South African Penguin
The Tulsa Zoo has been a long time supporter of South African penguin conservation. South African penguins are highly endangered African penguins, the only penguin species endemic to the African continent.
$8.00Child (ages 3 - 11)
$12.00Adult (ages 12 - 64)
$10.00Senior (age 65+)
The Tulsa Zoo supports projects that address topics integral to the saving of wild animals and the places they live. Through many alliances and partnerships with other Association of Zoo and Aquarium institutions, regional agencies and conservation organizations, the Tulsa Zoo effectively supports the conservation of local and global biological diversity.
Since 1997, the Tulsa Zoo has supported more than 360 conservation projects dedicated to saving wild animals and wild places.
Read the Tulsa Zoo Conservation Strategic Plan.
The Tulsa Zoo has been a long time supporter of South African penguin conservation. South African penguins are highly endangered African penguins, the only penguin species endemic to the African continent.
The vaquita is highlighted as one of ten signature species by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) as part of the Saving Animals From Extinction (SAFE) Initiative.
The Snow Leopard Trust’s Natural Partnerships Program connects zoos around the world with the unique opportunity to get directly involved and make powerful contributions to the highest priority conservation and research programs.
The Tulsa Zoo supports the conservation of wild chinchillas through habitat restoration in central Chile.
The Tulsa zoo is very committed to rhino conservation and is a zoo partner with the International Rhino Foundation.
The Tulsa Zoo participates in various elephant conservation programs, both in human care and in the wild and are very important to our institution.
The Tulsa Zoo supports the Tiger Conservation Campaign and anti-poaching efforts through the tiger species survival plan and the Wildlife Conservation Network (WCS).
The Tulsa Zoo is working in partnership with West African Primate Conservation Action. The roloway guenon (Cercopithecus diana roloway) is in eminent danger of extinction.
The Tulsa Zoo participates in the National Monarch Watch Program developed by the University of Kansas. The Tulsa Zoo is a registered and certified waystation for Monarch Butterflies.
The Tulsa Zoo is part of the Monarch Initiative of Tulsa, which works to provide information promoting the creation of habitats to increase the Monarch population during migration through the Tulsa area.
The Tulsa Zoo is working with The Wild Nature Institute to support the expansion of a unique giraffe demography study used in identifying and tracking wild giraffes by utilizing their unique spot patterns to understand individual movements and survival.
The Tulsa Zoo Conservation Program has begun a new partnership with a project called the Mabula Ground Hornbill Project.
The Tulsa Zoo has a partnership with The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) to support The Scarlet Macaw Population Recovery Program.
The Tulsa Zoo Conservation Program has a partnership with Oklahoma State University (OSU) and American burying beetle (ABB) conservation.
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.
The word “green” is widely used to describe environmentally-conscious actions and programs. The Tulsa Zoo defines green as a fundamental value that moves us toward our goal of environmentally neutral operations that include energy efficiency, stewardship of resources, sensitivity to the zoo’s impact on the environment, more sustainable consumer options, a reduced ecological footprint, and community partnerships that foster green practices.
Tulsa Zoo’s Green Practices Strategic Plan
Our focus is to lead by example in sustainable practices and to be good stewards of our planet by reducing our carbon footprint, operational waste and energy usage. We participate in single-stream recycling through the Mr. Murph recycling program. Any resources we cannot reuse, repurpose, or recycle go to Covanta, an energy from waste power plant in West Tulsa.
The Tulsa Zoo is a business partner of Sustainable Tulsa, which believes by embracing the Triple Bottom Line — People, Profit, Planet — our business leaders, community leaders and citizens can make Tulsa the most sustainable city in America.
The Tulsa Zoo is a proud sponsor and member of the Sustainable Scor3cared Program. We were ranked first among participating business during the pilot year of the program and currently are rated as a gold level participant with 84 sustainable action items. The Sustainable Scor3card consists of seven categories with 153 total action items, covering qualitative and quantitative metrics, which guide organizations through the details of their activities in order to baseline their sustainability efforts and make improvements. Through base lining, the Tulsa Zoo is able to see the value in integrating sustainable practices into all of our activities. The Scor3card program not only allows us to track our sustainability efforts, it also provides resources to support our green practices programs and community partnerships.
The Tulsa Zoo is working to join the greenest of the green businesses in the Tulsa area. In 2014, the Tulsa Zoo implemented a Green Practices Strategic Plan with a goal of becoming an environmentally neutral operation. The Tulsa Zoo has successfully reduced its ecological footprint through onsite initiatives and community partnerships. Prior to 2014, the Tulsa Zoo had been recycling items such as plastic bottles, aluminum cans and cardboard. Currently, the Tulsa Zoo has 17 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.
The Tulsa Zoo was selected as the top performer of businesses with 50 to 250 employees and leader in our community for sustainability. Winners were selected from a nomination list based on the number of verified items and quality of answers within the Scor3card as selected by the Henry Bellmon family and members of the Henry Bellmon Judges Panel.