Archive
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SAN DIEGO (May 30, 2024) – San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance reintroduced a group of endangered Pacific pocket mice to a release site outside of active training areas on Marine Corps Installations West, Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Pendleton. In partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, this initiative is part of an ongoing effort to bring the species back from the brink of extinction.
SAN DIEGO (May 14, 2024) – Today San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance hosted a “Toss the Tusk” event at the San Diego Zoo to raise awareness about the elephant poaching crisis and illegal elephant ivory trade. 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 support long-term conservation efforts by surrendering unwanted elephant ivory items—including jewelry and art pieces—to ensure their availability does not drive demand. By removing elephant ivory products from the market, we can help keep these majestic animals alive for generations to come. This is the second year in a row that San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance has hosted a Toss the Tusk event. In 2023, it was held at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
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.
SAN DIEGO (April 11, 2024) – San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance has welcomed the 250th California condor to hatch at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. The chick’s parents are Xol-Xol (pronounced “hole-hole”)—the first California condor brought into human care under the California Condor Recovery Program in 1982—and Mexwe (pronounced “mex-weh”). More than 40 years since the California condor population dropped to a low of just 22 birds, this milestone is a significant success.
What’s the buzz about pollinators? Here’s a look at how mighty these tiny species are.
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 (Feb. 14, 2024) – It's a match! In the world of conservation, pairing a perfect couple is more than just a romantic endeavor; it could be the key to saving an endangered species. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA) is playing Cupid for the critically endangered ‘alalā, a unique bird found only in Hawai‘i. In a new, unconventional study recently published in the journal Animal Conservation, SDZWA scientists hoping to hone their matchmaking skills applied personality traits to these crow relatives to find love connections to result in successfully fertilized eggs.