The Billings Free Press

One of Zoo Montana’s original Siberian Tigers, TJ, has died.

TJ was having hip surgery and didn’t make it. Even though he has been in South Carolina for five years folks still ask about him. I’m sure his South Carolinian keepers will miss him as much as we do.

R.I.P. TJ

Sad news coming from ZooMontana today with the passing of William, one of their Red Pandas.

I feel for the staff who always invest so much of themselves into the animals they take care of. If you have ever lost a pet you know what they must be feeling. Hopefully time will heal all wounds.

The ZooMontana site has their page for MargaZOOritaville up.

They have Rupert Holmes’ “Escape” playing on the page so it’s worth the click just for that bit of nostalgia!

From the Billings Gazette:

Sign-up under way for pet competition

Registration is taking place for ZooMontana’s Stupid Pet Tricks competition, which will be held at noon Aug. 22 at ZooMontana’s MargaZOOritaville event.

To compete, participants must turn in a registration form, which can be found at ZooMontana or online at www.zoomontana.org, along with a $15 registration fee and their current veterinarian records.

Prizes will be awarded for Most Creative Trick, Most Adorable Pet and Hardest Trick to Master. A panel of local celebrity judges and local dog training professional Tony Barone will decide the winners.

Stupid Pet Tricks will be one entertainment showcase at ZooMontana’s end of summer event, MargaZOOritaville. MargaZOOritaville will begin at 10 a.m. and end at 7 p.m.

Events include karaoke, volleyball, dancing and more, along with frozen, nonalcoholic drink concoctions.

For more information, contact Jenny Moellendorf, PR/marketing coordinator, at 652-8100, ext. 15 or events@zoomontana.org.

There isn’t anything on the ZooMontana website about MargaZOOritaville yet but keep checking back.