Memorial to Dale McDaniel.

Sierra Safari Zoo lost a key family member on January 22, 2011. One of our founders, Dale McDaniel, passed away suddenly in his sleep that Saturday morning at the age of 53. To commemorate his memory we will be holding a memorial at the zoo on Saturday June 18, 2011. Admission to the zoo will be free on this day. Dale touched many lives in both the exotic animal field as well as with teaching children. He found a flawless way of incorporating animals into the education of the children he taught for nearly 16 years, and his love of animals and children was apparent in his everyday life. Dale would regularly bring in animals from the zoo to his classroom (he taught in Carson County) to help teach leadership skills, discipline, self-esteem and compassion for living things to children with special needs. His knowledge of animals was also shared through the zoo with guests and volunteers alike. Dale, along with Jimmie Martin and Dave Dawson, began the zoo in 1989 with the largest birds in the world, ostriches, and slowly built up their collection into the zoo everyone knows and loves today. Come join many volunteers, friends, and family on June 18th to help us remember the life of an amazing individual, Dale McDaniel.