Shedd Aquarium

Conservation education: since Shedd Aquarium opened our doors in 1930, Shedd has provided more than 119 million guests the opportunity to look nature in the eye through memorable experiences, while providing opportunities to learn about the animals in our care, and become inspired to make personal choices that drive action for animals. Shedd knows that when people experience aquatic animals up close, it motivates an emotional, empathetic response that shifts attitudes and fosters a personal responsibility for stewardship of local waters, global oceans, and wildlife. Shedd is committed to being one of chicago's most accessible cultural institutions, offering Illinois resident free days throughout the year, free admission every day as the nation's first Aquarium to join the museums (conitinued on schedule o) for all program, an everyday discount for chicago residents, students and senior citizens, and free admission for teachers, police and fire personnel, and active-duty military. Inside the Aquarium walls, guests look nature in the eye through immersive exhibits, participatory programs facilitated by staff, and extraordinary experiences with animals behind the scenes. The Aquarium also shares Shedd's mission by telling accessible, meaningful stories with the public through public relations and marketing efforts developed through the integration of conservation, learning programs, animal care and guest experience. As a trusted national leader in environmental education, Shedd advances equitable, experiential learning and action for youth, teens and adults. Programs and partnerships taking place at Shedd and in schools, nature, neighborhoods and online are designed to break entrenched barriers that prevent chicagoans from accessing nature and its benefits, support the development of environmental literacy and build a conservation ethos that leads to short- and long-term actions to protect aquatic life.

Conservation science and research: Shedd is located in chicago, but its research is worldwide. Shedd is one of only 11 centers for species survival, a designation of the international union for the conservation of nature, (iucn). Shedd's center for species survival focuses on freshwater within the great lakes watershed and globally with a concentration in the americas. Shedd's husbandry, veterinary, and conservation programs are grounded in research that supports healthy animals at Shedd and vibrant wild populations around the world. Shedd's conservation research programs work to protect biodiversity while supporting blue economies, and field researchers often work side-by-side with citizen scientists to conserve wildlife and habitats for future generations. The Aquarium's (conitinued on schedule o) oceanic work includes more than four decades of research on species such as rock iguanas, queen conch, lobster, sharks, and corals. Closer to home, Shedd's great lakes research focuses on wildlife and habitat conservation issues where the Aquarium's applied studies support local communities and regional agencies in developing access to nature and sound management plans for the great lakes and chicago river. Onsite, Shedd's state-of-the-art facilities and animal care and science team serve as resources for research partners locally and globally. Onsite research provides valuable biological and behavioral information that informs understanding of species which are nearly impossible to study in the wild. In addition to sharing what it learns with the scientific community, Shedd's onsite work contributes to advancing animal health and welfare for aquatic species ranging from invertebrates to marine mammals.

Animal care: Shedd Aquarium is home to one of the world's largest and most diverse aquatic collections over 23,000 representing about 1,200 species. A global leader in animal care, Shedd's welfare and husbandry programs support onsite research efforts that contribute to the growing scientific body of knowledge about those species in the wild. Shedd's veterinarians are aquatic medicine pioneers who are advancing the fields of preventative medicine, aging care, and conservation medicine while providing world-class care that further expands understanding of how to support healthy animal populations in aquariums and in the wild. Shedd's animal care expertise lends itself to crisis response around the world. Our animal care team frequently acts as a partner and advisor to international, federal, state, (conitinued on schedule o) and local government agencies, rescue and rehabilitation organizations, and fellow accredited zoos and aquariums for confiscated, orphaned, or injured wildlife. Shedd's animal care team contributes to the sustainability of aquatic species through advancements in aquaculture, including populations of microscopic live foods, and cooperative management and breeding of critically endangered and threatened species.