SAN DIEGO, PALM DESERT, Calif. (April 15, 2024) – Seventy critically endangered Mojave desert tortoises have successfully emerged from their winter burrows after being reintroduced into their native habitat on Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, the global authority on desert plant and wildlife conservation, are working in partnership with Edwards Air Force Base, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey, using headstarting techniques designed to increase the survival rate for young tortoises. The cohort of young tortoises was the first in the program to be reintroduced into the wild after receiving a combination of an indoor- and outdoor-rearing. Within 24 hours of reentering their native habitat, the tortoises were exhibiting positive natural behaviors by constructing new burrows or modifying existing burrows for shelter. Now, six months later, they have emerged after winter brumation—a state of deep sleep specific to reptiles—and are spending more time basking at burrow entrances. Scientists are currently conducting health assessments and replacing radio transmitters on the tortoises to continue monitoring their success and better understand the juvenile age class.

Technology is making a powerful difference in the world of conservation, and our teams are at the forefront.

SAN DIEGO (Feb. 22, 2024) – San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA) took an important step forward in having giant pandas return to the San Diego Zoo by signing a cooperative agreement with China Wildlife Conservation Association and filing a permit application with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

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.

African penguins and California least terns share marine habitat challenges.

Polar bears at the San Diego Zoo are making a vital difference for their species.

SAN DIEGO (Jan. 1, 2024) – Today San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance participated in the 135th Rose Parade^® presented by Honda with a float celebrating the San Diego Zoo’s 107-year history. The float themed “It Began With a Roar” depicted iconic wildlife from the Zoo, including Rex the lion, whose mighty roar sparked a dream more than a century ago and inspired the world-renowned San Diego Zoo. 

SAN DIEGO (Nov. 27, 2023) – For the third consecutive year, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance will partner with the Tournament of Roses in Pasadena and participate in the 135th Rose Parade® presented by Honda on New Year’s Day. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s parade float theme—“It Began with a Roar”—will feature a myriad of heartwarming stories from the San Diego Zoo that have inspired generations to care for and protect wildlife.

SAN DIEGO (Nov. 14, 2023) – San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, in collaboration with Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, reintroduced more than 70 endangered mountain yellow-legged frogs into a lake located in the San Bernardino Mountains. This release marks the first time the Southern California distinct population segment of the mountain yellow-legged frog has been reintroduced into a lake instead of a mountain stream. The frogs were bred at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s Beckman Center for Conservation Research between 2020 and 2022, and then reared at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium. The cross-country effort to save this California frog is part of a robust conservation breeding and reintroduction research program aimed at restoring populations of this declining species throughout its historic range.

SAN DIEGO (Sept. 15, 2023) – It is a special International Red Panda Day for the 3-month-old red panda cub at the San Diego Zoo, after the conservation organization announced her new name. The endangered cub will now be called Pavitra (pronounced pah-vee-tra), which means “sacred” in Nepali. Pavitra was born June 9 to first-time parents Adira and Lucas, and she is the first red panda born at the Zoo since 2006.