African Lion
Vulnerable (IUCN); Endangered (U.S. Endangered Species Act)
AZA organizations are partnering with organizations in Africa to mitigate conflict between farmers and lions, increase monitoring of the lion population’s numbers and distribution, and address habitat loss. The SAFE African lion team will work towards their goals and with the Lion Recovery Fund and Disney's Protect the Pride campaign, to double the number of lions in the wild by 2050.
Program Leader:
Hollie Colahan, Denver Zoo
Learn more about Disney's Protect the Pride campaign here.
Program Established: June 2018
African Penguin
Endangered (IUCN); Endangered (US Endangered Species Act)
AZA facilities have joined forces to develop various projects, from improving disaster response protocols for oil spills to constructing artificial nests in order to address population declines caused by overfishing, habitat degradation, and oil spills.
Program Established: May 2015
Endangered to Critically Endangered (IUCN)
AZA institutions are engaging with local communities about the issue of poisoning and how it impacts vultures and other African species by providing information on the importance of vultures for the ecosystem. AZA organizations are also monitoring populations to determine areas with the highest declines. Click species name for more program information.
Program Established: August 2017
American Red Wolf
Critically Endangered (IUCN); Endangered (U.S. Endangered Species Act)
The American red wolf is one of the world's most endangered canids and the only canid solely native to the United States. AZA-accredited facilities and partners are working together to increase the number of wild red wolves through reintroduction programs implemented by AZA’s Species Survival Plan® program and partnerships with government agencies, non-profits, and research institutes.
Program Established: April 2018
American Turtle
Vulnerable to Critically Endangered (IUCN); Not listed, Threatened, and Endangered (U.S. Endangered Species Act)
Conservation efforts of the SAFE American turtle program are focused on the bog turtle, spotted turtle, wood turtle, Blanding's turtle, eastern box turtle, and all Terrapene species due to their high numbers in illegal trade and similarity of appearance.
Program Established: February 2020
Program Plan: Due: August 2020
Andean Bear
Vulnerable (IUCN)
Program Leader:
Kym Gopp, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
Program Established: August 2019
Program Plan: Due February 2020
Andean Highland Flamingo
Near threatened and Vulnerable (IUCN); Endangered (US Endangered Species Act)
Program Established: December 2019
Program Plan: Due: June 9, 2020
Asian Elephant
Endangered (IUCN); Endangered (U.S. Endangered Species Act)
AZA members are aligning their efforts to save Asian elephants with the priorities that resulted from the 8th IUCN SSC Asian Elephant Specialist Group (AsESG) meeting in Guwahati, India. During that meeting, participants gathered information necessary to the development of conservation projects that address the issue of habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation.
Program Established: May 2015
Asian Hornbill
Vulnerable to Critically Endangered (IUCN)
Program Established: May 2020
Program Plan: Due: November 2020
Atlantic Acropora Coral
Critically Endangered (IUCN); Threatened (U.S. Endangered Species Act)
AZA organizations are engaging in coral restoration and reproduction efforts to bolster the Atlantic Acropora coral populations that have declined up to 98% throughout Florida and the Caribbean since the 1970s.
Program Leader:
Bart Shepherd, Steinhart Aquarium, California Academy of Sciences
Program Established: March 2018
Black Rhinoceros
Critically Endangered (IUCN); Endangered (US Endangered Species Act)
The AZA community is helping to reduce demand for rhino horn and raise money to support black rhino habitat conservation, the two greatest threats to this species.
Program Established: May 2015
Cheetah
Vulnerable (IUCN)
AZA organizations and partners are supporting projects for public engagement, incidental catch from snares, population sustainability, and animal reserves to help increase cheetah population numbers in southern Africa.
Program Leader:
Cheryl Morris, Ph.D, Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium
Program Established: May 2015
Chimpanzee
Endangered (IUCN); Endangered (U.S. Endangered Species Act)
Despite commendable efforts of many talented conservationists over the past 40 years, chimpanzee populations have significantly declined due to habitat destruction, bushmeat trade, and disease. Their populations will continue to decline unless the scale of conservation efforts increase. The SAFE chimpanzee program aims to enhance support for chimpanzee conservation efforts by contributing to scientific advances in chimpanzee research, engaging visitors at AZA-accredited facilities, and equipping several AZA-accredited zoos with tools to work directly with chimpanzee field conservation efforts.
Program Established: March 2019
Eastern Indigo Snake
Threatened (USFWS)
AZA’s Species Survival Plan® program has bolstered reintroduction efforts in southern Alabama and northwest Florida, helping to restore a sustainable and healthy population that has suffered from the destruction of the longleaf pine ecosystem.
