Atlanta-Fulton County Zoo Inc

ZOO ATLANTA'S MISSION IS TO SAVE WILDLIFE AND THEIR HABITATS THROUGH RESEARCH, CONSERVATION, EDUCATION AND ENGAGING EXPERIENCES. THE ZOO'S EFFORTS CONNECT PEOPLE TO ANIMALS AND INSPIRE CONSERVATION ACTION.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITIES & DIVERSITY EFFORTS:THE ZOO INCORPORATES ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS INTO ITS BUSINESS BY REDUCING IMPACT THROUGH POLLUTION PREVENTION, WASTE REDUCTION, AND CONSERVATION OF RESOURCES. THE GREEN TEAM MONITORS THE ZOO'S ENVIRONMENTAL EFFORTS AND MAINTAINS A SUSTAINABLE WORKPLACE. THE ZOO'S BOARD AND TEAM MEMBERS ARE COMPOSED OF TALENTED INDIVIDUALS FROM VARIOUS PROFESSIONAL, RELIGIOUS, ETHNIC, SOCIO-ECONOMIC, CIVIC, AND POLITICAL BACKGROUNDS REFLECTIVE OF THE DIVERSE COMMUNITY. THROUGH THE SUPPLIER DIVERSITY PROGRAM, THE ZOO CONDUCTED BUSINESS WITH 146 MINORITY-OWNED BUSINESSES IN 2023.

THE VISITOR EXPERIENCE: FROM WELL-KNOWN NATIVE WILDLIFE TO CRITICALLY ENDANGERED SPECIES ON THE BRINK OF EXTINCTION, ZOO ATLANTA OFFERS MEMORABLE CLOSE ENCOUNTERS WITH HUNDREDS OF ANIMALS FROM AROUND THE WORLD. THESE EXCLUSIVE HANDS-ON EXPERIENCES USE THE ZOO'S LIVING POPULATION TO CREATE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN GUESTS AND THE NATURAL WORLD. ZOO ATLANTA HAS BEEN INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED FOR ITS SCIENCE, CONSERVATION, EDUCATION, AND BEHAVIORAL RESEARCH PROGRAMS. KEEPER TALKS, INTERACTIVE WILDLIFE SHOWS, EDUCATION PROGRAMS AND SPECIAL EVENTS RUN YEAR-ROUND. IN 2023, ZOO ATLANTA WELCOMED 932,721 VISITORS. WITH A CONTINUALLY GROWING SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWING, THE ZOO ATTRACTED 569,000 FOLLOWERS ON ITS FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM PLATFORMS AND 1.5 MILLION LIKES ON TIKTOK BY THE END OF 2023.COMMUNITY ACCESS PROGRAMS: WE CONTINUED TO OFFER AND EXPAND OUR COMMUNITY ACCESS PROGRAMS IN 2023 TO ENSURE THAT ZOO ATLANTA IS A ZOO FOR ALL. IN COLLABORATION WITH GEORGIA TITLE I SCHOOLS, THE ZOO PROVIDED FREE ADMISSION TO 17,538 STUDENTS THROUGH THE SPONSORED ADMISSIONS PROGRAM AND AN EXCLUSIVE ZOO TOUR TO 2,153 STUDENTS THROUGH THE WILD WALKS PROGRAM DURING THE 2022-2023 SCHOOL YEAR. ADDITIONALLY, THROUGH THE GENEROSITY OF COX ENTERPRISES, 42 TITLE I STUDENTS RECEIVED SUMMER SAFARI CAMP SCHOLARSHIPS, AND ZOO ATLANTA SERVED 591 STUDENTS IN THE ZOO2YOU PROGRAM TO BRING ZOO EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY. WE ALSO SUPPORTED TEACHERS IN THEIR STEM LESSONS, OFFERING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP SCHOLARSHIPS, PROVIDING FREE OR DISCOUNTED ADMISSION FOR 1,607 EDUCATORS AND THEIR GUESTS ON EDUCATOR APPRECIATION