At the Minnesota Zoo, our mission is to create a conservation culture by incorporating conservation into the everyday fabric of our activities and programs. Conservation education involves inspiring both staff and guests to make measurable changes in their attitudes and behavior that ultimately benefit wildlife and wildlife habitat. The Zoo has a conservation department dedicated to implementing conservation programs both locally and worldwide. However, we consider practicing conservation at the Minnesota Zoo to be the highest priority for everyone. In this way, conservation is a zoo-wide team effort. Through this effort we hope to inspire our guests to give of themselves and their resources to help in this worldwide conservation endeavor.

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums is highlighting 2008 as the Year of the Frog to mark a major conservation effort to address the amphibian extinction crisis. To find out more check out our Year of the Frog section.

The Minnesota Zoo participates in 23 AZA Species Survival Plans. Our Conservation Director coordinates the AZA Tiger Species Survival Plan® (SSP®), which currently manages three of the five remaining tiger subspecies, and continues to coordinate global tiger conservation programs through the Tiger Global Conservation Strategy. Zoo staff serve as AZA approved studbook keepers for eight species in our collection.

Some of our more notable achievements include the creation and support of the Adopt-A-Park Program in Ujung Kulon National Park in Java, and in Way Kambas National Park in Sumatra, Indonesia, and the initiation of both in situ and ex situ tiger conservation programs in Southeast Asia. Locally, the Minnesota Zoo partners with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources on the restoration of the Trumpeter swan. The Zoo has hatched and released 170 trumpeter swans into the wild.

We at the Minnesota Zoo strive to be conservation leaders both within our fences and beyond our gates. Please explore the following pages to find out more about our efforts. We need your help as essential conservation partners to continue to make these programs successful.

The Minnesota Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Look for the AZA logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you, and a better future for all living things.

With its more than 200 accredited members, AZA is a leader in global wildlife conservation, and your link to helping animals in their native habitats. For more information visit www.aza.org.