The Toronto Zoo Wildlife Conservancy was established in 2019 to secure increased financial resources and support for the wildlife conservation work being done by the Toronto Zoo. Extinction is forever, and the Zoo’s work in fighting extinction –through research, public engagement and education, breeding and reintroduction programs – is vital to wildlife, to us, and to our world.

The global rate of extinction of animal and plant life is now estimated at nearly 1,000 times the natural rate. It is critical that zoos, aquariums, and conservation organizations work together to educate the public and take actions to stabilize, then reverse, this alarming trend. The extent to which humans are affecting wildlife has never been greater; according to the 2019 United Nations report, more than one million species are threatened with extinction due to human impact. For example, two-thirds of North America’s bird species risk extinction due to climate change, including approximately 50 species native to Canada. A 2017 study by the World Wildlife Fund Canada reported that about one-half of our country’s vertebrate species have declined since 1970, at an average rate of 83% decline.

Together, with your help, we can save wildlife and wild spaces for the future generations.