The Fort Wayne Children's Zoo is committed to preserving wild animals and wild places.  To that end, the zoo supports a variety of conservation projects, both in the zoo and in the wild, as well as education programs that encourage students to care about wildlife.

Association of Zoos & Aquariums

The Fort Wayne Children's Zoo is a non-profit organization, accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).   Look for the AZA logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you and a better future for all living things. With its more than 200 accredited members, AZA is a leader in global wildlife conservation and your link to helping animals in their native habitats.

Species Survival Plan

 The AZA manages the Species Survival Plan (SSP) to ensure the survival of endangered wildlife species.  The Fort Wayne Children's Zoo participates in SSP programs for the following animals:

Allen's Swamp Monkey Amur Leopard DeBrazza's Monkey Colobus Monkey Komodo Dragon Siamang White-cheeked Gibbon Javan Gibbon Ring-tailed Lemur

African Lion Bali Mynah Orangutan Red Panda African Penguin Eastern massasauga    rattlesnake Cotton-top tamarin Sumatran Tiger Toco Toucan

Green Practices The Fort Wayne Children's Zoo partners with the Allen County Solid Waste Management District to reduce the amount of waste entering our landfills. Zoo guests can place aluminum cans or plastic beverage bottles in blue recycling bins throughout the zoo. The zoo recycles thousands of tons of cardboard, steel cans, office paper, and plastic every year. Each year, more than 120 tons of animal waste is hauled to Fort Wayne's Biosolids facility where it is turned into compost, rather than buried in the landfill.

Conservation Support

The Fort Wayne Children's Zoo is proud to be affiliated with the following organizations through its membership, participation, or financial support.  When you support the zoo, you are also supporting these like-minded conservation organizations.

Massasauga Rattlesnakes
The Fort Wayne Children's Zoo partners with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne to promote the conservation of the endangered native massasauga rattlesnake.  Click here to download a copy of a brochure created by the zoo to educate local residents about rattlesnakes.

Living With Lions
The zoo supports this consortium which seeks to protect lions living outside of national parks, where poisoning and killing threaten their survival.
www.lionconservation.org

Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds
The zoo provides financial support for SANCCOB (The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds) to assist with the rehabilitation of seabirds exposed to pollution and natural disasters.  Based in Cape Town, South Africa, SANCCOB's work includes rescuing black-footed penguins.
www.sanccob.co.za

Australian Dingo Conservation Association
The Fort Wayne Children's Zoo supports the Association's efforts to promote a better understanding and knowledge of Australia's Native Dog, the Dingo, implement conservation management programs, and obtain protection of the wild dingo as native fauna.
www.dingoconservation.com.

The Peregrine Fund
The zoo provides financial support for the Peregrine Fund's raptor surveys in Tanzania.
www.peregrinefund.org

Gibbon Conservation Center
The zoo provides financial support for the Gibbon Conservation Center and its work to study, protect, and propagate endangered gibbon species.
www.gibboncenter.org

Orangutan Conservancy
The zoo sends contributions from the donation box at Orangutan Valley to the Orangutan Conservancy to support the preservation of wild orangutans.  In addition, 25% of fees from Are You a Fan of the Orangutan programs for preschoolers are donated to the Orangutan Conservancy.
www.orangutan.net

Butterfly Conservation Initiative
The Fort Wayne Children's Zoo provides financial support to the Butterfly Conservation Initiative's efforts to conserve endangered North American butterflies and their habitats.
www.butterflyrecovery.org

Little River Wetlands Project
The zoo financially supports LRWP's goal of restoring and preserving wetlands in the watershed of the Little River, a headwater tributary of the Wabash River, in Allen County, Indiana.
www.lrwp.org

ACRES Land Trust
The zoo financially supports ACRES and its efforts to preserve forests, wetlands, prairies and other natural areas in northeast Indiana.
www.acreslandtrust.org

Conservation Breeding Specialists Group
The zoo offers financial support to the CBSG for effective conservation through research and international collaboration.
www.cbsg.org