Few galas invite you to don a ballgown, grab a cocktail and pet an armadillo.

But at the Minnesota's Zoo's 29th annual Beastly Ball, that's all part of the strategy: connecting benefactors to the real life animals they support with their donations.

"To see things, touch things, helps us in fundraising and awareness," said longtime zoo supporter Richard Milteer, who provides the event's floral arrangements. "This isn't like any other gala in town."

The Australian Outback-themed party celebrated the Apple Valley zoo's upcoming exhibit, Kangaroo Crossing, which opens May 27. The immersive exhibit will allow visitors to walk freely among red kangaroos, wallabies and emus.

Waiters served shrimp on the barbie as zookeepers — holding snakes, lizards and millipedes — welcomed black tie guests with an up-close view of some of the institution's smallest residents. A massive silent auction awaited them in Discovery Bay, where patrons were asked to open their hearts, along with their pocketbooks.

The effort proved successful. Last weekend, around 580 donors raised more than $600,000 for zoo-related causes, such as conservation work abroad and the Free to Explore program, which waives admission for low-income families.

In Discovery Bay, benefactors got up close and personal with aquatic life, including jellyfish, as they roamed the silent auction.

"We all know nothing is free," zoo director John Frawley told the benefactors. "We have to help families get here ... and plant the seed for conservation."

Frawley and his wife, Anita, pledged $1,000 toward the access program.

Local business executives, politicians and animal enthusiasts flooded the facility to bid on high-end auction items, ranging from aged wines to animal prints to sports memorabilia. A (paw) painting by Kenai, one of the zoo's resident brown bears, sold for more than $700. Larger luxury vacation packages were some of the biggest draws. Super Bowl tickets for U.S. Bank Stadium and a VIP "experience pack" garnered $16,000 from a phone bidder during the live event.

KARE 11 TV's Sven Sundgaard acted as the MC. Sundgaard traveled last year to Namibia, a country in Southwest Africa, to report on the zoo's efforts to save critically endangered black rhinos, which face extinction due to poaching and habitat loss.

"You don't really care about something until you see it." he said. "[Conservation work] creates a bridge between people and wildlife."

A portion of the funding will likely help complete Heart of the Zoo II, a renovation of the main building, including the snow monkey exhibit. The display has remained largely untouched since the zoo opened in 1978 and officials say it fails to show animals in their natural habitat.

The zoo requested more than $20 million this year from the Legislature, which would revitalize its main lobby, and $4 million more for other crucial repairs. Gov. Mark Dayton recommended the full amount, but funding is up to the Legislature, which thus far has proposed a smaller amount.

John Gappa, a former zoo board trustee, said the project is a necessity moving forward. "It's not as welcoming as it needs to be," Gappa said of the lobby. "The bar has been raised because people are expecting more than 30 years ago."

Over time, the Beastly Ball has become the zoo's single-biggest annual fundraising event, meant to drive excitement about upcoming projects and existing exhibits. Campaigns to protect eastern Asian Amur tigers and this year's access program were popular causes.

"You want something that's going to tug at people's heartstrings a little bit," said trustee Peter Maritz.

Liz Sawyer • 612-673-4648