NEWS RELEASES

SAN DIEGO (Jan. 9, 2024) – To apply cutting-edge technology to the conservation of koalas, San Diego Wildlife Alliance is partnering with Illumina, a leading genomic sequencing technology company, through the Illumina iConserve program to sequence the whole genomes (an individual’s complete set of DNA) of nearly 100 koalas residing in North America over the past 30 years. Whole genome sequencing is integral to learning more about Koala Retrovirus, KoRV – a virus that can insert into the koala genome and is associated with various health issues in koalas including immunosuppression and cancer.

SAN DIEGO (Aug. 10, 2023) – San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance has announced construction is officially underway on the largest and most transformative project in the San Diego Zoo Safari Park’s 50-year history. The all-new Denny Sanford Elephant Valley will reimagine the heart of the Safari Park, turning the current elephant environment into a dynamic savanna and a place of exploration. Elephant Valley will give guests of all ages the opportunity to connect with elephants like never before, encouraging greater empathy, understanding, and appreciation of this majestic species—and igniting a passion for wildlife.

SAN DIEGO (March 3, 2023) – San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance hosted a “Toss the Tusk” event at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park earlier today, to help raise awareness about the devastating effects of elephant poaching. The event, organized by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Wildlife Trafficking Alliance (AZA WTA) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), encouraged the public to surrender unwanted ivory products to help ensure that their availability will not drive demand for the product

SAN DIEGO (Jan. 2, 2023) – Today, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance participated in the 134th Rose Parade presented by Honda, with a float celebrating the San Diego Zoo Safari Park’s 50th anniversary. The float’s theme, “Celebrating 50 Years of Conservation,” depicted rhinos, giraffes and the Safari Park’s iconic Wildlife Safari experience, bringing to life the Safari Park’s ability to connect guests with wildlife and provide life-changing moments.

The magic of the holiday season returns, with two events full of  wild fun for the whole family: Jungle Bells Proudly Supported by California Coast Credit Union at the San Diego Zoo, and Wild Holidays at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Both events will treat guests to a winter wonderland of twinkling lights, live entertainment, festive music and culinary delights, along with awe-inspiring wildlife experiences

SAN DIEGO (Nov. 3, 2022) – On Jan. 2, 2023, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance—an international conservation organization with “two front doors”: the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park—will participate in the  134th Rose Parade presented by Honda, with a float celebrating the Safari Park’s 50th anniversary. The Safari Park opened in 1972 and since the beginning, saving species has been a key part of the Safari Park’s mission.

SAN DIEGO (Sept. 20, 2022) – A six-week-old male southern white rhino calf at the Nikita Kahn Rhino Rescue Center at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park has been given a name: Neville. The name was chosen by a generous supporter of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, in honor of a South African doctor who made a positive impact on the donor’s life, and on many others. Neville, and all rhinos, will be the focus of attention on World Rhino Day, Sept. 22— a day to bring increased awareness of rhinos and the importance of conservation efforts to protect these iconic animals.

SAN DIEGO (Aug. 17, 2022) – Orphaned animals of several mammal species suffer socially and physiologically, and even if their mother dies after weaning, they may have lower survival than non-orphans. One physiological consequence of orphaning – stunted growth – had been discovered in humans and chimpanzee orphans.  A new study, published recently in the journal Conservation Physiology, shows that orphaning also stunts the growth of African elephants by an estimated average of 13 centimeters.

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.

SAN DIEGO (June 9, 2022) – The largest study ever conducted on a free-ranging population of rhinoceroses reveals that about one in every seven rhinos in a key South African national park has been infected with Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis), the pathogen that causes bovine tuberculosis (bTB). The finding shines new light on the potential for diseases to disrupt global conservation efforts, and potentially increase risk to human health, if left unaddressed.