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Conservation Grants: Helping Cincinnati Zoo Employees Make a Global Impact
If you’ve ever visited the Cincinnati Zoo, you know it’s not just about the animals. It’s a place where wildlife conservation and passionate staff work hand in hand to protect the planet’s endangered species. But did you know that the zoo also invests in the conservation efforts of its own employees? That’s right! Thanks to special conservation grants, employees at the Cincinnati Zoo get the opportunity to go above and beyond to make a difference in ecosystems around the world.
These grants are a big deal at the zoo because they empower the staff—zookeepers, researchers, and educators—to contribute to global conservation efforts. The idea is to provide them with funding for projects that align with the zoo’s mission to preserve wildlife and educate and inspire the public about the wildlife and wild places. Whether it’s researching an endangered species, supporting wildlife habitat restoration, or launching a community education program, the zoo’s staff is dedicated to preserving biodiversity and ensuring a brighter future for the planet.
So, how do these grants work? Well, Cincinnati Zoo employees can apply for funding to support a wide range of conservation-related projects. Take a look at the 2025 grant recipients!
Monitoring the First Wild Sihek (Guam Kingfishers) in 36 Years
Cincinnati Zoo Liaison: Kimberly A. Klosterman
In 2024, the Cincinnati Zoo played a major role in helping to release 9 extinct-in-the-wild sihek chicks into the wild. 3 of the 9 sihek chicks sent to a Pacific Ocean preserve were from the Cincinnati Zoo!
The goals of this project are to: (1) Grow the global population of sihek to prevent the current predicted decline to extinction; (2) Learn what sihek need to survive and thrive in the wild, informing management of the Palmyra population as well as the development of future release strategies; (3) Develop and refine the translocation techniques required to ultimately return the species to Guam once the threat from brown tree snakes has been removed.
The funds will support all three goals by facilitating more intensive post-release monitoring of sihek released to Palmyra. Monitoring data will be used to carry out the following objectives: Assess post-release survival, reproductive success, and behavior of sihek at Palmyra Atoll. The goal is to establish a thriving wild population at Palmyra and lay the foundation for successful releases at future sites. They will invest heavily in learning how sihek transition to life in the wild.
Learn more:
Supporting the Sloth Institute’s Transportation Needs to Install More Sloth Speedways
Zoo Liaison: Tami Ware
Sloth speedways are strategically placed single rope bridges to connect sloths to much needed resources. The goal of this project is to expand the areas where they can install sloth speedways and to be able to better maintain and monitor each location.
Learn more:
Women in Conservation of the Critically Endangered Chinese Pangolin in North-East India
Zoo Liaison: Linda Castaneda
The Chinese pangolin is among the most heavily trafficked animals globally, earning it a critically endangered status on the IUCN Red List. Community-based efforts are emerging as powerful tools in protecting pangolins. Women in these communities, often at the forefront of environmental stewardship, are using their influence and knowledge to protect the species, encouraging sustainable practices, and educating others about the importance of biodiversity. The main goal of this project is to assess the distribution of the Chinese pangolins and investigate the threats driving their decline in India’s northeastern forests. It will focus on expanding the knowledge of pangolin conservation, particularity among local women groups and frontline forest staff, to inform and strengthen conservation efforts. This project will also help us to engage and make local women conservation leaders in pangolin conservation.
In Situ Rescue and Rehabilitation of Wild Native Aquatic Birds
Cincinnati Zoo Liaison: Cody Sowers
This grant helps to mitigate human impact on wildlife native to the Pacific Flyway through our Avian Rehabilitation and Research program. At the International Bird Rescue’s two Wildlife Centers in the San Francisco Bay-Delta area (serving Northern California), and in greater Los Angeles (serving Southern California), they rescue and rehabilitate an average of 3,500 aquatic birds annually (~100 different species), and release them back into the wild.
