2008 Annual Report - Denver Zoo

introductionleft African lion brothersRian and RajahDenver Zoo staff, trustees, and volunteers share a passion to protect wildlife both in our backyardsand throughout the world. To realize this vision, we must foster empathy for animals and stimulateaction to create practical solutions to resolve conflicts between animals and people.To accomplish this goal, we’ve assembled a team of talentedprofessionals in numerous disciplines to provide excellent careand innovative habitats for the animals who call Denver Zoo home,to develop sustainable populations of zoo animals as insurancepopulations for declining wild populations, to lead research andconservation initiatives both at the zoo and in more than 25countries, and, most importantly, to connect people with animalsthrough zoo visits with a variety of high-quality guest experiences,award-winning education programs, and adventure travel.Connecting people with animals can change both the lives ofhumans and the animals they encounter. During 2008, a specialchild visited Denver Zoo with his family. Parents encouraged zoostaff to speak with him, but cautioned that he rarely verbalizesor shows emotion, although he’s an avid listener soaking upinformation. Upon encountering zoo elephants Mimi and Dolly, theboy’s face lit up with a huge smile and he called out “elephant.”The obvious power of this type of connection when people meetreal, living animals leads to the kind of empathy needed to fosterfurther learning and, eventually, informed conservation action. Manyof today’s leading professional conservationists trace the beginningsof their careers to a childhood zoo visit. To secure a future forelephants, we must generate a groundswell of support from peoplewho care enough to take action to stem the decline of elephants inthe wild. That support must lead to innovative strategies to resolvethe conflicts between people and elephants in their native landsso that both people and animals may thrive. In simplest terms,every Denver Zoo guest supports elephant conservation since aportion of admission fees supports care for Mimi and Dolly, as wellas our elephant conservation projects in several African and Asiancountries. As our advertising states — Every visit helps animals.So, securing a future for wildlife is about people just as much asanimals. We’ll only protect the things we care about, and caringcomes from direct experience and knowledge. We thank you for yoursupport in connecting people with animals, and hope you’ll enjoymeeting some of the people and animals who made Denver Zoo sucha special place in 2008.1