When it comes to zoo conservation, no group is more respected than the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. In the past five years, AZA-accredited zoos have enacted over 3,700 conservation projects totaling up to $89 million in over 100 countries. They are continuously working toward protecting endangered species with their Species Survival Plan program and genetically diverse breeding operations. The 110 SSP programs are aimed at saving more than 160 rare species. While saving the animals will undoubtedly take more than breeding, this group understands that preservation is also about habitat restoration and education too.

There are many zoo conservation success stories associated with AZA-accredited animal parks. In 1982, only 23 California condors existed in the wild, but through San Diego’s breeding programs, their population increased to 322. The Wyoming toad was actually pronounced “extinct” in 1994 with just one “in situ” population remaining. Thanks to the Species Survival Plan at the Cheyenne Mountain facility, the species was moved from extinction to merely threatened. These toads are far from out of the water, but without these efforts, their species may have been entirely lost. The last 18 black-footed ferrets were carefully supervised in breeding plans at the Cheyenne Mountain and Smithsonian National Zoos, producing more than 700 animals in captivity. Another successful program occurred at the Toledo Zoological facility, where the breathtaking Karner blue butterfly was successfully reintroduced to the wild after completely disappearing.

The World Wildlife Federation has also been credited with much zoo conservation work. In 2009, they proudly announced the shift in rhinoceros populations from 8,466 to 14,500 white rhinos and 2,599 to 4,000 black rhinos. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Virunga National Park increased its number of mountain gorillas significantly. The panda reserves have also been protected over the past year. Over the winter, the Bhutan Wangchuck Centennial Park was set up as the only place on Earth where tigers and snow leopards live together. There is now a 10-year plan to protect Coral Triangle reef marine life. The Sumatran forest will now be a home for even more tigers, elephants, rhinos and orangutans, now that the Tesso Nilo National Park has been doubled in size. Thanks to the work of dedicated Americans, more and more species will thrive for years to come.

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