Conservation Partners and Projects

At Reid Park Zoo we are actively involved with conservation programs around the world. With help from you, we are able to address a wide range of issues that impact animals in the wild. Here are a few of the in-situ (in the wild) projects we are working on with our colleagues now:

Seafood Watch® Program

Reid Park Zoo is an official partner in the Seafood Watch® program. Managed by the Monterey Bay Aquarium, this program seeks to help sustain wild, diverse and healthy ocean ecosystems that will exist long into the future. As a program partner, we help educate our audience about seafood choices that promote sustainable fishing or farming practices. We also purchase fish and other seafood for our animals according to guidelines set by the program. You can get involved by downloading a Seafood Guide, or by following Seafood Watch on Facebook and Twitter.

Tarangire Elephant Research Project

Reid Park Zoo has had a personal relationship with Charles and Lara Foley over the past several years. Their in-situ conservation efforts related to African elephants have been inspirational. Most recently, their work related to creating corridors for elephants to move outside the park has been of interest. They have found new ways to interface with local people and create a community based approach to protect the elephants.

Tanzania Conservation Resource Centre

Working in Arusha, Tanzania, the Tanzania Conservation Resource Centre (TZCRC) provides support for students and researchers working to conserve wildlife in Africa. The TZCRC provides training workshops focusing on lab and conservation field methods for students from around the world involved in research and wildlife conservation. Additionally they provide aid and resources to researchers who apply for research permits in Tanzania.

International Elephant Foundation

IEF supports conservation, education and research of the world’s elephants with a commitment to affect positive change through the facilitation of elephant conservation and sound scientific investigation resulting in the protection of elephants for future generations. The IEF is interested in projects that:

  • provide technical, financial and administrative support for management and protection programs for elephant species in their range states.
  • provide assistance in managing protected strongholds or zones in natural habitats.
  • provide assistance in developing captive propagation and research programs in countries of origin of the elephant species.
  • provide assistance in developing captive propagation and research programs ex situ.
  • contribute to and participate in the formulation and implementation of a Global Captive Action Plan for elephant species.
  • participate in and cooperate with the international captive propagation program and existing regional organizations.

Click here to learn more about how you can help protect wild elephants.

Hyderabad Tiger Conservation Society (HyTiCoS)

Working in the forests of northern Andhra Pradesh in India, HyTiCoS is protecting tigers and their habitat. Using a community-based conservation approach, the HyTiCoS team enables local people to work with the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department and HyTiCoS to combat wildlife crime, poaching, logging and other illegal activities in forest areas.  Additionally, their work collecting DNA evidence, and tracking the numbers and behaviors of tigers and other carnivores has resulted in establishing Kawal Wildlife Sanctuary as the 42nd tiger reserve in India.

RPZ supports tiger conservation through a collaboration between HyTiCoS and the University of Arizona Wild Cat Center.

International Rhino Foundation

In response to the global crisis in rhino conservation, the International Rhino Foundation (IRF) protects particularly threatened rhino populations in the wild, while also supporting management of and research on captive populations to improve the chances for long-term survival of all rhino species. IRF operates in situ (in nature) programs in Asia and Africa targeted to the rhino species most in need of and most appropriate for intensive protection and management. In ex situ (in captivity) programs, IRF facilitates management and sponsors research with the ultimate objective of helping captive populations become truly viable and hence an integral part of conservation strategies for rhinos.

Polar Bears International

Reid Park Zoo is an Arctic Ambassador Center for Polar Bears International (PBI)–a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting polar bears in their natural habitat. Find out more about Polar Bears International and how you can help

Wildlife S.O.S

Our friends at Wildlife S.O.S. work hard to protect India’s wildlife.  Their work started to protect bears in India from the dancing bear movement and now involves helping leopards, elephants and reptiles among others.  Wildlife SOS works actively towards protecting the Indian wildlife, conserving habitat, studying biodiversity, conducting research and creating alternative and sustainable livelihoods for poacher communities as well as reducing our carbon footprint.

Grevy’s Zebra Trust

Reid Park Zoo provides an annual contribution to the Northern Rangelands Trust to support Grevy’s Zebra research and protection in East Africa. These funds regularly support a scout, and we have also contributed additional funds when emergency funding for anthrax vaccines was needed. The project studies the endangered Grevy’s zebra and involves local Massai communities in conservation programs, preventing poaching and protecting habitat. We participate in this project in conjunction with our colleagues at St. Louis Zoo.

Pantanal Giant Armadillo Project

The giant armadillo is the largest of the armadillo species but very little is known about this endangered animal. Using radio transmitters, camera traps, burrow surveys, resource mapping and interviews, this project is successfully establishing the first long-term ecological study of the giant armadillo in the Pantanal. Recently, the project has started to expand to other armadillos species and giant anteaters that share habitat with giant armadillos in the Pantanal.

Anteaters and Highways Project

The largest remaining populations of giant anteaters live in the grasslands and forests of Brazil’s Cerrado habitat.  This habitat is being disrupted due to rapid agricultural development and the building of roads. Giant anteaters are the animals that are most frequently killed on these roads. The Anteaters and Highways project will work to provide a better understanding as to why this is happening and work to prevent anteater roadway mortality.

Vaquita Conservation

The vaquita is a critically endangered porpoise species that lives in the Sea of Cortez, less than 400 miles from Tucson. The latest scientific research estimates the population to have fewer than 60 individuals, which means the vaquita is in severe risk of going extinct! Reid Park Zoo is working with other zoos and aquariums to spread the message and help protect this animal from extinction through an Association of Zoos and Aquariums program called SAFE, Saving Animals From Extinction. Read the latest news about the vaquita project here.

Local wildlife rehabilitation

Reid Park Zoo supports local wildlife rehabilitators, who care for injured, sick, distressed or orphaned wild animals. Their goal is to rehabilitate animals so that they are able to survive on their own, and then be released back into the wild.

Spay and neuter program

As with many zoos, stray cats and dogs find their way to Reid Park. Any cat or dog found in the Zoo is placed in a private home whenever possible. As responsible pet ownership is a key message of our education programs, Reid Park Zoo funds the cost to spay or neuter any animal that is adopted from the Zoo.