When the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium announced their GloWild event would return, I jumped at the chance to get tickets for this year’s “Around the World” theme. I took it as a fun assignment to shoot animal “portraits” of my favorite illuminated silk lanterns. The lantern sculptures for the event were hand-crafted by 151 artisans using 940,000 feet of silk and 74 tons of steel, according to the zoo. Below are the images I made while walking the one-mile route last night, a cool and comfortable November evening. If you want to see GloWild for yourself at the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium, the event runs through December 30, 2023.
![Polar bear close-up illuminated silk and steel lantern sculpture at 2023 GloWild event at the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium](https://kctrvlr.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/polar2-glowing-lantern-sculpture-kansas-city-zoo-glowild.jpg-12.jpg)
![Kangaroo illuminated silk and steel lantern sculpture at 2023 GloWild event at the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium](https://kctrvlr.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/kangaroo-glowing-lantern-sculpture-kansas-city-zoo-glowild.jpg-07-1024x768.jpg)
![Koalas illuminated silk and steel lantern sculpture at 2023 GloWild event at the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium](https://kctrvlr.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/koalas-glowing-lantern-sculpture-kansas-city-zoo-glowild.jpg-06-1024x683.jpg)
![Lemurs illuminated silk and steel lantern sculpture at 2023 GloWild event at the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium](https://kctrvlr.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/lemurs-glowing-lantern-sculpture-kansas-city-zoo-glowild.jpg-16-683x1024.jpg)
![Zebra illuminated silk and steel lantern sculpture at 2023 GloWild event at the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium](https://kctrvlr.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/zebra-glowing-lantern-sculpture-kansas-city-zoo-glowild.jpg-15-1024x683.jpg)
![Rhinoceros close-up illuminated silk and steel lantern sculpture at 2023 GloWild event at the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium](https://kctrvlr.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/rhino-glowing-lantern-sculpture-kansas-city-zoo-glowild.jpg-10-1024x768.jpg)
![Elephant illuminated silk and steel lantern sculpture at 2023 GloWild event at the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium](https://kctrvlr.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/elephant-glowing-lantern-sculpture-kansas-city-zoo-glowild.jpg-14-1024x683.jpg)
![Flamingo illuminated silk and steel lantern sculpture at 2023 GloWild event at the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium](https://kctrvlr.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/flamingo-glowing-lantern-sculpture-kansas-city-zoo-glowild.jpg-08-1024x683.jpg)
![Bird illuminated silk and steel lantern sculpture at 2023 GloWild event at the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium with bokeh effect in background](https://kctrvlr.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/bird-glowing-lantern-sculpture-kansas-city-zoo-glowild.jpg-18-1024x683.jpg)
![Parrot illuminated silk and steel lantern sculpture at 2023 GloWild event at the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium](https://kctrvlr.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/toucan-glowing-lantern-sculpture-kansas-city-zoo-glowild.jpg-09-1024x683.jpg)
![Mantis & sunflowers illuminated silk and steel lantern sculpture at 2023 GloWild event at the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium portrait](https://kctrvlr.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/mantis-sunflower-glowing-lantern-sculpture-kansas-city-zoo-glowild.jpg-05-1024x683.jpg)
![Sugar skull with flowers illuminated silk and steel lantern sculpture at 2023 GloWild event at the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium](https://kctrvlr.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/dia-de-los-muertos-sugar-skull-glowing-lantern-sculpture-kansas-city-zoo-glowild.jpg-04-683x1024.jpg)
![Sombrero-wearing skeleton playing trumpet for Dia de los Muertos illuminated silk and steel lantern sculpture at 2023 GloWild event at the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium](https://kctrvlr.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/dia-de-los-muertos-skeleton-sombrero-trumpet-glowing-lantern-sculpture-kansas-city-zoo-glowild.jpg-02-683x1024.jpg)
![Sugar Skull & Cactus Hand illuminated silk and steel lantern sculpture at 2023 GloWild event at the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium for Dia de Los Muertos](https://kctrvlr.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/sugar-skull-cactus-hand-glowing-lantern-sculpture-kansas-city-zoo-glowild.jpg-03-683x1024.jpg)
![Ganesh illuminated silk and steel lantern sculpture at 2023 GloWild event at the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium](https://kctrvlr.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/ganesh-glowing-lantern-sculpture-kansas-city-zoo-glowild.jpg-01-683x1024.jpg)