East Africa

African elephant population has declined by over 60% since the 1970s. The main cause of this decline is poaching for their ivory tusks – 96 elephants are killed in Africa each day.

When the demand for ivory stops, the poaching can stop. If you are unsure if a product is ivory or not, avoid buying it. You can also contribute to elephant conservation through the Zoo by attending events like ZooBrew and World Elephant Day.

You can also make a donation to our elephant conservation efforts.

Seneca Park Zoo partners with organizations like African Parks to address elephant conservation.  One of the efforts we support is the operation of Garamba National Park in Democratic Republic of Congo.

Garamba National Park is a World Heritage Site that:

·         Saw a 90% decrease in elephant poaching in 2019

·         Employs over 700 full & part time staff

·         Is home to 1200 elephants (historically >20,000)

·         Provides over 14,000 people with mobilized health care services

The Zoo raises thousands of dollars each year for elephants and their habitat, in support of initiatives like this.

Southern white rhinos were poached to the verge of extinction in the late 1890s. Although their population is rebounding, they still face a constant threat of poaching for their horns, which are falsely believed to have medicinal purposes.

You can be an advocate for rhinos by spreading the word about poaching and rhino horn. Rhino horn is made of keratin, the same material that makes up human hair and fingernails, and there is no research showing that keratin has medicinal properties.

You can also make a donation to help our rhino conservation efforts.

The Zoo partners with organizations like the International Rhino Foundation (IRF), which is dedicated to the survival of the world’s rhino species through conservation and research. With our partners, we support anti-poaching programs in Southern Africa. These include:

·         Early warning and community involvement

·         Investigation and forensic techniques

·         Staff professional development

·         Dog training for anti-poaching surveys

·         Poaching deterrents

·         Translocation of rhinos

Additionally, the Zoo hosts annual events including Cinco de Rhino, Bowling for Rhinos, and World Rhino Day that raise awareness and funds to support Rhino conservation.

Lion population has plummeted from 200,000 to just 20,000 over the last century, and their population continues to decrease every day. Causes of their steep decline include habitat loss, indiscriminate killings, and hunting.

Many parts of Africa have fenced in their reserves to protect both the lions and the people living around lion territory. This requires intensive and proper reserve management, which is difficult to accomplish in a time where conservation funding is virtually non-existent.

You can support our lion conservation efforts by making a donation.

Seneca Park Zoo partners with organizations like African Parks to operate Garamba National Park for lion conservation.  Even with a decrease of nearly half of the lions in Africa from 1993 to 2014, countries that increased lion habitat saw an increase of nearly 11%.

Masai giraffe population quietly declined by 50% over a 30-year period. Habitat fragmentation, human-wildlife conflict, and illegal hunting are all problems that giraffes are facing.

You can support giraffe conservation by spreading the word about their declining population. Without the proper attention, funds for conservation and projects to stop the decline are limited.

You can also donate to giraffe conservation at the Zoo or participate in Jungle Jog 5K.

Seneca Park Zoo partners with organizations like the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF), an international conservation organization that provides innovative approaches to saving giraffe in their natural range.

Scientists are tracking spatial movement and giraffes use of habitat through Twiga Trackers – small GPS devices that attach to giraffe ossicones (the horn-like protuberances on the heads of giraffes). These devices are lightweight and solar powered, allowing researchers to closely track giraffes without being intrusive.