Archive
SAN DIEGO (Nov. 30, 2023) – Scientists at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance have achieved a major milestone in saving wildlife species: With a blue-eyed black lemur’s cells recently added to its Wildlife Biodiversity Bank’s Frozen Zoo®, the nonprofit conservation organization’s unique collection of genetic material now contains 11,00o individual cell lines from more than 1,250 species and subspecies—some critically endangered. No other biobank in the world has a comparable number of living cell lines, with the potential to reverse losses of genetic diversity and contribute to population sustainability for endangered and threatened wildlife species.
SAN DIEGO (Nov. 27, 2023) – When a mysterious illness called “sea star wasting syndrome” decimated 95% of the sunflower sea star population, and some 20 other sea star species along the Pacific Coast from Baja to Alaska in 2013, scientists rallied to understand the factors that caused such a massive wasting event. Now as part of the greater recovery initiative, in a scientific first, dozens of baby sunflower sea stars were hatched and are thriving thanks to a breakthrough in reproductive cell cryopreservation technology.
Biodiversity banking is a critical component of conservation, and the need for it is more urgent than ever.
LOS ANGELES, SAN DIEGO, and PORTLAND, Ore. (Oct. 16, 2023) – The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (Service) is sharing early results from the historic vaccine trial for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in California condors (Gymnogyps californianus). As reported by the Service’s Incident Command leading the effort, results from the first test group showed that 60% of the condors produced measurable antibodies that are expected to provide partial protection against mortality from HPAI if the birds are exposed.
SAN DIEGO (Oct. 11, 2023) – San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance has been recognized for its expertise in wildlife biobanking, and has partnered with the Species Survival Commission (SSC) of the world’s largest conservation organization—the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)—to form the new Center for Species Survival: Biodiversity Banking. The new center is the first ever to have a strategy focus rather than a taxonomic one.
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.
Technology takes wing, and is playing a key role in Hawaiian hawk conservation.
For the people and jaguars who share space in the Peruvian Amazon, finding ways to coexist is key.
SAN DIEGO (June 6, 2023) – Researchers are currently tracking over 40 wild ‘io, also known as Hawaiian hawks, on Hawai‘i Island with lightweight, solar-powered GPS transmitters. This work is part of a collaborative effort to conserve this beloved species and one of its natural prey—the ‘alalā. Researchers with San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and the State of Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources – Division of Forestry and Wildlife are collaborating on this effort as part of a large-scale GPS tracking program to better understand the extent to which ‘io move across the island and how they utilize different habitats. With the new insights that are gathered, scientists will be better equipped to conserve this iconic raptor, and simultaneously glean critical insights to aid in the future reintroduction of the ‘alalā, also called the Hawaiian crow, to their native habitats. The aim is to ensure that both ‘alalā and ‘io can coexist in their native habitats, as they previously did for many years.