Conservation and Community Engangement Intern Alicia Moreau guest-blogs about Chimpanzee Action Awareness Week on Zoohoo!
As we wrap-up our “Swing Break” Saving Chimps Week, we can’t believe what an extraordinary, record-setting time it was. Our community’s passion for wildlife conservation is truly amazing. We had an awesome week with beautiful weather and a Zoo full of people, hitting a spring break record of 103,000 guests visiting us in nine days!
Volunteers and interns started the month with ambitious plans for chimp conservation. Our goal was to raise $14,000 for the Jane Goodall Institute, collect 3,000 personal pledges for conservation action, and receive 300 recycled mobile phones. We set up booths in the Zoo and at various off-site events to help reach these goals.
A little boy gets up close and personal with chimp Missy.
After spreading awareness about the importance of recycling cell phones and paper products, 223 phones were donated—just shy of our initial target. However, we surpassed our pledge goal by getting 3,980 total personal pledges for pro-environmental behavior that will benefit chimps and other forest-dwelling animals.
Finally, after selling custom-made chimp conservation T-shirts, wristbands, art pieces, and various other items, it gives me great pleasure to announce that we hit our financial goal of $14,000 to care for two orphaned chimps rescued from the bushmeat and illegal wildlife trade! This money ensures that the two chimps will be well-taken care of for at least one year in a Jane Goodall Institute sanctuary in South Africa.
We could not have done it without everyone’s continued support. Thank you to all of our guests, staff, and off-site friends (Deep Ellum Brewing Company, Kendra Scott West Village, Summit Dallas, Starbucks Cedar Hill, and Lilly Pulitzer)! Our collective commitment to conservation shows how much we can accomplish when we all work together for the greater good of our beloved animals.
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