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How wildlife trafficking affects turtle and tortoise populations in North America.
Helping Mojave Desert Tortoises Survive in a Rapidly Changing World
It takes quick action and collaboration to care for wildlife in crisis. We're uniquely qualified to help.
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 (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 (April 19, 2023) – From scientists working to protect polar bears in the high Arctic, sloths across Amazonia and Galápagos tortoises in the Pacific Islands, to cutting-edge reintroduction programs to save endangered rhinos on the savannas and burrowing owls in the Southwest, without you, there is no them. The world’s wildlife needs everyone’s help—and together with its partners in more than 200 global conservation initiatives across eight strategic Conservation Hubs worldwide, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is on the front lines, answering the call. This Earth Day, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance wants to thank all of its conservation allies and supporters for their commitment to a world where all life thrives in their latest PSA campaign, “Thank You for Being A Friend,” created with its partners at David&Goliath (D&G)
SAN DIEGO and PALM DESERT, CALIF. (Sept. 30, 2022) – As a changing climate impacts wildlife around the globe, one keystone species in the Southwest United States serves as a prime example of the dangers of rising temperatures and habitat loss.