Press Releases and Other Updates From Wilder Institute

The Wilder Institute has expanded their number of community conservation programs to five with the addition of the Cross River Gorilla Initiative in Nigeria.

Over the last couple of months, a team of amphibian heroes have been helping the endangered northern leopard frog rediscover its home in western Canada by releasing a total of 1,929 tadpoles into British Columbia wetlands. The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo (WICZ) has been working alongside other conservation organizations, governments, and zoos & aquariums to breed, translocate, and release frogs in B.C. where there is only one extant wild population of northern leopard frogs. 

Starting today, the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo’s newest conservation facility, the Archibald Biodiversity Centre (ABC), is home to iconic species-at-risk. The ABC is a state-of-the-art breeding centre, sitting on 330 acres in the Albertan prairies designed as a temporary home for species-at-risk such as the greater sage-grouse, Vancouver Island marmots, burrowing owls, whooping crane, before they are released into the wild.

Earlier this month, Alberta’s prairies warmly welcomed back 20 burrowing owls that were in the care of the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo, marking a milestone to bolster Canada’s burrowing owl population.

As relationships between wildlife and human life become increasingly frayed, a rethink is needed to restore biodiversity and protect wildlife.

The greater sage-grouse takes centre stage with famed National Geographic photographer, Joel Sartore, at the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo.

It’s an exciting year ahead for nine of North America’s endangered species. From charming rodents to elusive insects, our conservation programs are building hope for biodiversity.

For more than 30-years, the Calgary Zoo has led critical wildlife conservation work around the world and now includes the Wilder Institute.