Zoo’s Who of Society

The event: Where the Wild Things Live, the Zoofari ’97 dinner-dance held Saturday in the wild outdoors--the tropical gardens of the Santa Ana Zoo. Staged by Friends of Santa Ana Zoo, the beastly benefit raised money for a new Children’s Zoo.

Walk on the wild side: At the reception, the 250 party-goers roamed the zoo grounds and were invited to have their picture taken with a few residents: a shy fox, a bristly porcupine and a 7-foot boa constrictor named Baby.

“This is the part where I leave,” said one snake-wary guest. Dinner took place in a lush garden at tables draped in black and decorated with leopard-print napkins. Centerpieces featured tropical blooms and Beanie Babies--the hard-to-get stuffed animals--that touched off bidding wars at each table.

Beauties and the beasts: Guests donned black-tie/safari attire, with many sporting tiger stripes, leopard spots and other animal prints. Howard Hall, president of the Friends, followed the call of the wild by sporting a black tuxedo jacket, leopard-print bow tie, khaki walking shorts and hiking boots. Zoo booster Candice Schnapp looked like a tigress in an orange-and-black tiger-striped dress, while husband Roger wore a matching bow-tie with his tux.

Quote: “A lot of people don’t even know there’s a beautiful zoo in Santa Ana. We’re changing that,” said Debbie Newmeyer, event chairwoman. “One of our goals is to let everyone know they have a jewel in their backyard.”

Party animals: Among those attending were actress Tippi Hedren, who spoke about the importance of zoos; Lana Chandler; Richard and Laura Lee Browne; Richard and Roseanne Bye; Jim and Rose Kortright; Tom Newmeyer; Gene and Pat Johns; Shelle Murach; Karin Hall; Carl and Vivian Browne; Kristin Arnold; George and Mara Hampton; Michael and Therese Trevitt; James and Janet Harmon; Chris and Kathleen Edman; and Stephanie Tenney.

Bottom line: Guests paid $100 each to attend the wild night. The party netted about $30,000, which will go toward new exhibits and renovation of the Children’s Zoo.

What’s ahead: Boo at the Zoo, a Halloween family festival from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Oct. 24-26 featuring trick-or-treating, storytelling and education programs; costumes are welcome. Tickets are $4 per person in advance. For information call the Santa Ana Zoo at (714) 953-8555.