About
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is an international nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to saving wildlife worldwide. Since 1916 it has connected people with wildlife, and today it operates two conservation parks — the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park — while integrating wildlife health and care, science, and education to develop sustainable conservation solutions around the globe.
Mission
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is committed to saving species worldwide by uniting its expertise in wildlife care and conservation science with its dedication to inspiring passion for nature. Its stated vision is "A World Where All Life Thrives," and its core values are collaborate, innovate, inspire, and thrive.
What they do
- Operates the San Diego Zoo, a 100-acre, AZA-accredited wildlife park in Balboa Park that is home to more than 12,000 rare and endangered animals representing over 680 species and subspecies, plus an accredited botanical garden with more than 700,000 individual plants
- Operates the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, home to more than 3,000 animals representing over 293 species and more than 1.3 million plants representing over 3,700 species
- Runs eight global Conservation Hubs — African Forest, Amazonia, Asia, Australian Forest, Oceans, Pacific Islands, Savanna, and Southwest — in regions where it has long-standing investments and partnerships
- Maintains the Frozen Zoo, founded in 1975 by Kurt Benirschke, M.D., which preserves cell lines from more than 11,500 individual animals representing more than 1,300 species in liquid nitrogen
- Addresses drivers of biodiversity loss including climate change, invasive species, habitat degradation, human-wildlife conflict, wildlife trafficking, and emerging diseases through a One Health approach
History
The organization traces its work to 1916 and was known as San Diego Zoo Global before rebranding as San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance to emphasize partnerships and interconnectedness. It has developed conservation expertise over more than 50 years and partners with several hundred organizations globally.
Scale and impact
The Alliance has reintroduced more than 44 endangered species into native habitats and reaches over 1 billion people annually through its two conservation parks and media channels in 170 countries. In 2024, giant pandas Xin Bao and Yun Chuan arrived at the San Diego Zoo's newly redesigned Denny Sanford Panda Ridge habitat.
Financials
According to ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance reported revenue of $437,607,695 and expenses of $391,353,999 for fiscal year 2024, with net assets of approximately $862 million as of December 2024. In fiscal year 2023 it reported revenue of $411,019,877 and expenses of $365,011,304.
Governance
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 95-1648219). The San Diego Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
