FARGO -- A local nonprofit may have just what's needed for that hard-to-buy-for person on the holiday gift list this year.
The Red River Zoo launched a holiday gift section to its website over Thanksgiving, including a focus on "experiential" options.
Sally Mulvena, the zoo's president and CEO, said zoo gifts are perfect as a last-minute gift idea and come in many different price ranges.
"We're more than happy to be super creative ... to come up with something really unique," she said.
The Red River Zoo, 4255 23rd Ave. S., Fargo, offers gifts that can't be found in stores and that can help create lasting memories, Mulvena said.
With the zoo's adoption program, people choose a favorite zoo animal and level of financial backing, starting at $25.
Whether they pick the red panda, Bactrian camel, black footed ferret or other zoo animal, they receive a certificate recognizing their support.
Red River Zoo gift memberships are also available for purchase.
Memberships are important to the sustainability of the zoo, making up a major part of its operating budget, Mulvena said.
The Red River Zoo currently has more than 3,500 annual memberships, she said, representing approximately 17,000 people when factoring in children and grandchildren who benefit.
Options include the individual membership at $70, household membership and grandparent/grandchildren membership at $120, and patron membership with unlimited carousel rides at $160 annually.
Memberships also allow free admission to certain Red River Zoo special events such as Boo at the Zoo and Santa's Snowfari, when Santa will visit on two Saturdays in December.
A membership can also widen horizons for members by allowing free or half-price admission to approximately 150 other zoos and aquariums across the country, Mulvena said.
As far as local "experiences" go, the Red River Zoo offers summer camps for toddler ages through junior high.
Its premier option is the red panda encounter. For $150, a person can go behind the scenes with a zookeeper to visit the zoo's off-exhibit home for its red pandas, learn about conservation efforts to protect the endangered animals and feed the pandas a treat.
Mulvena said visitors have come from all over the country and the world specifically for the red panda encounter.
"We're really well known for the quality of those encounters that we do," she said.
Zookeepers have been preparing for the newly arriving winter conditions, which aren't a problem for the animals because they all come from areas around the world similar in climate to the Red River Valley.
When it comes to gifts, Mulvena said the zoo crew is dedicated to making guests, and the community, happy.
"If we can make people smile and we know they're making memories, that's what we live for," she said.