ADDITIONAL CONSERVATION EFFORTS Annually, numerous Zoo staff, Zoological Society staff, Zoo Pride volunteers and other associates work outside normal duties, supporting conservation efforts worldwide. Although many of these activities were put on hold in response to the pandemic, there are still some examples from 2020:
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Western Lowland Gorilla
GROUNDHOG DAY We annually celebrate Groundhog Day at the Zoo’s Family Farm. As part of the 2020 event, funds were raised to conserve the Vancouver Island Marmot, a cousin to our resident groundhog, Gordy. Vancouver Island Marmots are Critically Endangered due to changes in their habitat. Funds raised supported the Marmot Recovery Foundation and were matched by the Zoo. This recovery partnership between government agencies, private landowners and zoos in Canada monitors populations, oversees reproductive programs, and protects habitat needed by one of the world’s rarest mammals.
Groundhog
GORILLAS ON THE LINE For the second consecutive year, the Milwaukee County Zoo partnered with local schools to collect and recycle mobile phones in a national campaign called Gorillas on the Line. (Recycling phones benefits gorillas by reducing mining pressures that threaten African forest habitats and by raising funds for field conservation programs.) Twenty schools registered to participate, but about half were unable to complete their collection due to school closures. At the end of the abbreviated campaign, 300+ devices were recycled, and thousands of local students, their families and followers on Zoo social media platforms received information on the connection between electronics and gorillas.
