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The Roar continues:

Our Recent Accomplishments

The Zoological Society of San Diego

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Berit’s LetterPAGE

Conservation Is a Community Effort

Zoological Society of San Diego’s Vision:

“We will become a world leader in connecting people to wildlife

and conservation.”

It is a privilege to share with you some of the recent

highlights that span our conservation endeavors and

animal care breakthroughs. All of our efforts are tied

to our vision and benefit wildlife around the globe.

Our great thanks go to our donors and members

whose support makes possible so many of these

accomplishments. Working together as a community

we will certainly make even greater conservation

strides in the future.

Berit N. DurlerPresident

Leading the Way with Conservation Education A Conservation Education Lab at CRES Headquarters........22

Plant Conservation Supports Animal Conservation Applied Plant Ecology: CRES’ Green Thumb............................23

Firestorm at the Wild Animal Park!.........................................24

Our Essential Greening Efforts..................................................25

Plant News from the Zoo..................................................................27

Committed to Building a “Green” Zoo and Park The “Greenest” Department: Food Service................................28 An Inspirational Green Zoo™ Store...............................................29 Live Green, Work Green.....................................................................29

It’s All Happening at the Zoo and Wild Animal Park! Breaking Ground for Elephant Odyssey......................................30 A Golden Anniversary for the Children’s Zoo...........................30 Getting Closer to the Animals on Journey into Africa...........31 Welcoming the Masai to the Wild Animal Park.......................31

2007 Awards & Honors...........................................................................33

Managing our Financial resources......................................34

It’s All in the Numbers..........................................................................37

Conservation needs your help!....................................................39

T o g e t h e r, s av i n g s p e c i e sIntroducing Our Parks and CRES..............................................5

Significant Births and Hatchings: Zoo and Wild Animal Park San Diego Zoo Mammal Births........................................................6 Precious Zhen Zhen..............................................................................7 Wild Animal Park Mammal Births.................................................8 Jumbo Deliveries Elephant-Style....................................................9

For the Birds: Notable Hatchings San Diego Zoo.......................................................................................10 Wild Animal Park................................................................................11

Remarkable Reptiles and Amphibians First-Ever Hatchings at the Zoo....................................................12 Other Important Offspring..............................................................13

Conservation and Research in Action Around the Globe...................................................................................14

Applying What We Learn in Zoos to Conservation in the Wild Giant Panda Successes......................................................................17

Back to the Wild: Successful Reintroduction of Endangered Species California Condors Take Flight.....................................................19 Other Recent Reintroductions......................................................19

Addressing Wildlife Crises Amphibians in Peril...........................................................................21 Frozen Zoo®: 21st-Century Ark....................................................21

The not-for-profit Zoological Society of San Diego is a conservation, education, and recreation organization dedicated to the reproduction, protection, and exhibition of animals, plants, and their habitats.

Home to more than 4,900 rare and endangered animals representing 800 species and subspecies.

An accredited museum whose botanical collection numbers more than 25,000 species, about 700,000 plants on grounds, and 9 accredited botanical collections.

One of the nation’s most popular tourist attractions.

Conservation and Research for

Endangered Species (CRES)

The largest zoo-based, multidisciplinary research team in the world.

CRES scientists carry out research vital to the conservation of animals, plants, and habitats, both locally and internationally.

An 1,800-acre wildlife haven for many of the Earth’s rarest animals that roam together in herds and flocks in expansive habitats.

Home to more than 3,100 animals representing 400 species and subspecies.

Renowned botanical collection includes 3,500 species and more than 1.5 million plants.

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Introducing our Parks and CRES

Significant Births and Hatchings: Zoo and Wild Animal Park

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San Diego Zoo Mammal Births

Bornean sun bear—the second-ever birth in North America.

Bonobo—2 infants (pictured). One-third of the bonobos outside of Africa live at the Zoo and Wild Animal Park. These critically endangered primates share 98.4 percent of our DNA—in fact, they are more closely related to humans than any other primates.

Visayan warty pigs—3 piglets. The Zoo now has 50 of this critically endangered species. San Diego is the first zoo to house these pigs outside their native Philippines.

Other New Arrivals:A pair of grizzly bear orphans—brothers Scout and Montana—from Idaho (pictured on page 32).

