Our Mission
The Arizona Center for Nature Conservation/ Phoenix Zoo is many things to many people, but ultimately, we aim to achieve our mission – to advance the stewardship and conservation of animals and their habitats while providing experiences that inspire people and motivate them to care for the natural world. Beginning in 1962, the Zoo partnered with conservation-minded organizations and successfully brought the Arabian oryx back from the brink of extinction. That legacy continues today, and the Zoo is now home to 80 threatened and endangered species, with a determined focus to promote, lead, and support actions that secure a future for wildlife.
Working with local conservation partners, the Phoenix Zoo looks for opportunities to use our unique skills and experience to help them with local conservation initiatives. Phoenix Zoo conservation scientists raise and breed species at the Zoo’s Arthur L. and Elaine V. Johnson Conservation Center for release to the wild and/or to help understand their biology and reproduction. We also conduct research and participate in field work as part of broader recovery efforts with our partners. Some of the local species we work with are:
- Black-footed ferret
- Cactus ferruginous pygmy owl
- Mt. Graham red squirrel
- Chiricahua leopard frog
Yet the Zoo doesn’t only focus on local conservation, our mission extends around the world with conservation funding provided through sustaining grants. Some of our global partners include:
- Hutan: Understanding the orangutan adaptation to human-made landscapes.
- Grevy’s Zebra Warrior Program: Supporting coexistence between the endangered Grevy’s zebra and pastoralists in Northern Kenya.
- Tiger Conservation Campaign: Saving Sumatran tigers by reducing tiger-human conflict.
- Giant Armadillo Conservation Program: Quantifying the impacts of highways on the giant armadillo to evaluate their effects on behavior, population structure, and health.
- Ruaha Carnivore Project: Using DVD shows to help reduce human-carnivore conflict around Ruaha National Park, Tanzania.
- Procat Atelopus Project: Comprehensive conservation program for the critically endangered Atelopus varius in the Talamanca Mountains, Costa Rica.
- Health in Harmony: Restoring and protecting orangutan habitat in Gunung Palung National Park.
Click HERE to learn more about the Phoenix Zoo and our local and global conservation efforts.
