SLASH On Receiving Award At L.A. Zoo's Annual Beastly Ball: 'It's A Fantastic Honor'

June 11, 2011

According to the Los Angeles Times, legendary guitarist Slash (VELVET REVOLVER, GUNS N' ROSES) will receive a leadership award from the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Assn. at its 41st annual Beastly Ball later this month. He will be given the inaugural Tom F. Mankiewicz Leadership Award, which recognizes his longtime contributions to establishing environmental welfare programs. He's also a trustee on GLAZA's board and has supported the L.A. Zoo and zoos around the world.

The charity ball is scheduled to take place on June 18 at the Los Angeles Zoo.

Commented GLAZA President Connie Morgan, "Tom advocated opportunities for interaction among our diverse communities and championed the cause of animals and the environment through education and on-the-ground conservation. He strongly believed the Los Angeles Zoo exemplifies both missions as a place where people come together having a good time while learning the importance of saving and protecting wildlife."

Added Slash, "The biggest compliment for me is that it's Tom's award. I really adored that man. I miss him very much, and that aspect is very special and resonates deeply. Additionally, I profoundly appreciate the implications of the award itself. It's a fantastic honor."

"Slash is a great example of our mission of nurturing wildlife and enriching the human experience," said Zoo Director John Lewis. "He is a champion for wildlife and conservation and has introduced our mission, his passion, to millions of his fans."

As a touring musician, both with GUNS N' ROSES and more recently with VELVET REVOLVER, Slash has visited numerous zoos throughout the world during his free time. Slash has been a longtime supporter of the Los Angeles Zoo, where he gained his appreciation for animals as a child growing up in Southern California, and knows many of the animal handlers personally.

As the father of two young children, Slash regularly brings his family to the Los Angeles Zoo so his children can meet the animals and learn of the fragile state many of them face in the wild. Slash has come to know numerous members of the zoo staff, describing them as "one of the most conscientious caretakers of animals I've ever met."

Slash in January 2009 joined the thousands of supporters mobilizing to urge the Los Angeles City Council to complete the Los Angeles Zoo's Pachyderm Forest, a state-of-the-art new educational habitat for Billy and other endangered Asian elephants. Watch a three-minute message from Slash below (filmed in January 2009).

Find more on
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).