Births of endangered and threatened species are central to the Zoological Society’s overall conservation mission. They are a testament to the excellent care our animals receive as well as the naturalistic quality of their environments.

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Precious Zhen ZhenZhen Zhen, the San Diego Zoo’s fourth giant panda cub, is an important link to our conservation collaboration with Chinese colleagues to protect this critically endangered species. She was born on August 3, 2007, to mother Bai Yun and father Gao Gao. Zhen Zhen’s name translates to “precious.”

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Arabian oryx—10 calves, with 313 born at the Park overall. This species is critically endangered.

Greater one-horned rhinoceros—1 calf, with 54 cumulative births at the Park. Three adult rhinos were recently exchanged with India to diversify bloodlines in the United States.

Uganda giraffe—4 calves, with 102 cumulative births at the Park.

African lions—3 litters, 8 cubs total. Since their parents came here from South Africa, these young lions represent significant new bloodlines for the North American population.

Other highlights: Trio of Sumatran tiger cubs, born in late 2006, debut at the Park. This species is on the brink of extinction.

Wild Animal Park Mammal Births

Wild Animal Park Mammal Births

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Jumbo Deliveries

Elephant-Style

In 2003, the Wild Animal Park rescued seven elephants from Africa that were scheduled to be culled in Swaziland because of an elephant

overpopulation problem in its national parks. Since then, the herd has grown by four calves, with two, Impunga and Kamile, born in 2007. The births bolster the Park’s elephant conservation

efforts by providing invaluable insight into elephant development

and social behavior.

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For the Birds: Notable Hatchings

Caribbean flamingo—a banner year with 13 chicks hatched, bringing the flock total to 99 birds. Two of our 50-year-old flamingos produced offspring.

Micronesian kingfisher—1 chick. This is the rarest bird species at the San Diego Zoo (pictured below; also see Wild Animal Park entry).

Harpy eagle—1 chick. The Zoo’s hatchling was the only one raised in the United States in 2007.

Yellow-naped woodpecker—4 chicks. The Zoo had the only hatchings in the United States.

Superb and Raggiana birds of paradise—3 hatchlings for each species. We hold a world breeding record for both species.

San Diego Zoo

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Light-footed clapper rail—7 of these endangered birds hatched. All were released into their native San Diego marshland habitat—a first for the Park.

Micronesian kingfisher—4 chicks. The Park is home to more than 10 percent of the total world population, which numbers only 100 birds.

Wild Animal ParkCalifornia condor—6 hatched, bringing our cumulative total to 139 chicks.

Kagu—1 chick. First-ever hatching of this critically endangered species at the Park.

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Remarkable Reptiles and Amphibians

First-Ever Hatchings at the Zoo—6 species:

Grand Cayman iguanas—3 hatchlings represent a big boost to the worldwide population. These are among the world’s rarest lizards.

Timor, or Lesser Sunda, python—6 hatchlings

Burmese star tortoise—2 hatchlings (pictured)

Caiman lizard—4 hatchlings

Galliwasp—1 hatchling

Matamata turtle—9 hatchlings

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Other Important Offspring:

Roti Island snake-necked turtle—6 hatchlings of this critically endangered turtle.

Panamanian golden frog—more than 90 hatchlings. This represents one of the Zoo’s most successful long-term amphibian conservation programs.

Fijian banded iguana—1 hatchling of this critically endangered species (pictured), with 140 hatched since 1981.

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Conservation and Research in Action Around the GlobePh

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With thousands of plant and animal species threatened with extinction—such as this Panamanian golden froglet—the Zoological Society’s science and conservation work is more important than ever before. Although we are involved in 125 diverse projects in 35 countries, following are a few highlights that exemplify our leadership in the conservation field.

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Applying what we learn in zoos to conservation in the wild

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A fourth giant panda cub, Zhen Zhen, born at the Zoo in August 2007, is thriving. Behavior studies that began in 1999 with the birth of Hua Mei have yielded invaluable details about mother and cub interactions.

The CRES giant panda team is monitoring radio-collared pandas in the Foping Reserve in China. This is the first study of its kind to discover where pandas roam within their range and how they interact with other pandas.

Logging of old-growth trees in China has eliminated many high-quality panda maternity dens. Our researchers are part of a team that is trying to understand what factors influence a female panda looking for a suitable maternity den.

