Childhood Love for the Phoenix Zoo Leads to Legacy Gift and Antler Society

Natalie Yarnal has had a lifelong love affair with the Phoenix Zoo. It began when she was in elementary school. She went on field trips with her classmates and loved seeing all the animals. She would read the signs by the exhibits, wanting to learn something new every time she went there. It was her “happy place” when she was growing up. And it still is.

Through the years, she found her favorite spot at the Zoo: The Children’s Trail.

“It is always so peaceful down there,” she says, “and it houses one of my favorite zoo animals—Fernando the sloth. I love napping and so does he, so we’re kindred spirits. My very favorite animals, though, are the prairie dogs. The way they communicate is just amazing. Lots of jumping and yipping.”

In 2010, Natalie started working at the zoo, first in the development department, then guest services and now as the business systems analyst in the IT department. Then in 2015, her life took an unexpected turn. She was told that she had a gene mutation that increases her risk for certain types of cancers by nearly 80 percent. It was a shock. She was in her early 30s. How could that be? No one knew.

But Natalie knew one thing. It was time to get her affairs in order. What if something happened to her? She wasn’t ready. She thought about the legacy she wanted to leave. And she thought about the one organization that had been her “happy place” since she was a child.

The Phoenix Zoo.

It was an easy decision to make the zoo part of her estate plan.

“It means a lot to me to be able to help support the zoo both now and in the future,” she explains.

And as a member of the Phoenix Zoo Antler Society, she knows she is playing a role in the zoo’s continuing success.

Good things are happening to her now. While working at the zoo, she was able to participate in the Project Dragonfly master’s degree program, which allowed her to work and earn her master’s degree in zoology.

“The Zoo was my classroom,” she notes.

And when she’s not working?

“I love to camp,” she says. “My husband and I got a motorhome two years ago and one of my favorite things is going up north into the woods and spending the weekend away.

“I also really enjoy sprint car racing. My husband races with the United States Auto Club (USAC) Sprint Car and Silver Crown series. Racing is how we met, so it’s a big part of our lives,” she continued.

It’s a busy, productive life Natalie’s leading and when she needs a break, she follows the lead of her pal, Fernando the sloth: she takes a nap.

If you’d like to follow Natalie’s lead and join the Antler Society, please email or call Liz Toth at ltoth@phoenixzoo.org or 602.286.3881.