There are few animals that capture the imagination like snow leopards. As Tashi R. Ghale wrote in Searching for the Snow Leopard, Guardian of the High Mountains, “Beyond the ecological importance of a top predator like the snow leopard, there is something inherently mystical that draws us to these powerful big cats. Their ability to survive in one of the world’s harshest climates, combined with their beauty and ethereal quality, has been the impetus for humans to not only respect and admire them but also revere them.” Snow leopards live in the mountains of central Asia, across 1.2 million squa ..read more

Each year on September 1, we celebrate International Primate Day. The holiday was founded by Animal Defenders International in 2005 with the purpose of ending monkey experimentation for disease research. Since then, the day has evolved to include wild primate conservation and habitat protection. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), more than a third of all primates are considered Critically Endangered or Threatened. The Sacramento Zoo is home to eight different species of primates. Read on to learn more about them!   Black-and-White Ruffed Lemurs Bl ..read more

Orangutans, also called the man of the forest, are the largest arboreal primate in the world. There are three species of orangutans: Sumatran orangutans (like those who live at the Sacramento Zoo), Bornean orangutans, and the newly “discovered” Tapanuli orangutans (until 2017, Tapanuli orangutans were thought to be Bornean orangutans). Orangutans live in forests on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo in Indonesia and Malaysia. While orangutans can brachiate (swing hand over hand), they generally move cautiously through the trees by walking and climbing. All three orangutan species are listed by ..read more

The post Cheetah Conservation Botswana: Racing Towards Conservation appeared first on Sacramento Zoo ..read more

There are few species as iconic as the African lion which have become synonymous with strength, power, and resilience. Even in nature, lions have no natural predators. Why, then, have African lion populations decreased by approximately 50% in the last 25 years? Lions are listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation Nature (IUCN), with approximately 23,000 individuals left in the wild. African lion habitats once stretched across most of Africa through parts of Asia and Europe. Today, lions live on only 8% of that land, in sub-Saharan Africa. Most of the threats African l ..read more

One cannot enter the Sacramento Zoo without being greeted by our flock of thick-billed parrots. From their aviary across from the American alligators, these rambunctious, vociferous birds are a conservation highlight. Thick-billed parrots are classified as Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). At one time, the thick-billed parrots’ range extended northwards to southern Arizona and New Mexico and south to Venezuela. Today, the birds are only found in higher elevations of the Sierra Madre Occidental Mountains in northern Mexico in about a 6,000 acre stretch ..read more

Dear Friend, The Sacramento Zoo currently cares for more than 120 unique and amazing species of animals – 34 of which are Endangered. Due to so many factors impacting wildlife and wild places around the globe, the conservation work done by accredited zoos like ours has never been more important than it is today. One of the Endangered species we proudly care for is the thick-billed parrot. Thanks to our outstanding keepers, our veterinary team, and supporters like you, our zoo is the most successful zoo in the world to breed this Endangered parrot. More than 100 chicks have been born to birds ..read more

For hundreds of years, jaguars have held an important role in both nature and culture. They are an apex predator in their habitat and were once worshiped as gods in many ancient South American cultures. As National Geographic journalist, Chip Brown, wrote “They are at once regal and ferocious, unrivaled in stealth, at home in rivers, on jungle ground, and in trees, their eyes glittering in the dark with the tapetum lucidum cells of their night-vision retinas.” The Sacramento Zoo is home to two jaguars: Tikal and Sasha. Today, July 15, we are celebrating Sasha’s ninth birthday! Sasha’s care tea ..read more

“In a world of human use, this extraordinary forest is a reminder of Eden, an untouched gem teeming with chimpanzees, gorillas, and forest elephants. It is the definition of wild nature and must be protected.” -Steve Sanderson, President and CEO of the Wild Conservation Society Goualougo Triangle Ape Project (GTAP) is a conservation organization dedicated to conserving chimpanzees and gorillas in Africa’s Congo Basin. Within the Basin, GTAP focuses on the chimpanzees in the Goualougo Triangle and gorillas in the Djéké Triangle in Mondika. The Djéké Triangle region is a 38-square-mile (100 km2 ..read more

Happy National Koi Day! The Sacramento Zoo’s veterinary team provides excellent care and treatment for all of the animals at the zoo, from Kamau the lion to the smallest lizard. Even the koi fish receive top-notch care. And, just like the other animals at the zoo, the koi are given annual preventative exams to make sure they stay in good health. Koi, known as nishikigoi in Japan, are a type of ornamental Amur carp. Amur carp were cultured as a food fish throughout East Asia. Breeders began selectively breeding carp for their colors in the 1820’s in the Niigata Prefecture in Japan, which gave r ..read more