Wash an elephant? Feed a Komodo Dragon? The auction offerings that made Zoo fans bid high

Oh, for the chance to be photographed with a Great Horned Owl! Really? Well, Rice grads thought it was one of the coolest auction offerings at the Houston Zoo Ambassadors party, held on zoo grounds over the weekend.

Others, however, thought that the chance to bathe an elephant, work as zoo keeper for a day or feed the grim Komodo Dragon were much more intriguing offerings. Whatever their pleasure, the 250 who turned out for this evening of light bites, drinks and schmoozing with zoo residents almost doubled proceeds from last year's event.

And that was happy news for chairs Posey and Lawrence Saenz and Jenn and Steven Vaughan.

Guests were transported from zoo gates to the Masihara Pavilion via whimsical animal print golf carts — a fitting start to the party that included meet-and-greets with Rainbow, the Eclectus Parrot; Liberty, the American Bald Eagle; and Ernie, the North American Porcupine.

The youthful zoo supporters swayed to the sounds of DJ Dave Wrangler while they grazed through a field of restaurant offerings and found thirst relief at the watering hole where Grey Goose cocktails, beer from Silver Eagle Distributors and wine from the Naked Grape flowed.

The party people included Houston Zoo CEO Deborah Cannon, Kirstin and Craig Feazel, Atmos Energy's Wade Sadler, Nancy and Heyward Carter, Jessica and Travis Graham, Paul Pettie, Jennifer and J.C. Kneale, Lisa Gochman, Molly and Coert Voorhees and on and on.