DAY, AND CELEBRATING 156 TEACHERS AT THE ANNUAL EDUCATOR SOIREE. IN ADDITION TO STUDENTS AND EDUCATORS, THE ZOO PROVIDED FREE ADMISSION TO 35,624 GUESTS THROUGH THE LIBRARY PASS PROGRAM, SPONSORED BY PNC; 1,991 INDIVIDUALS WITH DIVERSE ABILITIES THROUGH OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH ARTS INCOMMUNITY; AND 13,801 U.S. ARMED FORCES MEMBERS IN 2023. WITH SUPPORT FROM THE ZEIST FOUNDATION, WE ALSO DISTRIBUTED 3,710 TICKETS TO LOCAL NONPROFITS THROUGH THE ZOO ACCESS PROGRAM TO PROVIDE FREE ADMISSION TO THE ZOO FOR UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. CONSERVATION INITIATIVES: ZOO ATLANTA IS DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN FIELD CONSERVATION PROGRAMS FOR WILDLIFE AND WILD PLACES AROUND THE GLOBE, INCLUDING WORK IN AFRICA, ASIA, CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA, AND GEORGIA. THE ZOO'S CONTRIBUTIONS RANGE FROM FUNDING FOR OTHER ESTABLISHED CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS WHO SHARE ITS MISSION, ENABLING A GREATER TOTAL IMPACT IN THE FIELD THAN MIGHT BE ACHIEVABLE BY A SINGLE ORGANIZATION, TO PROJECTS IN WHICH ITS OWN STAFF ARE PERSONALLY ENGAGED IN FIELD WORK, COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAMS, RESEARCH, AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS ON CONTINENTS AROUND THE GLOBE.ZOO ATLANTA WAS PROUD TO ADVANCE OUR MISSION IN CONSERVATION THROUGH MULTIPLE NEW AND ONGOING CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIPS AROUND THE WORLD IN 2023. IN HONOR OF THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT, WE DOUBLED THE CONTRIBUTION TO QUARTERS FOR CONSERVATION, AND THIS YEAR'S PROJECTS ARE PROTECTING CHINCHILLAS IN CHILE, SLOTHS IN COST RICA, AND SONGBIRDS IN NORTH AMERICA. THE 2024 BENEFICIARIES OF THE MABEL DORN REEDER CONSERVATION ENDOWMENT FUND INCLUDE PROJECTS TO PROTECT HORNBILLS, WESTERN LOWLAND GORILLAS, DRILL MONKEYS, RED PANDAS, CLOUDED LEOPARDS, AND SEVERAL SPECIES OF MADAGASCAR TORTOISES. THE ZOO HAS ALSO CONTINUED A SIGNIFICANT PARTNERSHIP WITH THE GOLDEN LION TAMARIN ASSOCIATION IN BRAZIL. GOLDEN LION TAMARINS, A SPECIES OF TINY MONKEYS FROM BRAZIL, ARE THREATENED BY DEFORESTATION, THE PET TRADE, AND YELLOW FEVER DISEASE, WITH ONLY 200 REMAINING IN THE WILD IN THE 1970'S. FOR DECADES, THE ZOO HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE SPECIES' CONSERVATION BY INTRODUCING GROUPS OF GOLDEN LION TAMARINS INTO THE WILD, PROVIDING FUNDING FOR HABITAT PROTECTION AND RESTORATION, AND CONTRIBUTING EXPERTISE IN RESEARCH AND MANAGEMENT OF SMALL ANIMAL POPULATIONS. TODAY, 4,800 GOLDEN LION TAMARINS LIVE IN THE WILD, AND OVER ONE THIRD OF THIS WILD POPULATION ARE DESCENDANTS FROM