The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium has conservation projects going on locally and around the world.
The Lima Rotary Club learned about some of them from Michael Kreger, the vice president of conservation and sustainability for the zoo. Kreger says the zoo is making a difference in the world and they welcome everyone to join them. Some of the projects they are working on locally include helping injured or orphaned manatees get strong enough to be released back into the ocean. Plus the Columbus Zoo is helping bring back the population of the eastern hellbender, which is one of the largest salamanders in the world and is found in Ohio. But you do not have to be a zoo keeper to help, Kreger says everyone can do their part to help with conservation efforts.
"Well you know, a lot of times we hear from our partners in the field that if people really want to save wildlife, besides providing funds to the organizations which is great, but there's lots of things we can do at home and whether it's recycling or building habitat for pollinators or setting up bird feeders, there's a lot of things we can do, we can use a lot less energy for an example," explained Dr. Michael Kreger, VP of conservation and sustainability at the Columbus Zoo.
The Columbus Zoo supports 77 conservation and sustainability projects worldwide, and Kreger says one way to support them is just to go to the zoo and check out what they are doing.
