Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Zebra Pen Corporation Announce Donation to Help Save Endangered Grevy’s Zebras
Silver Spring, Maryland (PRWEB) June 09, 2014 -- The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), Zebra Pen Corporation, and AZA-accredited zoos across the nation are collaborating to support the conservation of the endangered Grevy’s zebra. Today, Zebra Pen will be making a donation of $15,000 in support of efforts to save the endangered Grevy’s zebras in Africa.
To kick off the partnership, Zebra Pen will be celebrating Z Month throughout June on Facebook. The celebration will be highlighted by the Z Month Facebook ticket giveaway where every week in June, packs of four tickets will be awarded to one lucky participant for a behind-the-scenes VIP tour at a participating AZA member zoo. Additionally, the page will feature educational and fun facts about everything zebra during the month of June. For more information about Z Month and the ticket giveaway visit http://www.facebook.com/ZebraPenUS.
In the 1980s, the wild population of Grevy’s zebras in Africa was 15,000—that number is down to fewer than 2,500 today. The Zebra Pen funds will go to support Grevy’s Zebra Trust—the only organization dedicated solely to the conservation of the Grevy’s zebra. This independent wildlife conservation organization was established in 2007 to address the urgent need to conserve the endangered Grevy’s zebra in the community rangelands and work holistically to secure critical resources and safeguard this species from extinction by engaging communities in its monitoring and protection. Zoos have developed such a strong partnership with Grevy’s Zebra Trust that in 2012, the Trust and 27 AZA zoos earned the AZA’s prestigious International Conservation Award.
“Zoos and aquariums are combining the power of their visitors with the resources and collective expertise of AZA members and partners, like Zebra Pen Corporation, to save the most vulnerable wildlife species from extinction and protect these species for future generations,” said AZA President and CEO Jim Maddy.
“We are excited to announce our partnership with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and AZA-accredited zoos,” said Ken Newman, Director of Marketing at Zebra Pen Corporation. “At Zebra Pen we are proud to support the animal that represents and identifies our company. Through this partnership and our Z Month celebration, we are also providing our consumers and zoo and aquarium visitors with the opportunity to play a part in Grevy’s zebra conservation efforts.”
“Zoos are working to help save this magnificent animal through the AZA’s Species Survival Plan for Grevy’s zebra,” said Martha Fischer, Curator of Mammals/Ungulates, Founding Trustee and Current Board Chair of the Grevy’s Zebra Trust and Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Institute Center for Conservation in the Horn of Africa. “These cooperative breeding programs feature a number of zoos working together to ensure the survival of a species. Zoos are also playing a key role in sustaining critically endangered wild species in the field by supporting organizations, like the Grevy’s Zebra Trust, and by actively establishing a variety of conservation, research and education programs.”
AZA Grevy’s zebra Species Survival Plan (SSP) manages 183 zebras in 40 AZA facilities. The following zoos are members of the Grevy’s zebra SSP: Zoo Boise, Bronx Zoo, Brookfield Zoo, B. Bryan Preserve, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Caldwell Zoo, Calgary Zoo, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Dallas Zoo, Denver Zoo, Detroit Zoological Park, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, Franklin Park Zoo, Glen Oak Zoo, Great Plains Zoo, Jackson Zoo, Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, Zoológico de Leó, Lincoln Park Zoo, The Living Desert, Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, Tampa’s Lowry Park, Zoo Miami, Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park, Oglebay’s Good Zoo, Oklahoma City Zoo, Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo, Phoenix Zoo, Pueblo Zoo, Reid Park Zoo, Sacramento Zoo, San Diego Zoo Global, Sedgwick County Zoo, Saint Louis Zoo, Toronto Zoo (non-AZA SSP participant), Valley Zoo (non-AZA SSP participant), The Wilds, and White Oak Conservation Center.
About AZA
Founded in 1924, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and aquariums in the areas of conservation, animal welfare, education, science, and recreation. AZA is the accrediting body for the top zoos and aquariums in the United States and six other countries. Look for the AZA accreditation logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you, and a better future for all living things. The AZA is a leader in saving species and your link to helping animals all over the world. To learn more, visit http://www.aza.org.
About Zebra Pen Corporation
Zebra Pen Corporation was founded in New York in August 1982 as an independent corporation wholly owned by Zebra Co., Ltd., of Tokyo, Japan. A New Jersey-based writing instrument manufacturer, Zebra Pen Corporation’s mission is to distribute products that are of the highest quality, providing value to customers and meeting their overall writing needs with a wide variety of writing instruments. Zebra Pen Corporation offers a full line of writing instruments, including ball point pens, gel pens, roller ball pens, mechanical pencils, and highlighters. Today, with 111 years of excellence behind them, Zebra Pen Corporation is leading the way with a wide range of quality writing products. For more information, visit http://www.ZebraPen.com.
Rob Vernon, Association of Zoos and Aquariums, http://www.aza.org, +1 (301) 244-3352, [email protected]
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