attn: Hurricane Katrina Relief

Funds will be distributed though the Executive Committee of the AZA Board of
Directors.

You also may direct members of the public who wish to make a donation to our Web
site or provide the mailing address
above. However, we ask that you please do not send telephone calls or e-mails to
us, as we do not have the
staff to handle them. If you receive media inquiries about this effort, please
refer them to Jane Ballentine at (301)
562-0777, Ext. 252 or Kelly McGrath of my staff, at (312) 742-2246. Kelly will
be available throughout the weekend.
Jane is available during the weekend via cell phone at 301/332-1742. She will
also be checking messages on her
office voicemail regularly.

As Dr. Foster mentioned in his earlier communication, the outpouring of concern
and offers of support from our zoo
and aquarium family has been overwhelming. I am confident that, with your help,
we will be successful, and the
Audubon Nature Institute, its staff and their families can come through this
tragedy and begin to look forward to a
brighter tomorrow.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Kevin J. Bell
President and CEO





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