Utah's Hogle Zoo

Since 1931, Utah's Hogle Zoo, residing at the mouth of emigration canyon has been home to more than 650 animals, including rhinos, gorillas, polar bears, tigers, giraffes, and lions. Families have been creating memories for generations at the Zoo, learning about and connecting with these magnificent creatures. Zoo guests can experience lettuce being taken out of their hands by an 18-inch giraffe tongue or hear the slurping suction sound of a rhino being fed an apple. They can watch polar bears swim underwater and even take a selfie with a seal bobbing in the water behind the viewing glass. These are just a few examples of the amazing opportunities our guests can experience while connecting with these amazing animals. It is our mission to leverage these magical connections to create the greatest good possible. The animals are the ambassadors, and the Zoo is the vehicle for doing this work. We leverage that magical connection to educate people about the natural world. Indeed, we reach more than 69,000 k-12 students each year through our education classes and programs, free field trips, and informal science education enhancement programs - visiting 2nd-grade classrooms throughout Utah. We leverage that magical connection to help heal people. We provide dream night for 1,500 physically challenged, special needs, and chronically ill children. Through our collaboration with san diego Zoo wildlife alliance, videos are provided to primary children's hospital and the ronald macdonald house. We leverage that magical connection as an economic driver for our community. We leverage that magical connection to teach people how to take care of our collective backyards. We work with the jordan river commission to help our community take care of and restore the river. We work with the Utah division of wildlife resources to repatriate boreal toad populations and inform our community how to be "wild aware." Internationally, we help provide jobs and education to the people directly caring for elephants and lions in africa and foster a greater sense of security in the arctic regions by detecting polar bears and alerting the community before they arrive in town. At the height of the season, we provide over 350 direct jobs, and numerous indirect jobs, providing more than 25 million to Utah's economy each year. We engage more than four hundred volunteers in a variety of roles. Our Zoo teen program provides children science related job skills for the future. Importantly, we create champions for wildlife by making connections between people and animals to inspire action. Indeed, we envision a world where people and wildlife thrive together.