Animal Conservation
Since 1997, the zoo has supported more than 360 conservation projects for creatures of all sizes and from all locales. Your visit to the Tulsa Zoo is a chance to protect wild places. From giraffes in Tanzania to songbirds in Indonesia, species around the globe benefit from your support.
- American Burying Beetle Project
- Asian Song Bird Conservation
- Asian Elephant Conservation
- International Rhino Foundation
- Mabula Ground-Hornbill Project
- Malaysia Tiger Conservation
- Save the Wild Chinchillas
- Scarlet Macaw Population Recovery Program
- Snow Leopard Trust
- South African Penguin
- West African Primate Conservation Action
- Wild Nature Institute
Scientific Advancement
The Tulsa Zoo is committed to supporting, facilitating, and conducting scientific advancement. Recent projects have included genetics, physiology, health, and behavior, all of which allow us to provide the best care possible to our animals. Below are a few examples of our current scientific advancement projects and partnerships.
- Diana Guenon – Tulsa Zoo partnered with Ohio State in a significant research project with our Diana monkeys. This study provided important hormone data that accurately reflect physiological changes based on the levels of corticosterone and progesterone.
- Studying the development of the modern bird brain – Tulsa Zoo worked together with Oklahoma State University to address the question “how did the highly encephalized brain of modern birds come about?” Findings suggest a more nuanced pattern of brain evolution than was previously considered at the origin of modern Aves.
- American Flamingo – This project provided us important information to give optimal care to our large colony of American flamingos. Tulsa Zoo is testing long-acting medication to help reduce animal stress levels during medication periods.
Green Practices
Our commitment to conservation extends to the zoo’s daily practices. The Tulsa Zoo is one of only a few zero-landfill zoos in the United States. Currently, the Tulsa Zoo has 19 different recycling streams. Any material that is not recycled, re-purposed or donated is transferred to Covanta and converted into renewable energy at the energy from waste plant.
Our efforts have led to multiple community recognitions:
The Tulsa Zoo was selected as the top performer of businesses with 50 to 250 employees and leader in our community for sustainability.
The Tulsa Zoo is a business partner of Sustainable Tulsa, which believes embracing the Triple Bottom Line — People, Profit, Planet —can make Tulsa the most sustainable city in America.
Sustainable Tulsa’s Scor3card program ranks us as a Platinum level organization, the highest achievable.
