Because of You: 2025 Highlights 🧬🐘🦒

Thank you for being at the heart of it all NOTES FROM THE FIELD | 2025 | No. 16

Dear Wildlife Ally, It’s been a remarkable year, and wildlife allies like you made it all possible. From celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Frozen Zoo® to welcoming new arrivals and giving rescued wildlife second chances, each moment reminds us of the wonder of the species we protect and what we can achieve together. Because of your commitment, we’re creating a world where people, wildlife, and the planet we share all thrive. Here’s a look back on some of the incredible achievements you supported in 2025, plus a sneak peek at what’s ahead in 2026. From all of us at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, thank you for being wildlife’s greatest ally. Yours in conservation, Nadine Lamberski, DVM, DACZM, DECZM (ZHM) Chief Conservation and Wildlife Health Officer San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

Our Frozen Zoo® started 50 years ago as a bold vision and it’s grown into the world’s largest wildlife biobank, safeguarding over 11,500 individual samples. Now, with pilot sites being initiated in Kenya, Vietnam, Hawai‘i, and Peru, we’re expanding globally to biobank every endangered species by 2075. At the IUCN World Conservation Congress, we called on conservation champions worldwide to join us. FURTHERING YOUR REACH >

By nurturing newborn kangaroo and koala joeys and welcoming lively Tasmanian devil brothers, we’re gaining deeper insights into what these marsupials need to survive and thrive in their native habitats. It’s a win for Australian wildlife and conservation allies across the globe. STEPPING UP >

Eight critically endangered Fiji iguanas confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade and an injured, orphaned pronghorn fawn found a safe haven with us. Because of your support, rescued wildlife have a second chance. WORLD-CLASS CARE >

The first okapi born at the San Diego Zoo since 2021 is a beacon of hope for her endangered species. Your support is securing a brighter future for them through our African Forest Conservation Hub. HEAD OVER HOOVES >

Last year, we celebrated the 250th California condor hatch at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park—a remarkable milestone for this critically endangered species that once had only 22 individuals remaining. Emaay, now a thriving adult, was recently introduced into native habitats and is soaring across the Southwest’s wide-open skies. NEW HORIZONS >

A new era has begun at the Safari Park’s Gorilla Forest. In a full-circle moment, silverback gorilla Paul Donn rejoined the troop alongside his companion Jessica, stepping in to lead the family and carry on Winston’s historic legacy. LARGE & IN CHARGE >

Times flies when you’re having giant fun. We celebrated one year of giant pandas Xin Bao and Yun Chuan spreading friendship across the Earth and inspiring countless others to join us in saving, protecting, and caring for pandas and their native bamboo forest habitats. TUMBLE IN >

Over the last three decades, giraffe populations have decreased by over 30%. Four Masai giraffe calves born at the Zoo and Safari Park helped increase the global population of their endangered species and are renewing hope for their future. STAND TALL >

You met Labu, the adult orangutan that’s settling into the troop at the Zoo. The 14-year-old is the first male to enter the family since 2021, marking a new beginning for this vibrant group. BRANCH OUT >

For the first time since 2022, we welcomed a Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth pup at the Zoo. Cashew’s grown steadily and alongside his mom, Xena, he’s connecting his species with wildlife allies like you. We’re protecting the lush landscapes sloths rely on through our Amazonia Conservation Hub. HANG ON >

We’re honored to participate in the upcoming 137th Rose Parade on January 1, 2026, with our float, “Giant Strides Together.” Our theme celebrates the Safari Park’s Elephant Valley, where you’ll experience the world of these gentle giants and the global conservation efforts you make possible for earth’s largest land animals like never before. Here’s a sneak peek of the float, and don’t forget to mark your calendars for the opening of this brand-new experience in early 2026. SIDE BY SIDE >

Your monthly gift will make a world of a difference for wildlife. Friend, your ongoing support makes a lifesaving difference for vulnerable and endangered wildlife year in and year out. As a Wildlife Hero, your monthly gift will create more milestone moments for species across the globe. And as a Wildlife Hero, your support will bring hope for the extraordinary wildlife relying on us to thrive—and survive—each and every day. Here’s to another momentous year with you by our side. WILDLIFE HEROES CHANGE THE WORLD.

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Your support saves wildlife. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is an international conservation nonprofit and a registered 501(c)(3) organization. Tax ID# 95-1648219. With more than 100 years of wildlife care expertise and partnerships around the globe, we are saving, protecting, and caring for species worldwide. Follow along on our mission to save wildlife

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