ZOOS. IN MEMORY OF ZOO ATLANTA'S FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF COLLECTIONS AND CONSERVATION, JENNIFER MICKELBERG, PHD, WHO PASSED AWAY IN OCTOBER 2023, THE GOLDEN LION TAMARIN ASSOCIATION HAS PLEDGED A MEMORIAL WITH THE CREATION OF "JENNIFER'S FOREST CORRIDOR." THE TRACT OF RESTORED FOREST WILL CONNECT FRAGMENTED TAMARIN POPULATIONS AND, WHEN MATURE, PROVIDE CONNECTED HABITAT FOR MORE THAN 3,000 GOLDEN LION TAMARINS, CREATING A VIABLE WILD POPULATION. CONSERVATION EFFORTS FOR NATIVE SPECIES INCLUDE A COLLABORATION TO REAR AND REINTRODUCE EASTERN INDIGO SNAKES TO ALABAMA'S CONECUH NATIONAL FOREST AND AN ONGOING COMMITMENT TO REARING DIAMONDBACK TERRAPINS FOR RELEASE INTO THE WILD THROUGH SUPPORT OF THE GEORGIA SEA TURTLE CENTER'S JEKYLL ISLAND CAUSEWAY CONSERVATION PROGRAM. ZOO ATLANTA ALSO PARTNERS ON EFFORTS TO RESTORE THE CRITICALLY ENDANGERED MOUNTAIN BOG ECOSYSTEM OF THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN REGION AND IS HOME TO A SAFEGUARDING SITE FOR THE CRITICALLY ENDANGERED MICHAUX'S SUMAC, A PLANT SPECIES FOUND ONLY IN THE SOUTHEASTERN U.S.RESEARCH INITIATIVES: RESEARCH HELPS ZOO ATLANTA BETTER UNDERSTAND AND PROVIDE STEWARDSHIP FOR THE ANIMALS IN ITS CARE, AND IT PROVIDES THE ZOO WITH VALUABLE INSIGHTS THAT ENABLE IT TO PROTECT THEIR COUNTERPARTS IN THE WILD. BASIC RESEARCH ALSO CONTRIBUTES TO OVERALL KNOWLEDGE OF LIFE ON EARTH. SCIENTISTS AT ZOO ATLANTA LEAD RESEARCH EFFORTS INVOLVING ANIMALS HOUSED AT THE ZOO AS WELL AS ANIMALS IN THE WILD. THE ZOO'S SCIENTISTS COLLABORATE WITH SCIENTISTS AROUND THE WORLD. THE ZOO'S SCIENTIFIC STAFF HOLD FACULTY APPOINTMENTS AT GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY, GEORGIA TECH, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA. ZOO TEAM MEMBERS HAVE PUBLISHED THE RESULTS OF THEIR RESEARCH IN SUCH JOURNALS AS SCIENCE, BEHAVIOUR, CONSERVATION BIOLOGY, AND PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, AS WELL AS FEATURED BY MEDIA SUCH AS NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, WIRED, AND THE NEW YORK TIMES. ZOO ATLANTA PUBLISHED TEN PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLES IN 2023, AND THE ZOO IS CURRENTLY RANKED AS THE SEVENTH MOST RESEARCH-PRODUCTIVE ORGANIZATION BY THE ASSOCIATION OF ZOOS AND AQUARIUMS. THIS YEAR'S RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS COVERED A RANGE OF TOPICS AND SPECIES, FROM PROBLEM-SOLVING BEHAVIOR IN GORILLAS, TO ARRHYTHMIC HEART DISEASE IN ORANGUTANS, TO THE ROLE OF WRINKLES IN ELEPHANTS' TRUNKS. THANKS TO YEARS OF POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT TRAINING, OUR ELEPHANT KEEPERS WERE EASILY ABLE TO TRAIN ONE OF OUR FEMALE ELEPHANTS TO