Giant Panda Successes:

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In 1979, fewer than 25 California condors remained in the wild. Today, the population is close to 300 birds, with nearly half flying in the wild.

• A young California condor that was released in Baja California, Mexico, by our CRES team flew across the U.S./Mexico border in April 2007, marking the first time a California condor had been seen in San Diego County in 100 years.

• The first California condor egg was laid in the wild in Baja California this year.

• The first-ever condor genetic map was created.

Other Recent Reintroductions:

n Critically endangered North African antelope—9 scimitar-horned oryx and 13 addax—were returned to protected reserves in Tunisia in December 2007.

n CRES researchers were part of an international team that translocated 27 Rimatara lories from the island of Rimatara in French Polynesia to the island of Atiu. Establishing a second population of a rare species is insurance against potential future environmental disasters.

Back to the wild:Successful reintroduction of endangered species

California Condors take flight:

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Addressing wildlife crises

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Amphibians in Peril:

n CRES pathologists played a key role in the discovery of the deadly chytrid fungus, a devastating pathogen responsible for more than 120 frog species extinctions since 1980. The fungus is now threatening more than 33 percent of the world’s 6,000 amphibian species.

n We were the first to develop a mobile DNA lab for chytrid testing, which helped with the emergency rescue of hundreds of frogs from the mountains of Panama, just weeks ahead of the arrival of the fungus.

n By sharing our disease-prevention expertise and providing diagnostic laboratory services around the world, we are improving our chances of finding a cure for this devastating fungal disease.

n CRES staff also rescued 75 mountain yellow-legged frog tadpoles from our local mountains. This critically endangered species is being hand raised until the frogs can be released back into safe habitat.

n Amphibian cell cultures are being added to our Frozen Zoo® to help conserve the genetic diversity of species.

Frozen Zoo®: 21st-Century Ark

As the world’s largest repository and research resource of endangered species’ genetic material—including ova, sperm, and DNA—the Frozen Zoo® now has preserved samples from more than 740 species and subspecies.

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Leading the Way with Conservation Education A Conservation Education Lab at CRES Headquarters:

More than 1,000 students from kindergarten to graduate school were hosted by the Conservation Education Lab in 2007, inspiring budding scientists to respect and nurture biodiversity locally and abroad.

Classes included a weeklong DNA summer camp called “Feathered Forensics”; a science overnight program; and workshops on the science of saving species, native seed banking, and botanical conservation.

The Lab was recognized as “Partner of the Year” for 2007 by the San Diego Science Alliance for outstanding efforts in offering quality science education to students of all ages and their teachers in San Diego County.

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Plant Conservation Supports

Animal ConservationApplied Plant Ecology: CRES’ Green Thumb

Applied Plant Ecology—This new division was created in 2007 to expand our plant conservation efforts by integrating them with our wildlife conservation efforts. Restoring native plant communities is one of our top priorities.

Sustainable Ecosystems Program—Southern California’s coastal sage scrub is one of the most endangered habitats in the world. It has been reduced to 10 percent of its formerrange, and 75 percent of the Park’s coastal sage habitat burned in the recent fires. We are developing post-fire restoration projects to help native plant regeneration.

Native Seed Gene Bank—The goal is to collect, inventory, and store Southern California’s native plant seeds for long-term conservation, propagation, and restoration efforts. We are working with the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians to build cultural and scientific connections through native plant conservation efforts.

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iraculously, the Wild Animal Park survived the wild-fires that ravaged San Diego County in October 2007. The fire burned around the perimeter of our field enclosures and an off-exhibit mammal breeding area. It destroyed California condor breeding pens (the condors were evacuated), our acacia and eucalyptus browse groves,

and 75 percent of our undeveloped coastal sage habitat. Although some of our employees lost their homes in the fire, they put personal emergencies aside to help fight the blaze. The heroism and dedication of the Park staff helped save our precious animals and enabled us to reopen the Park to guests within three days of the devastating fire.

Firestorm at the Wild Animal Park!M

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Our essential Greening Efforts

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he Park’s expansive African habitat has been going green! Grass and drought-tolerant trees have been planted and a waterway that flows through the valley to a large watering hole is in the works. Rocky areas have been reconfigured so antelope can safely tuck away their

newborn calves. Our efforts to green the large field enclosures are making a dramatic difference in the lives of our animals. We also credit the greening program with playing a role in preventing the Park from being destroyed by the recent wildfires.

