Support the Toronto Zoo Wildlife Conservancy
As a leader in conservation and species survival, your Toronto Zoo is actively engaged in the fight against extinction. Our vision is a world where wildlife and wild spaces thrive and your participation in this year’s Oasis ZooRun will bring us one step closer to our vision becoming a reality.
Over the years, the ZooRun has raised over $500,400 to support the crucial wildlife conservation work being done by your Toronto Zoo in preserving endangered species, breeding and reintroducing endangered animals into the wild, and creating opportunities to reconnect people with nature. With a goal of $40,000, funds raised from this year’s event will continue to support your Zoo’s conservation breeding and reintroduction programs including but not limited to, the African cheetah Species Survival Plan® (SSP), Black-footed Ferret Conservation Recovery Program and the Native Bat Conservation Program.
Did you know more than 120 species at your Toronto Zoo are part of an SSP®? The SSP® is a cooperatively managed program overseen by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The main objective of the program is to oversee the population management of select species within AZA member institutions and to enhance conservation of this species in the wild. Each SSP® program coordinates the individual activities of participating member institutions through a variety of species conservation, research, husbandry, management, and educational activities.
Earlier this year Parc Safari in Quebec sent two Canadian-born cheetahs back to Africa for a soft release and reintroduction program in Zimbabwe. These two cheetahs, Kumbe and Jabari, were born as a result of a cooperative effort between the Toronto Zoo and Parc Safari: in 2016, the cubs’ mother Cleo left the Toronto Zoo for Parc Safari on a recommendation from the Cheetah SSP®. Successful breeding resulted in the 2019 birth of Kumbe and Jabari along with two sisters who have remained in Canada. To help ensure the success of this release, the Toronto Zoo agreed to keep the brothers together, forming a coalition much like brother cheetahs do in the wild.
The Toronto Zoo Wildlife Conservancy is a dedicated partner with the Toronto Zoo in the fight against extinction; established in 2019 to secure increased financial resources and support for the wildlife conservation work being done by the Toronto Zoo. Extinction is forever, and the Zoo’s work in fighting extinction – through research, public engagement and education, breeding and reintroduction programs – is vital to wildlife, to us, and to our world. You can donate to the Toronto Zoo Wildlife Conservancy directly during registration, or go one step further and share your fundraising page with friends and family to collect pledges.