Conservation Society of California

Education and community:oakland zoo welcomed 2,100 students in 59 field trip programs--even providing free bus transportation for 26 field trips--and reached an additional 955 students through zoo mobile programs. The zoo also distributed 3,875 free family passes and hosted 14 educational events, which engaged 6,900 guests.the zoo also offered nine sessions of zoo camp, which 783 campers attended. In the summer of 2022 alone, the zoo distributed $18,500 in financial aid to campers.the zoo launched its California climate learning project in 2022, after three years of development. The project was co-designed with local teachers, students, and community members. It addresses four themes--biodiversity, climate change, indigenous cultures, and endangered species--and comprises teacher and student resources, field trips, and a lending library of classroom discovery kits. This year, 200 students participated in the program.the zoo partnered with the uc division of agriculture and natural resources to offer the uc climate stewards course to the public. The zoo provides scholarships to this climate literacy program and, of all the organizations offering the course, charges the lowest fee. 30 students earned their certificate in march of 2022, after eight weeks of study.oakland zoo also maintains community ties by welcoming volunteers. In the 2022 fiscal year, 662 year-round volunteers provided 70,000 hours of service.animal care and welfare:oakland zoo's animal care and veterinary staff continued to collaborate to provide the best care to both resident animals and rescues. The keepers and veterinary team responded quickly to the threat of avian flu; developed a physical therapy routine for an aging, arthritic african elephant, complemented by stem-cell treatment; and made strides in dental, preventive, and geriatric care.in the 2022 fiscal year, the veterinary hospital employed three full-time veterinarians, four full-time veterinary technicians, and two full-time hospital keepers. The hospital also hosted two externships, providing lodging and a stipend to veterinary students. The students each designed and conducted a wildlife research project while working alongside the veterinary team.21 animals were born at the zoo, and seven rescues made their home here. The rescues included a tiger and tiger hybrid rescued from an abandoned roadside zoo in Oklahoma, which required two months of care at the hospital before they could move into their new, naturalistic habitat, and two teenage aldabra tortoises. The tortoises were confiscated from a different roadside zoo in Oklahoma, malnourished and neglected, and they too now enjoy oakland zoo's high standard of animal care.among other improvements to animal habitats, the flamingo and spoonbill enclosure was dramatically renovated. The aviary was enclosed in netting, the substrate was replaced, the water circulation system was improved, and more trees were planted. Thanks to the protective netting, the flamingos and spoonbills will be able to fly, sleep outside, and nest. Conservation:oakland zoo is dedicated to local and global Conservation projects, guided by a focus on fifteen species. Seven of these "focus species" are native species featured on California trail: american bison, California condors, black bears, grizzly bears, gray wolves, mountain lions, and jaguars. The zoo is also involved to the Conservation of lions, elephants, reticulated giraffes, chimpanzees, and lemurs in africa; macaws and cotton-top tamarins in central and south america; and sun bears in southeast asia.in partnership with the blackfeet nation, the zoo maintains a herd of american bison. Nine bison were born this year, and in may 2022, 13 bison moved to Montana, in an effort to restore a healthy, free-roaming population there.the veterinary hospital treated five mountain lions, brought to the zoo by the California department of fish and wildlife. The hospital also treated and released 18 California condors.in uganda, the zoo collaborated with local organizations to install fuel-efficient stoves in 70 homes. This project aimed to reduce human-lion conflict by lessening the demand for firewood.beyond the focus species, the zoo is committed to several Conservation projects for native animals. The zoo continued its work of breeding, inoculating, and releasing sierra Nevada yellow-legged frogs with funding from the aza's Conservation grants fund. It also continued to trap, vaccinate, and release riparian brush rabbits--at risk of rabbit hemorrhagic disease--and run the heron rescue team. The heron rescue team, a collaboration with the golden gate audubon Society and international bird rescue, saved 140 injured black-crowned night heron hatchlings this fiscal year: scooping them off the streets and sidewalks, rehabilitating them, and releasing them in wetlands.oakland zoo entertained 300 guests at its cocktails & Conservation events. The zoo also provided approximately $280,000 in funding and donations to its Conservation partners, including $55,000 to organizations working on behalf of gray wolves, $35,000 to chimpanzees, and $30,000 to elephants.