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PHOTO NEWS RELEASE
Mayor Todd Gloria Presents Proclamation for Monarch Butterfly Day to San Diego Zoo
City of San Diego Joins Mayoral Monarch Pledge, Committing to Create Habitat for Monarchs and Other Pollinators
SAN DIEGO (April 30, 2021) – This morning at the San Diego Zoo’s native pollinator garden, Mayor Todd Gloria (center) presented a proclamation—declaring May 1, 2021 Monarch Day in the city of San Diego—to Paul Baribault, President and Chief Executive Officer of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (left), and Paige Howorth, the McKinney Family Director of Invertebrate Care and Conservation (right). The monarch butterfly is a recognizable wildlife icon in Southern California and plays an important part in the local ecosystem as a pollinator of native plants.
Earlier this year, the City of San Diego signed the Mayoral Monarch Pledge, a campaign managed by the National Wildlife Federation. The goal of the campaign is to have cities across the United States commit to creating essential habitat for monarch butterflies and other pollinators, and to educate residents about how they can make a difference at home and in their community.
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance has provided support for the annual monarch population count and has worked to raise awareness of the butterflies’ significant population decrease. The most recent survey of western monarchs showed that the population has declined more than 99 percent since a population estimate of 4.5 million in the 1980s, due in large part to widespread loss of habitat and native milkweed.
Monarch butterflies are dependent on native milkweed—they lay their eggs on the plant, so that hatching caterpillars can eat the leaves. Increased use of herbicides and insecticides has significantly reduced the amount of monarch-safe milkweed and nectar plants available and has contributed to the decline in their population.
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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 creating 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 strategic and regional conservation “hubs” across the globe, where their strengths—via their “Conservation Toolbox,” 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 tools 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 Kids channel, 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.