A close-up of a small turtle being gently held by a persons hand, with the turtle’s head and part of its shell clearly visible against a blurred outdoor background.

Species Recovery & Research

We continue the fight against extinction through conservation breeding, species recovery, research and technological development for priority species.

ASSOCIATION OF ZOOS & AQUARIUMS

Saving Animals From Extinction (SAFE)

Woodland Park Zoo, together with over 230 accredited zoos and aquariums, supports the Association of Zoos & Aquariums’ (AZA) global conservation effort, Saving Animals From Extinction (SAFE). We are committed to harnessing the collective resources of zoos, aquariums and other conservation partners to restore the most vulnerable wildlife species to healthy populations in the wild.   

SAFE programs bring together AZA accredited zoos and aquariums with field-based partners to enhance conservation success through:  

Protecting threatened animals in the wild  
Building on established recovery plans and track records of commitment  
Prioritizing collaboration among AZA organizations and field-based partners  
Implementing both strategic conservation and public engagement activities  
Measuring and reporting conservation success

SPECIES SURVIVAL PLANS

Zoos are responding to species decline and are leading the way in preserving animal populations. Conservation breeding of threatened and endangered animals is conducted through Species Survival Plans (SSP), cooperative breeding programs coordinated through the Association of Zoos & Aquariums. Woodland Park Zoo participates in more than 100 Species Survival Plans, from tiny invertebrates to big cats.

Led by experts in husbandry, nutrition, veterinary care, behavior, conservation and genetics, AZA-accredited institutions manage each species as one population in North America to maximize genetic diversity, with the goal of ensuring the long-term survival of the population and the health of individual animals. SSPs also involve a variety of other collaborative conservation activities such as research, public education, planned reintroduction and field projects.

Species RECOVERY

Some endangered and threatened species are given a head start at Woodland Park Zoo.

Western Pond Turtle

Western pond turtle eggs are collected from Washington wetlands, then hatched and raised at the zoo. When the turtles are large enough to avoid the mouths of predators, zoo scientists return them to protected wetlands. There the turtles have been surviving for generations to rebuild Washington’s endangered populations.

Butterflies

Oregon silverspot butterflies are similarly given a head start under the care of zookeepers before wild release to rebuild Northwest populations. In the San Juan Islands, island marble butterflies are head started in labs by Woodland Park Zoo zookeepers and released to the wild to recover wild populations.

Partula Snails

Tiny Partula Snails were extinct in the wild in Fiji when zoos around the world, Including Woodland Park Zoo, began breeding them so they could be returned to their island ecosystems.

RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY

Accredited zoos today play an irreplaceable role in the species survival equation. Scientific research being conducted in zoos on species’ health, social behavior and reproduction are major contributions to the knowledge base on which wildlife conservation relies. In fact, many successful conservation technologies used in the wild have been developed in partnership with zoos, as have advances in wildlife medicine. These approaches integrate the best of zoo- and field-based skills and practices.

Scent Dispensers

An example of this is the scent dispensers that were developed at the zoo by Dr. Robert Long. These are tubes containing s strong scent lure that is dispensed in tiny amounts over the course of a whole year, attracting shy carnivores, like wolverines, into the sight of camera traps. These species would be nearly impossible to get photos of without the scent lure, as they don’t like to follow trails. Of course, putting a smelly tube in the forest can attract other species as well so before deploying the scent dispensers in the field, animal care staff gave some to our two grizzly bears to be sure they wouldn’t be able to rip them apart.