Friends of the National Zoo Celebrates 50 Years—1958 to 2008
FONZ Photo Contest
Thanks to everyone who entered the photo contest.
See the winning photos and honorable mentions.
Advocating for Zoo Funding
Friends of the National Zoo (FONZ), the Zoo’s nonprofit partner, was established on April 10, 1958, by members of the Connecticut Avenue Citizens’ Association—a small group of citizen activists who viewed the Smithsonian’s National Zoo as an important part of the community’s cultural and educational resources.
At the time, responsibility for the Zoo’s funding was shared by both the federal and D.C. governments, but by the late 1950s the federal share had declined to eight percent. As a result, the Zoo was chronically under-funded and had deteriorated to a degree that prompted the Washington Star in 1958 to report “the National Zoo is falling apart at the seams.”
FONZ convinced Congress to fund the Zoo entirely under the Smithsonian Institution umbrella, succeeded in increasing the Zoo’s appropriations, and persuaded federal officials to provide nearly a million dollars to implement a ten-year master plan for capital improvements.
Supporting all Aspects of the Zoo
Since its inception as a group of six temporary officers and four charter members, FONZ has grown into an organization of 100,000 members, 1,800 volunteers, and more than 300 full-time and seasonal staff who are essential to the Zoo’s operations and its mission of animal care, science, education and sustainability.
Over the course of its first half-century, FONZ has become so integral to the life of the Zoo that there are few aspects of the Zoo’s critical work that FONZ—and the community—doesn’t support in some way. FONZ now supports the Zoo by providing funding for conservation and science programs, new exhibits and exhibit renovations, animal acquisition, medical supplies and enrichment items, and many other initiatives, and by providing programs and services in kind, such as membership, education and volunteer programs, guest services, the website, development, and special events.
- The first Zoo research funded by FONZ was a study of wild elephant research in Sri Lanka in 1967. Since then, FONZ has provided millions of dollars to support conservation programs for species as varied as giant pandas, Komodo dragons and wildebeest.
- FONZ launched its first education program in 1964 when it created and distributed information packets to visiting schoolchildren. Its education initiatives now reach millions at the Zoo, in the classroom, and on the Web.
- Volunteer keeper aides with the daily care of the Zoo’s animals and exhibits, and programs like Adopt a Species help fund animal-care and enrichment items.
- FONZ also hosts more than a dozen special events each year that raise funds for Zoo programs, educate visitors, and engage new Zoo supporters—from chefs who donate to ZooFari to businesses that provide funding or in-kind services.
- A new commitment to sustainability by the Zoo and FONZ led to a cell-phone recycling program and the use of eco-friendly materials in FONZ food-service and merchandise operations.
Kandula—It Takes a Village to Raise an Elephant
The story of the Zoo’s six-year-old male Asian elephant, Kandula, illustrates how involved FONZ and the community are in the day-to-day life of the Zoo.
- Funds from FONZ’s Adopt a Species program helped pay for the artificial insemination of Asian elephant Shanthi that produced Kandula.
- When Kandula was born on November 25, 2001—only the fifth elephant in the world conceived by artificial insemination—a volunteer keeper aide was there to assist the Zoo’s animal-care staff.
- For a month before Kandula was born, behavior watchers kept 24-hour vigil on his mother, Shanthi, in the Zoo’s Elephant House—as they did for 47 straight days after his birth. These volunteers recorded the newborn elephant’s habits and behavior, contributing vital information to the limited pool of knowledge about the behavior of Asian elephant calves.
- Everyday, keeper aides help Zoo keepers care for Kandula and the Zoo’s two other Asian elephants by preparing their food, cleaning their enclosures, and even helping bathe them.
- Volunteer interpreters educate Zoo visitors about elephants and enlist an enlightened public to join the cause of conservation.
- In 2003, FONZ members and the community contributed more than $300,000 for an important expansion of Kandula’s outdoor yards.
- Guests who attended FONZ Young Professionals programs over the last several years have contributed thousands of dollars to support the Zoo’s Asian elephant research and conservation programs, helping to ensure a future for these endangered animals.
- Guests who have attended recent ZooFaris have helped pay for Elephant House renovations.
Public-Private Partnership
The strength of FONZ’s partnership with the Zoo is its ability to find innovative ways to connect the public to the Zoo’s mission. Building public involvement and commitment through FONZ has been and will always be critical to the Zoo’s success. The partnership is unique in the zoo world because of the level of community involvement that FONZ makes possible and how ingrained FONZ has become in all aspects of the Zoo’s operations. It is notable among public-private partnerships within the federal government also because of its level of involvement in the Zoo’s operations and mission and because of its longevity.
Thank you for supporting us these past 50 wonderful years! Not a member? 
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