AZA Connect

Make a difference for wildlife this holiday season! By choosing gifts that celebrate the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and AZA-accredited facilities, you're helping to protect animals and their habitats. These thoughtful gifts are perfect for the conservationist or animal lover in your life, whether you're celebrating Hanukkah, Christmas, or another special occasion! 1.

feature Four Women, One Mission: Shaping the Future of Conservation Science min read An inside look at how women in conservation are leading with impact to protect wildlife and building their legacy along the way In the world of wildlife conservation, where science and storytelling intersect, diversity isn’t just a social imperative; it’s a scientific one. Our ecosystems thrive on biodiversity, and so too must the communities that work to protect them.

feature Diving Into Inclusion min read At the New England Aquarium in Boston, Mass., we believe the ocean belongs to everyone. Our mission to inspire ocean conservation is most powerful when it’s inclusive—when all communities see themselves reflected in the science, exploration, and wonder that define our work. For many years, we hosted a program called American Sign Language (ASL) Sundays.

Los Angeles is situated within a biodiversity hotspot that is also a rapidly growing urban area. With shrinking natural spaces and fewer native habitats available for wildlife, the Los Angeles Zoo in Los Angeles, Calif., has a unique opportunity to serve as a key habitat for migratory and native species as well as an educational hub to engage its communities in conservation.

feature Monarch Butterflies Take Flight with Cutting-Edge Research at Disney min read Some groundbreaking research is taking flight at Walt Disney World® Resort thanks to the work of the Disney Conservation Team based at Disney’s Animal Kingdom® in Bay Lake, Fla. Butterflies are wearing backpacks. Well—sort of. The Disney Conservation Team is conducting research on monarch butterflies by using radio telemetry tags, referred to as “backpacks” by the team.

Hidden in the wind-swept grasslands of Waterton Lakes National Park, a tiny butterfly has been keeping a big secret. Long believed to be just another population of the widespread half-moon hairstreak, this delicate insect, confined entirely to the Blakiston Fan, has now been recognized as its own species: the curiously isolated hairstreak (Satyrium curiosolus).

feature Sparking Curiosity For Conservation min read Anyone can swim with whale sharks, scout red wolves, or climb with koalas—all through the immersive lens of animal tracking maps. On a mission to make helping wildlife fun and interactive, conservation-focused brand Fahlo partners with nonprofits working with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and SAFE: Saving Animals From Extinction® to bring threatened species’ real-world journeys to life.

Seventeen northwestern pond turtle hatchlings, each about the size of a walnut, are making a home at the Oregon Zoo in Portland, Ore., this summer. Zoo conservationists are “head-starting” the endangered reptiles, caring for them until next spring when they’re big enough to have a fighting chance in the wild. Guests can watch the tiny turtles grow at the conservation lab inside the Zoo’s Nature Exploration Station.

Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport, Conn., introduced new residents that are sure to captivate visitors—Chinese Gorals, a rare and fascinating mountain species making their debut. Chinese Gorals are a species of small mountain ungulates native to Asia that shares characteristics with both goats and antelopes. The male goral, age 7, comes from the Lee Richardson Zoo in Garden City, Kans., along with his female companion, Madeline, from Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo Safari Park in Omaha, Neb.

Lion Country Safari in West Palm Beach, Fla., welcomed a litter of two African lion cubs on 21 April 2025. The cubs are currently bonding with their mother, Mara, behind the scenes and will make their public debut in the lion habitat in the coming months. Lion Country Safari has had multiple litters of cubs born over its nearly 60-year history.