A Global Crisis

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is a global leader in wildlife conservation and in combatting wildlife trafficking. A founding member of the Wildlife Confiscations Network, we work in close partnership with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), and other international conservation organizations to disrupt illegal trade and offer lifelong care for confiscated wildlife.

The San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park are safe havens for illegally trafficked wildlife in desperate need of a second chance. Our teams of wildlife and conservation experts work with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as well as other national, international, and state agencies to rescue, triage, and care for confiscated wildlife.

From critically endangered species of Fijian iguanas being smuggled across international borders, to the most endangered turtles and exotic snakes on the planet being illegally trafficked, countless individuals worldwide have been rescued, given around-the-clock care, and a forever home at the Zoo and Safari Park safe from the fatal effects of wildlife trafficking.

On the Frontlines

Many turtle species are among the most illegal trafficked wildlife in the world. Our global conservation teams are working on the frontlines of wildlife trafficking hotspots, helping ensure confiscated animals receive expert care so that threatened and endangered species have a future in native habitats.

In 2018, wildlife teams from San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance joined the Turtle Survival Alliance to rescue 10,976 critically endangered radiated tortoises that had been confiscated from poachers. The tortoises were discovered by local police in a private residence without access to food or water—hundreds hadn’t survived. Experts from San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance were dispatched directly to Madagascar with supplies to provide triage, around-the-clock care, and lifesaving rehabilitation in a collaborative effort to reintroduce the surviving animals back into protected native habitats.

As an Alliance, we are committed to protecting and caring for Earth’s vanishing wildlife and developing sustainable conservation solutions for wildlife, people, and the planet we all share. Our work is focused on preventing extinction and restoring populations harmed by trafficking.

Exotic Pet Trade

Wildlife trafficking remains a global crisis. Fueled by the illicit pet trade and consumer demand, reptiles are routinely poached from native habitats each year. Millions of exotic snakes, lizards, turtles, and tortoises are smuggled and trafficked annually globally, with significant trafficking taking place along the U.S border.

Since its inception, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance has been at the forefront of saving wildlife—serving as first responders and experts in the field, offering critical refuge, vital veterinary care, a lifelong sanctuary, and sustainable conservation solutions—for more than 130 species rescued from the horrors of trafficking.

To the Rescue

Since 1965, we’ve worked with conservation partners to save, protect, and care for Fijian iguanas. In the 1990s, we pioneered the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan for their species, focusing on sustainable conservation solutions. In 2017, more than 600 illegally trafficked reptiles were seized in a confiscation by Spanish authorities, including a group of Fijian iguanas. Today, we care for the largest and most successful breeding colony of this critically endangered species outside of Fiji, including lifelong care for those rescued from the illicit smuggling confiscation in 2017.

SAVING SPECIES

Rising from the Ashes

The only native aquatic turtles in California, every individual pond turtle is critical to the survival of their species. When a raging wildfire burned more than 100,000 acres of critical habitat in 2020, teams from San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance joined the rescue effort to save endangered and native wildlife from decimation. Partnering with numerous state and federal agencies, Alliance conservation experts saved an entire population of western pond turtles and brought them to the San Diego Zoo for refuge. In 2024, after their native watershed had been restored, the rescued turtles were reintroduced along with hatchlings that were born to the population while thriving at the Zoo. And in Spring 2026, 15 additional turtles hatched from the original population were also introduced into native watersheds—bolstering wild populations critical to this native turtle species.

SECOND CHANCES

Collaborative Conservation

Since 2009, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance wildlife care and conservation experts have managed and operated the Desert Tortoise Conservation Center, rescuing, caring for, and reintroducing more than 2,700 desert tortoises back into native habitats. Listed as federally threatened in 1989, it’s estimated that native populations have declined more than 80 percent in the last 30 years—and at this rate could be functionally extinct than 15 years. A threatened species in desperate need to survive, more than 150 desert tortoises have been hatched at the San Diego Zoo and reared for 1 to 2 years, offering safe environments during their most vulnerable period, before being introduced into protected native habitats.

NEW HOPE

Urgent Call for Help

Offering wildlife world-class healthcare often requires veterinary innovations, ongoing patience, and meticulous care. From medial triage in the field for thousands of confiscated tortoises, to the emergency care of individuals brought into the veterinary medical centers at the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park—each animal is offered cutting-edge solutions ensuring they have every opportunity to thrive.

LIFESAVING CARE

Global Expertise, International Impact

Leaders within the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Wildlife Trafficking Alliance and founding partners of the Southern California Wildlife Trafficking Network, we offer immediate rescue, triage, and around-the-clock expert care for wildlife confiscated from illegal trafficking. As an Alliance, we also work to reduce consumer demand for illegally traded wildlife and wildlife products worldwide.

ALLIANCES FOR CHANGE