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CZS Supports the ESA

The Chicago Zoological Society and Brookfield Zoo • When called upon by government agencies, including
have been staunch supporters of the Endangered Species the FWS and the NMFS, the Zoo provides homes and
Act and have undertaken many initiatives —including rehabilitative care to illegally trafficked and confiscated
the few that follow—to support the law’s success. animals, many of which are ESA-listed threatened and
• Dozens of species at Brookfield Zoo are on the Endangered endangered species.
Species List. Their presence at the Zoo raises public awareness • CZS participates in the agencies’ recovery programs for
of their plight and inspires guests to participate in conservation species, including the critically endangered Mexican wolf.
efforts. Access to animals in zoos enables scientists to conduct To increase the number and genetic diversity of Mexican
research that is not possible in the wild. For example, researchers wolf populations in the Southwest, wolves bred at Brookfield
at Brookfield Zoo unlocked secrets of nutrition, reproduction, Zoo with minimal human contact have been released into
and neonatal development of Goeldi’s monkeys and pangolins. the wild by FWS.
Their work has led to the identification and treatment of wildlife
diseases. Findings are widely shared with
governments and conservation organizations
and benefit animals in the wild.
• Brookfield Zoo is accredited by the
Association of Zoos and Aquariums Blue-billed
(AZA) and meets or exceeds the Curassow
accrediting organization’s high standards
of animal care and welfare. Along
with 237 other institutions, the Zoo
participates in cooperative population
management and conservation
programs—including Species Survival
Plan® Programs and SAFE (Saving
Animals From Extinction)—that
mostly benefit threatened and
endangered species. AZA members
fund more than 2,500 conservation
projects in over 100 countries.

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