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Plant News from the Zoo

The horticulture staff salvaged 4,600 plants from the Elephant Odyssey construction site, ranging from 120-inch boxed ficus trees to small bluebells in 6-inch pots. Much of the foliage is in storage at a temporary nursery we established at the neighboring Girl Scout camp. The plants will be returned to landscape Elephant Odyssey, which means that when the exhibit complex is completed, 99 percent of the plant life will be mature.

A horticulture propagation lab was established at the Zoo hospital so staff can perform in vitro reproduc- tion of seeds, embryos, shoots, leaves, stems, roots, flowers or single cells in a sterile environment. This enables us to regenerate thousands of rare and exotic plants from tiny plant samples.

Each of our 9 internationally accredited plant collections— orchids, acacias, palms, aloes, ficus, coral trees, ginger, bamboo, and cycads—now has one of the gardening staff as its own curator.

Committed to Building a “Green” Zoo and Park

Environmental leadership means a commitment at all levels, so the Zoological Society adopted many “green” business practices and encourages our staff, visitors, partners, and community to do the same.

The Greenest Department: Food Service

n Coffee is triple-certified as organic, shade-grown, and fairly traded—a first for any zoo or theme park.

n All of our disposable tableware—including 300,000 plates, 40,000 bowls, 300,000 paper cups, and 2,000,000 cutlery pieces used annually—is fully compostable and will essentially disintegrate within a few weeks or months.

n Our used fryer oil is converted to biodiesel for San Diego City vehicles.

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An Inspirational Green Zoo™ Store

The newest gift shop at the Zoo is the Green Zoo™ store, which provides “eco-friendly” products from around the world. Items range from organic T-shirts, hats, and totes to Eco-Plush® toys and coloring books printed on recycled paper. Artisans we worked with in Mexico, South America, and Africa now create environmentally friendly products for our shops, such as pine-needle baskets, which are part of local sustainable industries.

Live Green, Work Green

The vision and dedication of our employees helps us improve our green business practices. Our 2007 internal conservation efforts are many:

n The Zoological Society’s vanpool program for employees reduced the distance traveled on our roads by 92,150 miles and saved 11,772 gallons of fuel.

n We were able to compost 80 percent of the Zoo and Park’s animal waste and green material: 17 million pounds of waste were diverted from the local landfill.

n More than 500,000 pounds of cardboard, paper, glass, aluminum, and plastic were recycled by the Zoo and Park.

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It’s All Happening at the Zoo and Wild Animal Park!

Breaking Ground for Elephant Odyssey

Donors, dignitaries, trustees, and staff broke ground in Fall 2007 for the Zoo’s most innovative exhibit complex ever: The Harry and Grace Steele Elephant Odyssey. At 7.5 acres, which includes the Prebys Elephant Management Facility, it will be home to present-day relatives of animals such as Columbian mammoths and saber-toothed cats that existed in Southern California more than 10,000 years ago. These species will include lions, jaguars, California condors, tapirs, guanacos, sloths, and secretary birds as well as the namesake elephants. The $45-million project will open in spring 2009.

A Golden Anniversary for the Children’s Zoo

When the Children’s Zoo opened in 1957 to young and old alike, its pint-sized exhibits and other kid-friendly features nurtured a love of animals in children. Now in its 50th year, wonders and adventures still abound in “the little zoo” that includes a Petting Paddock, nursery, small animal exhibits, and our first-ever bughouse, Spineless Marvels, which debuted in 2007.

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Getting Closer to the Animals on Journey Into Africa

In 2007, we said goodbye to the outdated WGASA Bush Line monorail tour at the Park and dedicated the new Journey into Africa safari adventure. The tour begins at Simba Station and gives guests a much closer view of the Park’s African animals—such as rhinos, giraffes, sable antelope, and many other amazing species—along with colorful behind-the-scenes anecdotes and an inside perspective of our conservation work in Africa.

Welcoming the Masai to the Wild Animal Park

Learning firsthand what it is like to be part of a Masai village was a rare and wonderful experience for visitors to the Park during the summer of 2007. A group of nine Masai from the Mbirikani Group Ranch lived at the Park and shared their experiences, customs, and conservation stories with other guests, as well as demonstrated the art of beadwork and dancing. As a pastoral people who depend on their livestock for income, they are also committed to protecting wildlife such as lions in their native Kenya.

