Turn the Pages & Tour Wildwood Zoo with New Book
When visiting Wildwood Zoo, it isn’t uncommon to see Mary Wilson exploring the exhibits with a camera in her hand. Wilson, Vice President of the Wildwood Zoological Society, recently produced a 20-page photo book of Wildwood Zoo to provide an opportunity for those unable to visit in person to take a tour.
For the past three years, Wilson has been a volunteer with the Zoological Society, having first been recruited to take updated photos of the animals.
A photographer from a young age, even owning her own photography business at one point, Wilson has always been comfortable with a camera in her hands. “I like taking nature pictures,” she said. “I just take what I see. I could wait hours for a photo. I see something happen and then I wait for it to happen again.”
Her patience and skill is evident in the photos she takes. Most of the photos in the book were taken throughout the past year, but Wilson continues to take snapshots for various greeting cards, postcards, and other projects she does for the zoo.
Earlier this year, Wilson was offered a free book through Shutterfly.com, an online service from which she orders her photo prints. With the goal of creating a tour of the zoo in book format that she could enjoy when she got older, Wilson placed photos of the animals and scenes of Wildwood on the pages.
“I just did it for me,” she said. “I wanted to capture everything that I thought you could see here.”
When the book arrived, Wilson said she got goosebumps. “It just looked so awesome,” she said. Normally her own biggest critic, Wilson was excited about the book and wanted to share it with others. After showing the publication to Zoological Society President Tom Buttke and Treasurer Brandi Reed, the store ordered twenty copies of the book- all of which sold out before the doors even opened, thanks to word-of-mouth.
“It’s exciting that something I did and I created is helping the zoo,” said Wilson, who is happy that he book is helping more people enjoy and celebrate the zoo.
She has always been a fan of the zoo, but it was her best friend Gloria Federwitz and Gloria’s brother, Rocky, who really inspired Wilson’s love for the facility.
“In the last few years, I’ve lost them both,” said Wilson, adding that friend Carol Berg also is an inspiration. “Now, I’m doing my best friend’s dream. I’ve never dreamt I’d have so much joy from doing this.”
Wilson wishes to thank Carol, Gloria, and Rocky for their inspiration, adding that she’s eager to continue helping the zoo and is already considering creating more books. She encourages everyone to visit the Zoo Store to help support the zoo facility and its programming and events.
“Everything we do here goes back into the zoo,” she said. “We’re all volunteers.”
Those interested in picking up a copy of their own can visit the Zoo Store or call Tom Buttke at 715-384-2261. The Zoo Store is currently open only on weekends from 10am-3:30pm, until October 8th. Wilson’s greeting cards and postcards are also for sale at the store.