Program Established: June 2018
Program Plan: Due December 2018
Endangered to Critically Endangered (IUCN)
Most are not aware of the declines giraffe populations have suffered from poaching and habitat destruction. AZA organizations within partnering with the SAFE giraffe program are implementing programs to increase consistent and impactful conservation messaging about giraffe for use in zoos and aquariums, and are developing population and health monitoring projects in Africa. Click on the species name for more program information.
Program Established: February 2017
Gorilla
Endangered to Critically Endangered (IUCN); Endangered (U.S. Endangered Species Act)
To offset declines in two subspecies of gorilla, AZA organizations raised $7.7 million for gorilla conservation from 2013-2017 and project leaders for the SAFE gorilla program are developing action plans to address the current threats.
Program Leader:
Kirsten Lukas, Ph.D., Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
Vice Program Leader:
Colleen McCann Ph.D., Bronx Zoo, Wildlife Conservation Society
Program Established: May 2015
Jaguar
Near threatened (IUCN); Endangered (U.S. Endangered Species Act)
AZA-accredited zoos have an established, long-term commitment to jaguar conservation. Since the mid-1980s, AZA member institutions have been funding, conducting, and supporting jaguar-related fieldwork in Central and South America. Using objectives outlined by the IUCN Species Survival Commission Cat Specialist Group, the SAFE jaguar program is focused on protecting jaguars primarily in Central America, and expanding capacity to protect jaguars throughout their range.
Program Established: April 2019
Program Plan: Due October 4, 2019
North American Monarch
Program Leader:
Lily Maynard, Ph.D., Disney's Animals, Science, and Enviornment
Vice Program Leader: Paige Howorth, San Diego Zoo Global
Program Established: September 2019
North American Songbird
Least Concern to Critically Endangered (IUCN); Not listed to Endangered (US Endangered Species Act)
Program Established: August 2019
Orangutan
Critically Endangered (IUCN); Endangered (U.S. Endangered Species Act)
AZA facilities have created workshops and offered assistance in veterinary care, husbandry, and training for the caretakers of orangutans in rehabilitations centers in Indonesia and Malaysia so they can better care for orangutans impacted by habitat loss, illegal logging, hunting, and the pet trade.
Program Established: July 2018
Radiated Tortoise
Critically Endangered (IUCN); Endangered (U.S. Endangered Species Act)
AZA facilities have developed successful breeding programs, helped create rescue centers in Madagascar, and worked with local communities to promote the importance of protecting this species, which is suffering from habitat degradation and illegal wildlife trade.
Program Established: August 2017
Sea Turtle
Vulnerable to Critically Endangered (IUCN); Threatened and Endangered (U.S. Endangered Species Act)
In 2013, AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums spent almost $3.8 million on turtle and tortoise field conservation with more than a third of the funding directly benefiting sea turtles threatened by entanglement in marine debris, coastal development, harvesting, incidental bycatch, and climate change.
Program Leader:
Mark Swingle, Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center
Program Established: May 2015
Shark and Ray
Data deficient to critically endangered (IUCN); Some shark and ray species are protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act
Shark and ray species are threatened globally by overfishing (targeted and bycatch) and other unsustainable practices. AZA facilities are developing research and conservation programs to influence policy and legislation, public engagement and awareness, consumer consumption, and to understand the population status of various species.
Program Established: May 2015
Tree Kangaroo of Papua New Guinea
Endangered (IUCN)
This program will focus on conservation efforts for two species of tree kangaroos (Dendrolagus matschiei and D. goodfellowi) in the area with a focus on increasing awareness about this high biodiversity region and one of the largest cloud forests in the world, promote awareness of tree kangaroos and local culture, support local livelihoods including conservation coffee, and enable increased funding to be raised for conservation.
Program Established: 2020
Vaquita
Critically Endangered (IUCN); Endangered (U.S. Endangered Species Act)
Fewer than 30 vaquitas remain. The AZA community is striving to make the plight of the vaquita known to all, by developing a public engagement project that raises awareness about efforts to mitigate the threats of illegal fishing and widespread use of gillnets and to educate the public on purchasing vaquita-friendly seafood and products.
Program Established: May 2015
Whooping Crane
Endangered (IUCN); Endangered (U.S. Endangered Species Act)
AZA members are taking part in conservation breeding and reintroduction programs to bolster the numbers of whooping cranes in the wild. Our members are also working to identify critical habitats and provide funding for field conservation projects that address wetland habitat quality, illegal shootings, and minimize deaths or injuries from collision with power lines during migration season.
Program Established: May 2015
Western Pond Turtle
Vulnerable (IUCN)
The SAFE western pond turtle program and its partners are implementing projects that directly address the threats impacting the species, including head-starting, reintroduction efforts, and the formation of a range-wide conservation coalition throughout its range.
Program Leader:
Jason Watters, Ph.D, San Francisco Zoo
Vice Program Leader: Jessie Bushell, San Francisco Zoo
Program Established: May 2015