Page 2 - Impact Report_2019 PDF

Stuart D. Strahl, Ph.D.
Dear Chicago Zoological Society Friends,
It has been my honor to serve as CEO of this organization
for almost 17 years, during which time we have seen much
progress, growth, and many positive changes. The year
2019 was no different—we welcomed nearly 2 million
guests to Brookfield Zoo and reached more than 109,000
member households.
HAMILL FAMILY NATURE PLAZA opened last fall on
the site that was formerly Baboon Island. Visitors to the
Plaza relax in beautiful gardens and meeting spaces,
entertain and educate children, and interact with our
Animal Ambassadors. I had the pleasure of attending the
ribbon-cutting ceremony with members of the Hamill
and Bramsen families whose generous support made the
Plaza—and many other exhibits—possible.
The Sarasota Dolphin Research Program (SDRP) entered
its 50th year of dolphin research and conservation in 2019.
Few longitudinal studies of wildlife populations have pro-
duced so much valuable information and scientific data on
the demography, behavior, socio-biology, and environmen-
tal impacts of a single species. We will celebrate SDRP's
anniversary through 2020.
In this year’s Impact Report, you'll read about a
grant-funded initiative called SCIENCES (Supporting a
Community’s Informal Education Needs: Confidence and
Empowerment in STEM). A partnership between the Society
and Eden Place Nature Center in Chicago’s Fuller Park neigh- generosity and support now more than ever. Please go to
borhood, SCIENCES served more than 3,800 participants
between 2014 and 2017. It led to the creation of CZS's King
Conservation Leadership Academy, which will be serving
thousands of people in multiple communities each year.
President & CEO
Chicago Zoological Society
John P. Grube
Chairman, Board of Trustees
Chicago Zoological Society
We are proud of the many opportunities and resources
we provide educators. The Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP)
combines experiential learning and field study at Brookfield
Zoo with web-based graduate courses through Project
Dragonfly, based at Miami University in Ohio. The CZS
employee profiled in this report is one of 154 people who
earned a Master of Arts degree through AIP since it began.
Lastly, this report includes a list of animal care and welfare
highlights from 2019 and an article about Brookfield Zoo's
work in the rescue and rehabilitation of trafficked animals—
a timely subject since wildlife trafficking plays a role in the
transmission of disease-causing pathogens from animals
to humans.
One of these pathogens, the virus that causes the deadly
disease COVID-19, is now rapidly spreading across the globe
leaving sickness, death, and economic ruin and hardship
in its wake. As a result, many businesses and institutions,
including the Chicago Zoological Society, are experiencing
unanticipated and urgent financial pressures. Instead of
implementing the second year of our 2019-2023 Strategic
Plan and a comprehensive 20-year Master Site Plan, we've
had to reduce our operations to the minimum levels required
to assure the health and welfare of our staff and animal popu-
lation and to maintain and protect the buildings and grounds.
Brookfield Zoo has survived many crises since it first
opened in 1934, but we have never had to shut down the
zoo for days, weeks, and months at a time. We need your
CZS.org/donate to find out how you can help.