Archive
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 (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.
SAN DIEGO (May 10, 2022) – Today marks 50 years since the opening of the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. While festive music played and Safari Park team members and entertainers welcomed guests, an unsuspecting visitor, 10-year-old Ethan Kemerling, and his parents, Stacy and Eric, were taken aside by Lisa Peterson, the Safari Park’s executive director. Peterson informed Ethan that he was the 50th guest to enter the Safari Park, and presented him with an oversized San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance lifetime membership card. This surprise gift allows Ethan, who lives in Fargo, North Dakota, to have unlimited visits to the Safari Park and the San Diego Zoo, where he can explore and connect with wildlife for years to come.
SAN DIEGO (January 27, 2022) – Western burrowing owls, a declining species in Southern California, are increasingly being forced from their homes by development. A research team led by San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, in collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Palm Springs office, developed novel techniques using a bit of creative advertising to protect the displaced owls, including painting rocks to look like stains from bird droppings and playing recorded vocalizations.
SAN DIEGO (Jan. 20, 2022) – For the first time, wildlife conservationists in a bi-national collaborative partnership to save endangered peninsular pronghorn can now track their movements across harsh desert terrain in the El Vizcaino Biosphere Preserve in Baja California Sur, Mexico
SAN DIEGO (Jan. 3, 2022) – San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, in collaboration with the San Diego Unified Port District, today announced the successful conclusion of Guardians of the Bay, their environmental education program. The program was designed to ignite a passion for local watersheds among students, inform them about how to make a difference and inspire personal responsibility for conservation of San Diego Bay.