This year, the grant will help with electrical safety improvements for the health and safety of our avian patients and people. It will also provide 10 new nets with telescoping poles. New nets and poles are necessary for our staff and specially-trained volunteers to safely manage rehabilitating patients in multiple outdoor aquatic pools.
Learn more:
Wild Cats of the Pampa Conservation Project
Zoo Liaison: Dawn Strasser
The goal of this project is to achieve research and conservation actions aimed at mitigating conflicts between humans and wild cats in the south of Brazil. The Wild Cats of the Pampa Conservation Project (WCP) will focus on Pampa biome and its transition zone with the Atlantic Forest. WCP aims to reduce conflicts from wild cats hunting farmer’s chickens and other livestock by increasing the network of farmers receiving support, including assistance with livestock management and structural repairs to henhouses and animal pens.
Community Workshops, Guard Training, Rural Condor Researchers
Cincinnati Zoo Liaison: Daniel Canfield
The primary goal of this initiative is to carry out educational, community participation, and communication activities to promote the protection and management of the Andean Condor in the northeastern Andes of Colombia. The proposal focuses on engaging and training individuals with direct contact with the territories where the species is found. The aim is to empower them as advocates for biodiversity protection and ecosystem conservation. Additionally, the initiative seeks to provide them with the necessary tools to contribute to future projects and research in their regions actively. Thus, the initiative is focused on raising awareness about the importance of Andean Condor preservation and empowering local communities by equipping them with the skills needed to participate in biodiversity-related projects and research in their environments meaningfully.
Learn more:
Collaborative Japanese Giant Salamander Conservation and Habitat Restoration
Cincinnati Zoo Liaison: Karissa Bilbo
Proposal to develop an integrated technique to deploy temporary Japanese Giant Salamander migration pathways to critical riparian barriers and quantify the impact using deep learning on camera trap images. This project will serve as a proof of concept for community driven conservation of Japanese Giant Salamander that can be adopted by other municipalities. Furthermore, the project will result in a novel deep learning-based pipeline to identify individual salamanders, the structure of which could be useful for other conservation and monitoring projects.
Learn more:
Enhancing Educational Engagement: Yellow-headed Temple Turtle Habitat for Conservation Awareness and Species Protection
Cincinnati Zoo Liaison: Kimberly A. Klosterman
Lao Conservation Trust for Wildlife has a group of yellow-headed temple turtles, all adult breeding age. Lao PDR does not have a national zoo or include environmental education in the classroom. Therefore, our efforts in helping to educate the Lao people on the importance of wildlife, and in this specific case the yellow-headed temple turtle, and their habitats is crucial in augmenting our already successful breeding program of this species.
Last year, LCTw was fortunate to receive funding from the Zoo’s Conservation Fund to help build a habitat for our critically endangered yellow-headed temple turtles.
The main objectives of this project are as follows:
- Contract local artist to paint realistic, immersive murals on the habitat’s walls, showcasing the native wildlife and natural landscapes that mimic the turtles wild habitat
- Contract local artist to build a sculpture out of trash that looks like a turtle to show the impact of pollution on wetlands
- Build a shade structure with as many natural materials as possible to provide an area for guests to view the turtles and enjoy the interpretive materials
- Design digital and printable interpretive materials
- Purchase monitors to display digital and interactive signage
Learn more:
The coolest thing about these grants is how personal they are. Each project that gets funded is usually connected to something that really speaks to the heart of the staff member. For these zoo employees, it’s not just a job; it’s a chance to make a real impact on the world.
So next time you visit the Cincinnati Zoo and see those passionate staff members caring for the animals, just remember: they are out there on the frontlines of global conservation, all thanks to a little help from the zoo’s conservation grant program!
In a world where nature often feels like it’s under threat, it’s good to know that some of the brightest minds in conservation are already on the case. And the Cincinnati Zoo’s commitment to supporting their employees in this mission is a great example of how every action—no matter how big or small—can make a world of difference.
