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Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, but love is always in the air at DZCA! From the personalized care our animals receive every day to memorable guest experiences, everything we do is rooted in a deep love for wildlife and wild places.
But when it comes to protecting species in the wild, love alone isn’t enough. Conservation takes resources, expertise, and long-term investment. Each year, we invest more than $116,000 in materials and equipment for local conservation efforts, with global conservation requiring an even greater financial commitment. So, while love itself doesn’t cost a thing, protecting wild species around the globe comes at a high price.
Here’s a look at three conservation projects DZCA supports and how our love, dedication and resources are making a meaningful impact for wildlife near and far.
Mane Squeeze: Protecting Lions Around the Globe
Threatened African lion populations continue to decline, with fewer than 22,000 remaining in the wild. In Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park, we proud to partner with the Kyambura Lion Monitoring Project (KLMP), part of the Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust, to support daily monitoring of wild lion populations. This work also trains local community members in conservation techniques, helping ensure long-term protection for lions and their habitat.
Meahwhile, the four African lion cubs here at the Zoo are part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan (SSP), a critical program designed to maintain genetic diversity and healthy populations of lions for generations to come.
Caring for our lion cub quartet will require a substantial financial commitment as each cub reaches maturity. Once fully grown, meeting their distinct nutritional needs through specialized diets costs up to $1,760 per month.
A Higher Love: Protecting American Pika
Looking for a high-altitude love story? Meet the American pika, a small but mighty mammal facing an uncertain future as climate changes alters high alpine ecosystems. Our conservation work includes community science programs that engage volunteers to help monitor pika populations across the state. This hands-on conservation work provides critical data about how changing temperatures impact pika.
Not only are passionate people needed for this work, but the right tools are essential. Temperature loggers, placed at pika monitoring sites to track environmental conditions, cost $79 each. These small devices play a big role in understanding and helping protect precious pika.
Love That Digs Deep: Supporting Dung Beetles
Another one of our conservation projects focuses on an unlikely “suitor,” but you can still dig it! At Daniels Park, home to descendants of DZCA’s first bison herd, we’re pioneering a program to breed and reintroduce rainbow scarab beetles. These iridescent insects bury bison dung to improve soil quality, support plant health, and disperse native seeds.
To ensure this program’s success, DZCA conducts ongoing soil testing to measure effectiveness, which costs $1,300 per year.
From monitoring lions in Africa to protecting pika in Colorado’s alpine zones, every conservation success starts with support from people who care. Your support fuels these labors of love, helping wildlife and wild places thrive today and for generations to come.
Help share the love with the animals and wild places that need it most. Make your donation today!
