The Houston Zoo's biggest annual fundraiser, Feast with the Beasts, drew 4,000 people Friday night to party at the zoo after-hours. It was the fundraiser's biggest crowd ever.

More than 60 of Houston's best loved restaurants made the scene with munchables ranging from pulled pork sliders and lasagna to seafood enchiladas and more variations of bread pudding than you dared try — perfect for what was a crisp evening that had the animals active in the party spirit.

In between meeting roaming animal ambassadors, including a spiny tailed Malian lizard named Maureen and an African pygmy falcon called Zuri (whose cuteness belied his viciousness — he is the smallest bird of prey on the planet), guests lined up to sample food from longtime favorites like Niko Niko's and new additions like Ouisie's Table's new counterpart, The Bird and the Bear.

Although the line at The Bird and The Bear was the longest throughout much of the evening, we found our favorite sampling of the night at Sambuca — a seafood enchilada with poblano cream sauce. Best on the dessert front was Zelko Bistro's rocky road brownie. I'll be returning to the Heights haunt for a second, larger helping.

Animal experiences dotted the evening as attendees satisfied their appetites and built up to the main attraction. We caught the sea lion demonstration — an animal vs. human test of dexterity — and met Kito the cheetah, who opted to purr gamely into the microphone over the voice of the host.

Animals across the zoo seemed to join in the festivities, particularly inside the reptile house, where attendees likely saw more movement in one evening than in years of visiting the usually sloth-like snakes and lizards.

The night's headlining human entertainment, the B-52s, kept to the animal theme and framed each song with a jungle-related intro. Selections that got the crowd moving included "Mesopotamia," "Roam," "Private Idaho," and of course, "Love Shack."

The longtime performers even indulged the crowd with an encore, with Cindy Wilson embracing the animal spirit in a snug faux leopard-print coat all the while.