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2007 Awards & HonorsSignificant Achievement AwardRecipient of the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums Significant Achievement Award for North American Conservation for the San Clemente Loggerhead Shrike Recovery Program.

International Conservation AwardCo-Recipient of the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums International Conservation Award for our efforts to help conserve Asian turtles.

Special Achievement in Energy by a Non-ProfitPresented by the San Diego Regional Energy Office in recognition of our outstanding achievement in promoting energy efficiency, energy conservation, and renewable energy.

National LeadershipDouglas G. Myers, CEO/Executive Director of the Zoological Society of San Diego, was one of three presidential nominees confirmed in May 2007 by the U.S. Senate to serve on the National Museum and Library Services Board.

Green Innovation Award Certificate of Appreciation Presented by the California State Assembly.

Environmental Excellence HonorPresented by the State of California Waste Reduction Awards Program.

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Managing our Financial Resources2007 Budget: $200 Million

Our 2007 Income Our 2007 ExpensesTax Revenues and Other 3.92%

Admissions and Membership 35.43%

Food, Merchandise, and Catering31.42%

Tours andEducation11.84%

Gifts, Grants, and Sponsorships17.39%

Administration8.37%

EducationPrograms 1.69%

Zoo and Park Operations81.39%

ConservationProjects8.55%

Zoological Society of San Diego Economic Impact on the San Diego region:

more than $700 million in 2007

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It’s All in the NumbersWorld’s Largest Zoo Membership l 450,000 adult members l 130,000 Koala Club memberships for children

Full-time Employees l 1,360 full-time employees l 20 percent of the full-time employees have worked for the Zoological Society for 20 years or more.

Zoo and Wild Animal Park Annual Attendance l Nearly 5 million people combined!

Education for all l We offer 90 diverse programs at the Zoo and Park. l More than 380,000 children and adults participated in education programs—most visits were free or deeply subsidized. l Nearly 3.6 million people benefited from guest interpretive programs at Zoo and Park exhibits.

www.CharityNavigator.org rating l The top rating—4 Stars/Exceptional. Recognized for outstanding efficiency and financial focus on mission-related expenses. l Only 10 percent of accredited zoos and aquariums reach this high standard.

World’s largest zoo-based, multidisciplinary conservation research program l 150-plus scientists l 125 projects in 35 countries

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Conservation Needs your Help!

Since the Zoological Society was founded by Dr. Harry Wegeforth in 1916, philanthropy has propelled the San Diego Zoo to its current world-renowned status. The very first significant gift came from Ellen Browning Scripps, who purchased fencing to enclose the Zoo in 1922—not to keep animals in but to make it possible for the fledgling zoo to finally collect admission from paying guests. This became the basis of the young zoo’s economy. Today, gifts, grants, and memberships account for 25 percent of the Zoological Society’s annual revenues.

As the Zoological Society plans for its centennial in 2016, the future of the Zoo, Wild Animal Park, and our conservation efforts will be determined largely by our donors and members. Private funding, through gifts and grants, is essential for all exhibit construction and renovation as well as for major conservation projects and education initiatives. With so many species and habitats at risk now, every donation is a step in the right direction.

Dr. Wegeforth once said, “A zoo is about the most fascinating place in the world. And it gives you a sense of awe to be responsible for so many strange animals.” The Zoological Society is committed to be an awe-inspiring portal through which millions of people learn, appreciate, and ultimately act to protect and preserve our natural world and its wildlife.

Through a continued outpouring of financial support from dedicated friends, our vision—to be a world leader in connecting people to wildlife and conservation—is within our reach. Dr. Wegeforth’s wish was for the Zoo to continue to inspire guests with a love of the natural world long after their visit. We hope that you can join us as we continue that legacy.

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To find out ways you can support the San Diego Zoo, Wild Animal Park, and our conservation efforts, please contact us at 619-231-1515, ext. 4245, or send an E-mail to donations@sandiegozoo.org.

Editors: Georgeanne Irvine and Mary Sekulovich

Designer: Lauren Besecker Gustafson

Senior Project Coordinator: Katherine Brewer Lapinsky

Photographer: Ken Bohn

40© ZSSD 2008