Aqua Vino invites aquarium guests to sip and stare

At the Georgia Aquarium's fourth annual Aqua Vino event Thursday, guests might raise a glass to Mojo, a teenage painter who uses her feet as brushes. Mojo's framed canvas work will be auctioned off for charity at the wine and food-filled event benefiting the Correll Center for Aquatic Animal Health, where she is a regular. After all, this petite painter is an African penguin.

Guests can see Mojo and nearly 50,000 of her animal friends during the event, which features more than 200 wines and food from 33 Atlanta restaurants. And with the night-time event open to just 1,100 ticket-holders, guests won't have to shuffle for space to see all that's swimming, swirling and sliding inside.

Event organizers aim to attract people beyond the regular tourist and family groups. Foodies, wine enthusiasts, and working professionals too busy to come during the week might be more interested in seeing whale and hammerhead sharks with a glass of Pinot in hand.

The goal, organizers say, isn't just to raise funds for research, but to teach the public about what goes on behind the laboratory walls. The animal health center has partnered with two dozen universities, primarily the University of Georgia, to study and treat animal diseases. There's a special focus on diseases that have the potential to impact human health, explains Dr. Gregory Bossart, senior vice president and chief veterinary officer. For example, Bossart's team of veterinarians and biologists is studying the effects of climate change on animal health, such as a rise in malignant cancer in dolphins.

"We're not only dealing with animals you see here, but animals on a worldwide perspective," he said.

And there's no species discrimination at this hospital, named for A.D. "Pete" Correll, retired chairman and CEO of Georgia-Pacific, and his wife Ada Lee, who gave $2.5 million to the aquarium in 2006.

"From the smallest seahorse to the largest Beluga whale, everybody receives the same treatment, regardless if they have a Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance card," Bossart joked.

IF YOU GO

What: Aqua Vino: Sip, Savor & Sea, a tasting of 200 wines from around the world and gourmet fare from 33 Atlanta restaurants, including Wolfgang Puck. Event also includes a live and silent auction.