San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

• For some, a zoo is an organization committed to animal well-being and wildlife conservation that offers its visitors a fun and educational experience.
• With more than 700 million visitors receiving conservation education globally and more than US$350 million spent on wildlife conservation, zoos are the third largest contributors to conservation initiatives after The Nature Conservancy and World Wildlife Fund.
• We see this potential in the groundbreaking work of zoos with global reach including Chester Zoo, Zoos Victoria and the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

The modern zoo

• Today, the modern zoo must focus not only on the well-being of its animals, but also emphasize its impact on conservation.
• In Canada, the Calgary Zoo has established the Wilder Institute with a vision to become “Canada’s leader in wildlife conservation.” The Toronto Zoo has a mission of “Connecting people, animals and conservation science to fight extinction.” These, and other examples, highlight the continued shift toward investing in conservation science by zoos in Canada, with an increased focus on collaborative research.

How do zoos produce research in conservation science?

• While many zoos have dedicated staff for conservation projects, collaboration with universities can help zoos increase their contribution to conservation science.
• Historically, in Canada and other countries, most published research from zoos is related to veterinary sciences, not conservation.
• When zoos collaborate with universities, they have greater access to funding for conservation research and produce accessible research for conservation practitioners, researchers and the public alike.

ReNewZoo as a model

• In 2016, our team of ten academics and zoo practitioners received funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) to launch ReNewZoo, a training program for graduate students in zoo conservation science.
• We involved six universities and five zoos from across Canada, providing training and internships for Master’s and PhD students as well as post-doctoral researchers.
• The goal of the program was to integrate graduate students and their research into Canadian and international zoos, bridging the gap with universities.

A success story

• And these student researchers have already made many discoveries that can inform conservation practice.
• While Turko and Mullin made discoveries that can boost the success rate of reintroduced endangered species, ReNewZoo student Léa Fieschi-Méric found a way to successfully move endangered amphibians.
• The resulting peer-reviewed publications from these and other students are now available for academics and, most importantly, conservation practitioners to use and learn from.

Bringing zoos and universities together

• Bringing zoos and universities together takes time, energy and money.
• Graduate students are the bridge between zoos and universities.
• Finally, formalizing the connections between zoos and universities with collaborative agreements, joint research appointments and even shared facilities will promote the sustainability of these relationships.
• Collectively, these measures will enhance the conservation impact of zoos and universities and improve the chances that endangered species will survive.