PICK UP BARBELLS WITH HER TRUNK, ALLOWING RESEARCHERS TO CAREFULLY OBSERVE HER GRIPPING STRATEGY. THIS STUDY USED MATHEMATICAL MODELS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW THE ELEPHANT'S WRINKLES INCREASE CONTACT AREA AND GIVE HER A BETTER GRIP, A FINDING THAT CAN IMPROVE THE DESIGN OF SOFT ROBOTS, A KIND OF FLEXIBLE ROBOT WELL-SUITED FOR INVASIVE SURGICAL PROCEDURES AND EXPLORING COMPLEX ENVIRONMENTS. ZOO ATLANTA'S OVER 400 PUBLISHED STUDIES HAVE BEEN INFORMING BEST PRACTICES IN ANIMAL WELFARE, CONSERVATION, AND IMPLICATIONS FOR HUMAN HEALTH AND DESIGN FOR DECADES.PUBLIC EVENTS & FUNDRAISERS: ZOO ATLANTA'S ATTENDANCE IS BOOSTED FROM ESTABLISHED SIGNATURE EVENTS SUCH AS BOO AT THE ZOO, BREW AT THE ZOO, AND SIPPIN' SAFARI AS WELL AS EXPANDED ACCESSIBILITY INITIATIVES. BEASTLY FEAST, ZOO ATLANTA'S SIGNATURE BLACK-TIE GALA, IS ONE OF THE SOUTHEAST'S MOST UNIQUE PHILANTHROPIC EVENTS. ZOO ATLANTA CONTINUES TO EXPAND ITS REPUTATION FOR OFFERING SPECIAL EVENTS FOR PEOPLE OF ALL AGES AND INTERESTS.VOLUNTEERS:AS A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION, ZOO ATLANTA COUNTS ON VOLUNTEERS TO BE AN INTEGRAL PART OF ITS WORKFORCE. IN 2023, VOLUNTEERS CONTRIBUTED 39,738 HOURS TO ZOO ATLANTA, WHICH IS VALUED AT NEARLY $1,180,000. THERE WERE 114 ADULT VOLUNTEERS, 946 GROUP VOLUNTEERS, 56 VOLUNTEENS, 46 INTERNS AND EXTERNS, 61 DOCENTS, 95 EVENT VOLUNTEERS, AND 28 JOEY VOLUNTEERS WHO GAVE THEIR TIME TO THE ZOO IN 2023.

THE ANIMAL COLLECTION & WORK WITH ENDANGERED SPECIES: ANIMAL HIGHLIGHTS IN 2023 INCLUDE THE BIRTHS OF A TWO-TOED SLOTH, A SOUTHERN WHITE RHINOCEROS, THREE BINTURONGS, AND GORILLA WILLIE B. III, THE GRANDSON OF WILLIE B. THE ZOO ALSO WELCOMED INFANT ORANGUTAN NANGKA, WHO IS BEING FOSTERED BY MADU, A 40-YEAR-OLD ORANGUTAN WHO HAS NOW ADOPTED FIVE INFANTS, AND 1-YEAR-OLD SUMATRAN TIGER BOB. AS A PARTNER IN THE WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING ALLIANCE AND ONE OF THE ONLY ZOOS WITH MEMBERSHIP IN THE ROUNDTABLE FOR SUSTAINABLE PALM OIL, ZOO ATLANTA IS PROUD TO ADVOCATE FOR SUMATRAN TIGERS AND OTHER SPECIES AT RISK OF EXTINCTION.

EDUCATION & CONSERVATION:IN 2023, THE ZOO'S PUBLIC, SCHOOL, AND FAMILY EDUCATION PROGRAMS SERVED 991,146 INDIVIDUALS. EDUCATION PROGRAMS CREATE FUN AND ENGAGING EXPERIENCES TO CONNECT ZOO VISITORS WITH WILDLIFE, SUPPORT SCIENCE CURRICULA TO IMPROVE STUDENTS' UNDERSTANDING OF THE NATURAL WORLD, AND EMPOWER INDIVIDUALS TO TAKE ACTION. THE QUARTERS FOR CONSERVATION PROGRAM DONATES 25 CENTS OF EVERY ZOO ADMISSION TICKET TO CONSERVATION PROJECTS FOR WILDLIFE AND WILD PLACES AROUND THE WORLD. THE MABEL DORN REEDER CONSERVATION ENDOWMENT FUND AWARDED SIX GRANTS TOTALING $60,000 IN 2023.