{"id":8771,"date":"2025-01-02T15:46:46","date_gmt":"2025-01-02T23:46:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.livingdesert.org\/?post_type=tld_desert_digest&#038;p=8771"},"modified":"2025-07-17T00:52:59","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T07:52:59","slug":"conservation-highlights-from-2024","status":"publish","type":"tld_desert_digest","link":"https:\/\/www.livingdesert.org\/zoo-news\/conservation-news\/conservation-highlights-from-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Twenty-Four and Many More:            Conservation Highlights from 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p>2024 has been a year of milestones and new beginnings for all of us here at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens. Thanks to your support, we&#8217;ve made a meaningful impact on our local community and desert habitats worldwide. Let&#8217;s take a moment to reflect and celebrate all we&#8217;ve achieved together!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Saving Desert Tortoises<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>This year, our desert tortoise &#8220;headstarting&#8221; program continued with the fourth cohort. This unique program provides wild hatchlings a safe space to grow bigger and stronger, significantly improving their chances of survival when released back into the wild the following year. With less than 1% of tortoise hatchlings currently reaching maturity in the wild, this head start plays a crucial role in restoring the dwindling populations of this iconic species.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\" style=\"height: 53px;\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Sheltering Mountain Neighbors<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis: 100%;\">\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns: auto 59%;\">\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\r\n<p>When wildfires threatened our mountain neighbors this summer, we were honored to welcome more than 50 animals and several staff members from the Big Bear Alpine Zoo. Providing emergency care and safe harbor in times of crisis is part of our commitment to wildlife near and far.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" class=\"wp-image-8808 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.livingdesert.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Big-Bear-Zoo-Fox-Wildlife-Hospital-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.livingdesert.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Big-Bear-Zoo-Fox-Wildlife-Hospital-1.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.livingdesert.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Big-Bear-Zoo-Fox-Wildlife-Hospital-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.livingdesert.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Big-Bear-Zoo-Fox-Wildlife-Hospital-1-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\" style=\"height: 53px;\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Caring for Endangered Chicks<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>After losing 98% of its population between 1900 and 2002, the Waldrapp ibis is making an inspiring comeback \u2014 and we&#8217;re proud to be part of their story. This year, we welcomed our 19th and 20th chicks born at the Zoo, contributing to a growing population of over 1,000 individuals under human care.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"818\" class=\"wp-image-8774\" src=\"https:\/\/www.livingdesert.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/TheLivingDesert_WaldrappIbis_3WeeksOld-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.livingdesert.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/TheLivingDesert_WaldrappIbis_3WeeksOld-2.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.livingdesert.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/TheLivingDesert_WaldrappIbis_3WeeksOld-2-300x245.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.livingdesert.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/TheLivingDesert_WaldrappIbis_3WeeksOld-2-768x628.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\" style=\"height: 53px;\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Providing a Fur-Ever Home<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns: 49% auto;\">\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"946\" height=\"1024\" class=\"wp-image-8846 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.livingdesert.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Sylvie-Channel-Island-Fox-946x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.livingdesert.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Sylvie-Channel-Island-Fox-946x1024.jpg 946w, https:\/\/www.livingdesert.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Sylvie-Channel-Island-Fox-277x300.jpg 277w, https:\/\/www.livingdesert.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Sylvie-Channel-Island-Fox-768x832.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.livingdesert.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Sylvie-Channel-Island-Fox.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 946px) 100vw, 946px\" \/><\/figure>\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\r\n<p>Sylvie, a young Channel Island fox, came to us after recovering from a severe leg injury that left her unable to return to the wild. Now fully healed, she&#8217;s thriving in her forever home with her new companion, Beau, inspiring countless new desert defenders as an ambassador for her species.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\" style=\"height: 53px;\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" class=\"wp-image-8777\" src=\"https:\/\/www.livingdesert.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/IkhNartBighornsheepCalledArgaliSheep-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.livingdesert.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/IkhNartBighornsheepCalledArgaliSheep-1.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.livingdesert.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/IkhNartBighornsheepCalledArgaliSheep-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.livingdesert.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/IkhNartBighornsheepCalledArgaliSheep-1-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Preserving 247 Desert Steppe Species<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Last year, we launched a binational partnership with the Mongolian Conservation Initiative (MCI). Together, we&#8217;re working to protect hundreds of critical desert species in the Ikh Nart Nature Reserve and strengthen the livelihoods of the area&#8217;s nomadic herders. This summer, eight of our team members traveled around the world to work alongside MCI&#8217;s local teams and exchange expertise. Then, in the fall, we welcomed several MCI team members here in Southern California.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\" style=\"height: 53px;\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0<\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>2024 has been a year of milestones and new beginnings for all of us here at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens. Thanks to your support, we&#8217;ve made a meaningful&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":8849,"parent":0,"template":"","tld_desert_category":[11],"zoo_news_tags":[61],"class_list":["post-8771","tld_desert_digest","type-tld_desert_digest","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tld_desert_category-conservation-news","zoo_news_tags-zoo-news-tag"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>&#039;Twenty-Four and Many More:      Conservation Highlights from 2024 - The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.livingdesert.org\/zoo-news\/conservation-news\/conservation-highlights-from-2024\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"&#039;Twenty-Four and Many More:      Conservation Highlights from 2024 - The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"2024 has been a year of milestones and new beginnings for all of us here at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens. 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