By Bert Castro, President & CEO of the Arizona Center for Nature Conservation/Phoenix Zoo
This past year has been one of meaningful progress at the Phoenix Zoo. It has truly been a year of growth, connection and care. Thanks to the continued support of our members, donors and all our guests, we welcomed new audiences, expanded our animal collection and invested in projects that strengthened our commitment to conservation, research, education and serving as a great community asset.
Some of our proudest recent achievements include reaching more diverse audiences across our community, introducing thousands of guests to the Zoo. A perfect example from last year was 602 Day, when admission was $6.02 for all guests. Nearly 19,000 people joined us that day, making it not only a celebration of Phoenicians and our city, but also a powerful reminder of how access to nature and wildlife can bring people together. Serving our community in this way is central to who we are. We are committed to providing a variety of pathways to access the Zoo, through our Community Connections program, which supports free and discounted admission and educational programming for kids in Title I schools, our annual Sensory Friendly ZooLights and other events designed to welcome everyone to the Zoo.
We were also thrilled to welcome many new animals to the Zoo in the past year. Guests delighted in meeting beautiful secretarybirds, celebrated the arrival and naming of our new baby giraffe, Kasi, and getting to know our new hamadryas baboons, kudus and impalas, along with a variety of other new residents. Each new animal represents both joy and excitement for our guests and an important opportunity to inspire conservation awareness and action.
