The trailblazing "Zoo Lady" worked alongside San Diego Zoo founder Dr. Harry Wegeforth, and her innovative ideas and dedication to wildlife care continue to inspire us today.

Scientists at our Amazonian field station secure the hub's future, training the next generation of wildlife caretakers.

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.

SAN DIEGO (Nov. 9, 2023) – A binational team of scientists, using creativity and innovation, adorned dozens of endangered thick-billed parrots with tiny solar-powered satellite transmitters to track and reveal their winter migratory nesting sites in the remote treetops of the Sierra Madre Occidental ranges. Their research reveals new critical habitat, 80% of which has no formal protection.

A large-scale study of 47 species of monkeys and lemurs has found that climate change and deforestation are driving these tree-dwelling animals to the ground, where they are at higher risk due to lack of preferred food and shelter, and may experience more negative interaction with humans and domestic animals.

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 25, 2022) – A new study from scientists at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA), published today in the Journal of Applied Ecology, found endangered mountain yellow-legged frogs being reared for release into the wild have a greater chance of survival if introduced to artificial currents at early stages of their development. While the findings support a growing body of evidence that suggests raising bred animals in an environment similar to where they will be released can boost survival rates, the study goes even further, showing the timing of experiential exposure may be critical to successful species recovery translocations.

SAN DIEGO (May 18, 2022) – A new study has found contaminants that were banned decades ago are still imperiling critically endangered California condors. The condors may be at increased risk for reproductive impairment because they consume dead marine mammals along the California coast.