Conservation
The Dallas Zoo is highly proactive in species preservation and conservation efforts and participates in over 40 Species Survival Plans (SSP) with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The following is a list of the Species Survival Plans (SSP) that the zoo is involved with: Addax, Chinese alligator, mandrill, bongo, kori bustard, fishing cat, cheetah, chimpanzee, Lake Victoria Cichlids, Andean condor, wattled crane, African elephant, Addra Gazelle, White-cheeked gibbon, gorilla, great hornbill, rhinoceros hornbill, spectacled langur, ring-tailed lemur, ruffed lemur, Mona monkey, swamp monkey, Bali mynah, ocelot, okapi, Arabian oryx, scimitar-horned oryx, Oriental small-clawed otter, thick-billed parrot, African penguin, Mauritius pink pigeon, Aruba Island rattlesnake, black rhinoceros, Louisiana pine snake, black-handed spider monkey, cottontop tamarin, golden lion tamarin, Indochinese tiger, Sumatran tiger, Puerto Rican crested toad, radiated tortoise, Swainson's toucan, and Grevy's zebra.
The zoo supports many conservation projects including Okapi Conservation - Epulu Research Station, Zaire, International Rhino Foundation, Chimp Haven, Bushmeat Crisis Task Force, Gray's Monitor Lizard In The Philippines, Taxon Advisory Groups (Tag), Bowling For Rhinos, and the Thailand Hornbill Project - Adopt A Hornbill Nest. In addition to conservation, sustainability efforts by the Dallas Zoo include growing bamboo and cabbage to function as part of the landscape aesthetic throughout the zoo. The overgrowth is harvested and used as food for the zoo's herbivores.
- Cell Phone Recycling
The Dallas Zoo collects and recycles cell phones through a program called ECO-CELL. The objective of both the Dallas Zoo and ECO-CELL is to reduce coltan mining. Coltan is a raw material used in the manufacturing process of cell phones and it is mined almost exclusively in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The mining results in a loss of habitat for gorillas, elephants, okapi and many others. For every cell phone recycled through ECO-CELL, the zoo receives a donation to its conservation fund. ECO-CELL has partnerships with over 110 zoos and is a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
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Famous quotes containing the word conservation:
“A country grows in history not only because of the heroism of its troops on the field of battle, it grows also when it turns to justice and to right for the conservation of its interests.”
—Aristide Briand (1862–1932)
“The putting into force of laws which shall secure the conservation of our resources, as far as they may be within the jurisdiction of the Federal Government, including the more important work of saving and restoring our forests and the great improvement of waterways, are all proper government functions which must involve large expenditure if properly performed.”
—William Howard Taft (1857–1930)