Moms celebrate Mother's Day with help from the animal kingdom

Whether you are a human or a giraffe, there's nothing like a mother's love.

• Moms and their families enjoyed a day at the NEW Zoo & Adventure Park in Suamico
• The zoo's director says they wanted to put their spin on Mother's Day

(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story, with additional details for the web)

NEW Zoo & Adventure Park Director Carmen Murach says the zoo wanted to go the extra mile for moms on Mother's Day by offering them free admission to the park.

"Mother's Day has always been a popular day here at the zoo to begin with," she pointed out. "It's a place to come and spend the day with the family, but we thought mothers deserved a little more than just that."

With the chance to see giraffes, snow leopards, alpacas, and lions, mothers and their families enjoyed a mother's day in the animal kingdom.

Mother Katie Poeppin says it is a special way to spend the day while making memories.

"It's been a lot of fun! I've been enjoying the day with my three little ones," she laughed. "We just had some lunch together [and] now [we're] enjoying some animals. I've always been an animal lover myself so it's fun to share it with the kids!"

Julie Sconzert and her sisters brought their 93-year-old mother to the zoo. Sconzert had some special words to share about what her mother means to her and her sisters.

"[We love] how she raised us," said Sconzert, praising her mother. "[She taught us] great core values and a strong work ethic that we instilled in our kids today."

Julie's mom also had something to add: another lesson she tried to teach.

"And a love for animals!" she says.