Conservation Society of California

The oakland zoo recognized the need for a strategic plan that can respond to the changing world around us by creating a more accessible place for all people and a community-driven, conservation-minded focus. With the help of guests, partners, members, volunteers, focus groups, a community survey with more than 11,000 responses, and the zoo's governing board of trustees, oakland zoo worked diligently to identify a vision, refine the mission, and build a theory of change--and clarified key organizational priorities for the next four years. Vision: a flourishing planet where people and wildlife thrive together.mission: oakland zoo deepens connection with animals, saves wildlife, and inspires champions for the natural world.this vision and mission captures aspirations for generations to come, and the world we want them to inhabit. Additionally, the following key priorities will be the zoo's focus over the next four years: inspiring action for animals and the planet, expanding leadership in animal wellbeing and rescue, deepening our Conservation impact, and enhancing our team culture and organizational effectiveness. Education and communityin 2023, oakland zoo welcomed 55,000 individuals on field trips from schools, youth programs and other community organizations. 7,500 students were able to attend field trips to the zoo for free as a result of the zoo's youth access fund. An additional 1,886 students were reached through zoo mobile programs. The zoo's summer pilot program, sunrise scientists, further engaged 523 guests in scientific journaling curriculum. The zoo also offered nine sessions of zoo camp, which more than 1,600 campers attended. Zoo camp piloted its first middle school program (6th-8th grade) in 2023, expanding the reach of campers beyond kindergarten to fifth grade. In the summer of 2023 alone, the zoo distributed over $20,500 in financial aid to 46 campers.after three years of development, the zoo launched its California climate learning project in 2022 that addresses four themes--biodiversity, climate change, indigenous cultures, and endangered species. Following a successful launch, in 2023, approximately 50 teachers agreed to become ambassadors for the curriculum; exceeding the original goal of 30 participating teachers. As a result, over 1,500 students were able to come to the zoo to study environmental issues relevant to their community. Additionally, 27 oakland unified school district teachers brought their third-grade classes, approximately 900 students, to the zoo to study endangered frogs and how they are affected by their surrounding climate.the zoo continues to partner 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. 12 students earned their certificate in 2023.oakland zoo also maintains community ties by welcoming volunteers. In the 2023 fiscal year, 631 year-round volunteers provided 72,000 hours of service. Additionally, 68 community volunteer groups donated over 37,550 hours of service. The zoo has prioritized expanding access. In 2023, the zoo joined museums for all, a nationwide initiative to broaden public access to museums, zoos, and other cultural institutions. As a participating member of museums for all, the zoo offers free admission to individuals utilizing supplemental nutrition assistance program (snap) benefits. Considering over 100,000 households in alameda county have snap cards, our participation in museums for all will open the zoo's doors wider than ever before. In october 2023, the first full month that the zoo offered this benefit, people used snap cards to reserve more than 2,000 tickets. Since february 2023, the zoo has also offered a 25 percent discount on tickets to all oakland residents and launched a teacher discount in may 2023.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 zoo's veterinary hospital care has progressed with the addition of a full body computed tomography (ct) scanner. The ct scanner weighs 3,510 pounds and is more than eight feet long - big enough to scan a full-grown lion. The images it produces are more detailed than x-rays and quicker, too. Ct scanning takes minutes, rather than hours, which means less time under anesthesia for animal patients. The precise scans can reveal preventative care diagnosis that could otherwise only be confirmed by invasive surgery. In 2023, 126 ct scans were conducted at the zoo's veterinary hospital.in the 2023 fiscal year the vet hospital hosted seven 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. This past year the zoo had 41 new animal arrivals, 31 animals born onsite, and 10 rescue animals. The rescues included 6 mountain lion cubs who were treated at the veterinary hospital and recovered at the zoo before moving to their forever homes at other animal care facilities. Additionally, 2 cane toads, 1 leopard tortoise, and 1 yellow-footed tortoise were also rescued and treated by the zoo's care team.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 in 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. Two bison were born this year, and following a successful move of 13 bison to Montana in 2022, the zoo has planned for another move of bison offspring in 2024 to restore a healthy, free-roaming population there. The veterinary hospital treated six mountain lions, brought to the zoo by the California department of fish and wildlife. The hospital also treated and released 10 California condors.oakland also provided approximately $544,000 in funding and donations to its Conservation partners. 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 76 injured black-crowned night herons this fiscal year: scooping them off the streets and sidewalks, rehabilitating them, and releasing them in wetlands. Oakland zoo hosted the annual California condor recovery conference in september 2023. More than 100 attendees participated, including veterinarians, pathologists, non-lead ammunition activists, and representatives from the u.s. Fish and wildlife service, captive breeding sites like the san diego zoo, and all flock sites, from the yurok reservation to the grand canyon. They discussed successes and setbacks in the recovery of California condors, sharing what they had learned about preventing and treating lead poisoning--the leading cause of death for condors--and hpai. The zoo highlighted its commitment to ending the illegal wildlife trade by hosting a toss the tusk event, which invited the public to give back their exotic wildlife products. 165 wildlife trade items were relinquished and sent back with our partners at the California department of fish and wildlife to be used for Conservation science investigation testing, training wildlife enforcement and k9 units, dna sequencing and geolocating, and adding to their reference database to further prevent future wildlife crimes. Separately, throughout 2023, the zoo rescued 17 live animals from the illegal wildlife trade. Oakland zoo launched a "composting for the climate" campaign on earth day, 2023. The zoo installed new waste bins to create 22 "three-stream" collection sites, for compost, recycling, and landfill. Onsite, 1,000 cubic yards of compost was made at the zoo, and 25 bay area community gardens were supplied with the compost. Additionally, 6,000 square feet of turf was converted to drought tolerant landscaping on the zoo's property.