Life-sized lighted giraffes greeted more than 350 guests at The Palm Beach Zoo & Conservatory Society’s Tropical Safari gala, held on the lush grounds of the Palm Beach Zoo. The event — chaired by Amy Baier and Michele Kessler (who is Chairman of the Zoo’s Board of Directors), with Deborah Dauman and Hilary Geary Ross serving as honorary chairs — raised $2.3 million in support of the organization’s conservation mission and animal care.

“With support from our community Palm Beach Zoo is saving wildlife in wild places,” said Kessler and Baier. “From the Florida Everglades to the jungles of Belize, our zoo is taking purposeful strides to protect our planet’s most vulnerable species.”

Throughout the festive evening, safari adventure tours were provided by zoologists, where guests met up with some interesting creatures. Among the notable attendees were Amy and John Phelan, Jennifer Flavin and Sylvester Stallone, and Christine and Stephen Schwarzman.

After dinner, Thomas C. Quick conducted a live auction, where guests bid on custom artwork (Gustavo Novoa’s Hard to Get, donated by Findlay Galleries); rare vintage wine lots that included six bottles of 1961 Château Haut-Brion; a dinner donated by Table 26; and a dining experience with Bret Baier donated by Amy and Bret Baier and Nosh Catering & Events. After an ultimate insider access animal experience at the zoo was auctioned off, Quick then made an impassioned plea which raised additional donations to support the growth of the zoo.

Click through the gallery below to see photos from the evening.