About San Diego Zoo Global

San Diego Zoo Global is a not-for-profit organization that operates the San Diego Zoo, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research. The Zoo was founded on October 2, 1916, by Harry M. Wegeforth, M.D. It currently has a 12-member Board of Trustees headed by Richard Gulley; Douglas G. Myers is the Zoo's executive director.

San Diego Zoo Global is the largest zoological membership association in the world, with more than 250,000 member households and 130,000 child memberships, representing more than a half million people. Members enjoy free admission to the Zoo and the Safari Park, a subscription to the magazine ZOONOOZ, and other benefits. Both Zoo and Park are open every day of the year.

Mission Statement

San Diego Zoo Global is a conservation, education, and recreation organization dedicated to the reproduction, protection, and exhibition of animals, plants, and their habitats.

	San Diego Zoo The 100-acre (40-hectare) Zoo is home to over 3,700 rare and endangered animals representing more than 650 species and subspecies, and a prominent botanical collection with more than 700,000 exotic plants. It is located just north of downtown San Diego in Balboa Park.
	San Diego Zoo Safari Park The Safari Park is an expansive wildlife sanctuary that is home to more than 2,600 animals representing more than 300 species. Its renowned botanical collection represents 3,500 species and 1.5 million specimens. Over half of the Park’s 1,800 acres (730 hectares) have been set aside as protected native species habitat. It is located 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of downtown San Diego in the San Pasqual Valley near Escondido, California.
	San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research™ San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research is one of the largest zoo-based research centers in the world. Founded in 1975, it is dedicated to preserving and protecting rare and endangered wildlife and habitats. Staff develop, gather, and increase knowledge vital for the establishment of self-sustaining populations of wildlife.

Accreditations

The San Diego Zoo and the Safari Park are accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the American Association of Museums, and the Zoological Assocation of America.
Here's more information about the accreditation process...

Recent honors and awards

• The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) awarded Top Honors for the 2012 AZA International Conservation Award to San Diego Zoo Global for its Scientific Approaches to Conservation of Giant Pandas and Their Habitat program and a Significant Achievement in North America award for our work on the Light-footed Clapper Rail Recovery Program.
• San Diego Zoo Global was named the Best Event Production with a budget between $25,000 and $75,000 by the National Association for Catering and Events at its annual national conference July 2012.
• San Diego Zoo Global was honored as a recipient of the 20th annual Waste Reduction and Recycling Award for our efforts to divert trash from the landfill, thus protecting our environment and conserving natural resources.
• The Institute for Conservation Research received the 2011 Plume Award for long-term avian propagation programs for its work with critically endangered Hawaiian birds. The award was given in March by the Avian Scientific Advisory Group during a session at the Association of Zoos and Aquariums conference in Chattanooga, Tennesee.
• San Diego Zoo Global received a Recycler of the Year Award from the City of San Diego in 2011.
• San Diego Zoo Global was a medallion award recipient in the 2010 Workplace Excellence Awards, sponsored by the San Diego Society for Human Resource Management.