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This November marks the twentieth anniversary of the opening of the Aquarium Reptile Complex (ARC) at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden. On Saturday, November 14, Riverbanks will celebrate the anniversary with a variety of animal encounters and presentations for the public to enjoy.

“Very few attractions have shaped Riverbanks the way that the ARC has,” said Satch Krantz, executive director of Riverbanks Zoo and Garden. “The construction of the ARC not only significantly altered the geographic footprint of the Zoo, but it also created the largest jump in attendance in Riverbanks history.”

In 1990, the year after the ARC’s doors opened, the Zoo’s attendance catapulted past the one million visitor mark, more than doubling the attendance of 1989.

From being the first to breed several species to training animals thought to be un-trainable, no one could have predicted the significant strides in science and conservation that have been made as a direct result of work done by the biologists of the ARC.

To celebrate the achievements of the past 20 years, the ARC staff will be hosting timed encounters and training sessions from 10am to 2pm on Saturday.

• 10am – Sea turtle encounter
• 11:30am – King cobra training session and keeper Q&A
• 12:30pm – Aquarium Dive presentation
• 1:30pm – Tomistoma (crocodile) training session and keeper Q&A

In addition to these timed activities, the education department will have interactive stations set up in the Palmetto Plaza. Kids can discover different frog calls, take a pledge for amphibian conservation and fish for a healthy waterway. A temporary tattoo station will also be set up near the ARC.

All activities are free with paid admission to Riverbanks Zoo and Garden.