Las Vegas Weekly

September 15, 2010 · 11:59 AM

Photos: Holly Madison gives $20,000 to zoo, assists in oil spill cleanup

By Robin Leach

Holly Madison in Gulf Shores, Ala.

Photo: Mark Robinson

Blonde beauty Holly Madison has donated $20,000 to help out a storm-ravaged Alabama zoo on the first day of her vacation from her burlesque cabaret Peepshow here at Planet Hollywood. The reality TV star wanted to “give back” with yesterday’s daylong volunteer charity contribution before her Disney World holiday that started this morning, and our Vegas DeLuxe photo gallery tells the full story.

Holly and her Holly’s World reality TV show sidekick Laura Croft departed Las Vegas early Monday, landed in Alabama and immediately went out on a boat with animal-care volunteers to check on dolphins affected by the recent Gulf Coast oil spill. Then the twosome early yesterday started with a visit to a fire station in the city of Orange Beach to promote the breast cancer awareness campaign there.

They also joined workers at city offices for a boom-stapling project where Holly and Laura attached oleophilic film sheeting to absorbent booms. Then it was into the gulf waters to drop them and catch tar balls and skim the residual oily sheen from water surfaces.

But the highlight of the day for Holly, who captivated and charmed everybody with her bubbly personality and hard work, came at the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo in Gulf Shores. She’d first heard about “The Little Zoo That Could” on Animal Planet when the cable TV channel filmed the volunteers there transporting animals out of harm’s way during a hurricane evacuation. The zoo is currently in a low-lying area and is trying to raise funds to relocate the facility to secure the animals properly.

Holly made a donation of $20,000 to the fund. While at the zoo, she posed for photographs with various animals and helped feed several of them. I spoke with Holly just before she took off from Alabama yesterday afternoon for her flight to Orlando and five days of fun at Disney World and the Harry Potter attraction at neighboring Universal Studios.

She told me: “I wanted to donate to the zoo because the last two years have been very difficult for them since they were hit hard after the hurricanes. … I wanted to do it because I love animals, and the zoo needed the help the most because of the storms. It’s also suffering from a lack of tourism because of the oil spill.

“The fun part, though, was playing with the parrots and a rooster. We even fed the baby tigers, watched an 11-foot alligator, and I got to drape an anaconda around my shoulders.

“I get so few vacations, and this is the only week off this year for me. I wanted to dedicate at least one day to volunteer charity work before taking my own fun time. I was looking for a place to do both, and then I heard about the gulf news, saw the zoo and it was on the way to Disney World, so it was the perfect place for both.

“The zoo officials were really happy with the gift. I wrote the check myself from my personal account. They were excited and surprised, but it makes me feel good knowing that the animals will now be well taken care of here.

“We also had the opportunity to help promote tourism and show that the Alabama area of the gulf is back to normal and welcoming tourists. We went into the waters as part of our volunteer day, and it’s good to see and know that it’s all cleared up.”

Now Holly has five days of fun ahead of her. “It’s the first time in six years I am back at Disney World, so we’re going to experience everything that’s new, plus the old favorites. I fly back home to Las Vegas on Monday and will resume Peepshow that same night.

“This is all totally relaxing now for the rest of the week. It’s fun to get away from The Strip for a week. I wouldn’t have left if I didn’t think the show was in capable hands with Angel [Porrino]. I loved hearing from her and everybody else that it’s going so well with her in my role. I knew she’d be cute, fun and a success.”

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

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Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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