The Need for Conservation
The Zoo is committed to protecting one of the world’s biggest and most beloved animals. African elephants are going extinct at an alarming rate due to loss of habitat and poaching and are listed as “Endangered” with a declining population. In addition to our residents at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium and International Conservation Center, we support partners who battle poaching and address other conservation issues with creative and inclusive solutions.
Snares to Wares and Innovation for Conservation in Uganda
Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium works with Innovation for Conservation (ICON) and the University of Cumbria, UK, for human-wildlife coexistence programs at and around Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda, in collaboration with Ugandan wildlife agencies. The parties are collaborating on a snare removal and repurposing program that generates livelihood benefits for the community, called Snares to Wares. Our contributions are helping make the community artisan training more effective. Educational collaborations will focus on integrating nature and conservation education with school-based nutrition and community activation efforts.
The overall goal for both streams of work is to reduce community dependence on marginal livelihood activities, such as poaching or harvesting from Murchison Falls, and to increase community support for wildlife and community coexistence.
International Conservation Center
The International Conservation Center is an extension of the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium that provides the perfect landscape to focus on conservation science, wildlife management and recovery, and education. The International Conservation Center’s breeding herd plays an essential role in the preservation of African elephants. Our male elephant, Jackson, is tied to nearly 50% of the births over the past decade.
Key Partnerships
Our long-standing partnership with the International Elephant Foundation (IEF) allows for an effective process to receive and fund elephant-focused projects which directly impact elephants in the wild, as well as in human care.
We have also partnered with Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust in Zimbabwe to help protect a variety of species. We have helped collar African elephants for research tracking, developed programs to protect vultures and to reduce the spread of deadly disease through training and education.
What You Can Do
Every time you visit or donate to either the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium or the International Conservation Center, you help us take care of our resident animals and their counterparts in the wild. You can also check our food and enrichment item wish list for our resident animals.
Conservation
To make the world better for wildlife, the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium serves as a leader in uniting people to take conservation action.
