FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:        
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
Public Relations
619-685-3291

WEBSITE:           
sdzwa.org

NEWS RELEASE

World Elephant Day Celebrated at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park
as Wild Weekend: Elephants Begins

SAN DIEGO (Aug. 12, 2022) – A big celebration got underway this World Elephant Day (Aug. 12) at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, as wildlife care specialists and conservation scientists raised awareness of the plight of elephants worldwide, kicked off the Safari Park’s Wild Weekend: Elephants event (Aug. 12–14) and also celebrated the fourth birthday of male elephant calf Umzula-zuli, better known as Zuli.

           World Elephant Day serves to bring attention to the plight of elephants in Africa and Asia. African elephants are currently listed as Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species and face many threats in their native habitats, including habitat loss and fragmentation, challenges to human-elephant coexistence, competition for resources and poaching.

           For decades, conserving African elephants has been a high priority for San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. Scientific studies conducted in the field in Africa and with the elephant herds at the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park provide a unique opportunity to increase the understanding of the species and, working with partners in Kenya, help develop conservation solutions that can be applied in elephants’ native habitats. 

          Examples of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s elephant conservation work include a partnership with Save the Elephants to monitor the ranging patterns, social behavior, and health of orphaned elephant calves. Through the use of GPS technology, trail cameras and behavioral observations, researchers are learning what rehabilitated elephants need to thrive in their native habitats. And as part of an elephant movement study, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance scientists were able to measure the Safari Park herd’s step count and activity, as well as gather data on their auditory communication and behavior. Together, this helps the Alliance and its partners develop a clearer understanding of the social dynamics of a herd, and the important social relationship between a mother and her calf.

           Increasing knowledge of the complexity of elephant social behaviors, and the understanding of their overall health needs a half a world away, has given San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and its conservation partners valuable insight into what successful conservation outcomes look like for elephants.

          Visitors to the Safari Park during Wild Weekend: Elephants can learn more about San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s conservation initiatives to protect elephants while they participate in fun activities highlighting these magnificent pachyderms. Guests are invited to stop by Elephant Valley to see the elephants engage in enriching experiences, such as eating and playing with watermelons, and enjoying special browse, to commemorate the Safari Park 50th anniversary. Other activities include a walk through the Safari Park’s sunflower path while learning how these flowers are used in innovative conservation efforts, and then decorating a flowerpot and planting sunflower seeds to take home and watch bloom; learning how beads are an important part of some African cultures, including the Samburu communities San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance partners with in northern Kenya, while making paper beads and a bracelet; Elephant Story Time for youngsters; and more.

           The Safari Park is celebrating its 50th anniversary—50 years of connecting people to wildlife, all while creating life-changing moments. During Wild Weekends: Elephants, and all summer long, visitors can experience up-close wildlife encounters, exciting safari experiences, entertainment, culinary delights and special merchandise offerings. For http://sdzsafaripark.org/wildweekend

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About San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance 
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is a nonprofit international conservation leader, committed to inspiring a passion for nature and working toward a world where all life thrives. The Alliance empowers people from around the globe to support their mission to conserve wildlife through innovation and partnerships. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance supports cutting-edge conservation and brings the stories of their work back to the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park—giving millions of guests, in person and virtually, the opportunity to experience conservation in action. The work of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance extends from San Diego to eco-regional conservation “hubs” across the globe, where their expertise and assets—including the renowned Wildlife Biodiversity Bank—are able to effectively align with hundreds of regional partners to improve outcomes for wildlife in more coordinated efforts. By leveraging these skills in wildlife care and conservation science, and through collaboration with hundreds of partners, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance has reintroduced more than 44 endangered species to native habitats. Each year, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s work reaches over 1 billion people in 150 countries via news media, social media, their websites, educational resources and the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Explorers television programming, which is in children’s hospitals in 13 countries. Success is made possible by the support of members, donors and guests to the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park, who are Wildlife Allies committed to ensuring all life thrives.