NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                     

CONTACT:    
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
Public Relations
619-685-3291
publicrelations@sdzwa.org

WEBSITE:      
sdzwa.org

NEWS RELEASE

Percy the Porcupine Puppet Makes Her San Diego Zoo Debut on Earth Day

Giant 17-foot-high Wildlife Ambassador Created to Inspire Wildlife Allies of All Ages

SAN DIEGO (April 22, 2022) – Percy the Porcupine puppet delighted guests when she made her San Diego Zoo debut, in celebration of Earth Day. She is an awe-inspiring prehensile-tailed porcupine that is 17 feet high. Percy was first unveiled in Los Angeles last month, before making her way to San Diego. Her first-ever appearance at the San Diego Zoo created unique moments of wonder for guests of all ages, aimed at further igniting their passion for wildlife and inspiring new wildlife allies.

          Born from the minds at Jim Henson's Creature Shop, the development of Percy started with the creation of a digital model of a prehensile-tailed porcupine. The puppet’s quills were hand-carved and individually attached to the body, and the eyelids were engineered to blink with a large rope pull mechanism, along with movement of the mouth and jaw. It took over 1,200 hours of labor to bring the puppet and her rainforest home to life.

          Percy was inspired by Icana, a real-life prehensile-tailed porcupine at the San Diego Zoo. Icana can be found in her lush, two-story rainforest canopy habitat in the newly opened Wildlife Explorers Basecamp. Here, explorers come face-to-face with some of the most incredible species on Earth while experiencing the world from wildlife’s perspective—including traversing the treetops with squirrel monkeys, marveling at the artistry of orb weaver spiders and smelling the sweetness of a larger-than-life beehive.

###

About San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is a nonprofit international conservation leader, committed to inspiring a passion for nature and creating a world where all life thrives. The Alliance empowers people from around the globe to support their mission to conserve wildlife through innovation and partnerships. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance supports cutting-edge conservation and brings the stories of their work back to the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park—giving millions of guests, in person and virtually, the opportunity to experience conservation in action. The work of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance extends from San Diego to strategic and regional conservation “hubs” across the globe, where their strengths—including the renowned Wildlife Biodiversity Bank—are able to effectively align with hundreds of regional partners to improve outcomes for wildlife in more coordinated efforts. By leveraging these tools in wildlife care and conservation science, and through collaboration with hundreds of partners, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance has reintroduced more than 44 endangered species to native habitats. Each year, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s work reaches over 1 billion people in 150 countries via news media, social media, their websites, educational resources and San Diego Zoo Wildlife Explorers television programming, which is in children’s hospitals in 13 countries. Success is made possible by the support of members, donors and guests to the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park, who are Wildlife Allies committed to ensuring all life thrives.