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Our Conservation Commitments

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 European White Stork Marabou Stork Spectacled Langur Siamang Eastern Indigo Snake Prevost's Squirrel Eurasian Eagle Owl Spotted Hyena Reticulated Giraffe Red-billed Hornbill Black-naped Fruit Dove Binturong Indian Pygmy Goose Three-banded armadillo Green-winged Dove

African Lion Orangutan Red Panda African Penguin Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake Sumatran Tiger Ring-tailed Lemur Wattled Crane California Sea Lion Serval North American River Otter Wrinkled Hornbill Eastern Grey Kangaroo Blue-faced Honeyeater Plains Zebra Tawny Frogmouth Bleeding Heart Dove Laughing Kookaburra Javan Gibbon (Gibbons are managed globally by an international consortium)

Bobcat Fairy Bluebird Pheasant Pigeon Nicobar Pigeon White-faced Saki Mexican Red-kneed Tarantula Black-breasted Leaf Turtle Bennett's Wallaby White-bearded Wildebeest

 

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 200 tons of organic material (such as straw, wood shavings, and animal waste) is hauled to Fort Wayne's Biosolids facility where it is turned into compost, rather than buried in the landfill. The zoo’s Resource Conservation Team identifies opportunities to reduce energy use, raise awareness, and save money.

Bright Green Certified Business The Fort Wayne Children's Zoo is a Bright Green Certified Business, meeting the requirements set by the Northeast Indiana Sustainable Business Council for cost-saving, energy-reduction, and Earth-friendly practices.  At the time of certification in 2010, the zoo was just the 32nd business in Fort Wayne to achieve this distinction, and the very first park to do so. In 2012, the zoo achieved the 2-star level (out of a possible three stars) of certification for its ongoing green practices.

FrogWatch USA

FrogWatch USA is the zoo's citizen science program, promoting community involvement to protect amphibian populations.  The zoo hosts annual FrogWatch training classes to prepare adults, teens, and families to participate in this grassroots effort.

For information on upcoming FrogWatch training classes, click here.
 

Cell Phone Recycling

Bring your old cell phones and handheld electronics to the zoo for recycling – you’ll keep harmful substances out of our landfills and help raise money for conservation projects.

Most small electronics contain metals like antimony, arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, copper and lead which can linger in the environment and have adverse effects on human health.  With more than one billion cells phones currently in retirement, there is a huge potential to make a difference!

Recycling cell phones can benefit endangered animals.  An ore called Coltan (columbite-tantalite) is a source of the element tantalum which is an essential coating for components of cell phones. This ore is mined in gorilla habitats in the Congo.  In recent years, the eastern lowland gorilla population there has declined 90% according to the United Nations. Reducing the demand for Coltan can help save these animals and their habitat.

Simply drop off the items listed below at the Guest Service Building at the zoo entrance any day from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.:

Cell phones     Cell phone accessories     Digital cameras     IPods and MP3 players     Handheld game systems     GPS handheld units     Laptops     E-readers     Portable hard drives     Chargers for any of the above   Please do not bring desktop computers, monitors, DVD players, VCRs, or TVs.

Thanks to the Little Turtle Chapter of the American Association of Zoo Keepers for coordinating the cell phone recycling project to benefit conservation efforts!

Our Conservation Partners

What you can do