As the world’s largest land animals, elephants inspire awe among us all. These gentle giants are global icons—they appear in children’s books and pop culture, and have great cultural significance to so many people around the world. They are vital to their delicately balanced savanna ecosystems and have an enormous impact on our planet—and they need our help!

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is actively involved in elephant conservation efforts worldwide. Our team of conservation experts are racing against the clock to secure the critical knowledge to protect this endangered species—and the key to saving them may just be hidden in their genes.

Our allies and partners around the world, including those within the Illumina iConserve genomics program, are coming together to fill gaps in knowledge and create the ultimate conservation tool: an African elephant genomic atlas.

Together, we’re sequencing elephant genomes to help map their geographic locations and correlating genomic features, so we can track how genetically variable savanna and forest elephants are across the African continent. With this knowledge, we’ll be able to make informed conservation decisions to secure a sustainable, genetically diverse future for the world’s elephants.

Creating this groundbreaking genomic atlas takes a global community, leveraging the expertise and resources of partners worldwide. It’s an alliance that we are so honored and proud to be part of, and one that is changing the future of elephant conservation because of your support.

Meet the incredible, forward-thinking teams making it possible—and discover how innovative science, determination, and over a century of elephant care and conservation expertise at the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park are securing the future for endangered elephants.

When trying to spot—or stripe—the difference between Kenya’s two zebra species, look to the belly. Plains zebras’ stripes extend all the way around their bodies, while Grevy’s zebras’ stripes stop short of their white stomachs. But the differences don’t end there. Discover more about these fascinating species, and the vital conservation efforts you make possible for endangered Grevy’s zebras, through our podcast, Amazing Wildlife.

A small laboratory vial can be the key to saving an entire species. In our Wildlife Biodiversity Bank, which includes the Frozen Zoo®, over 10,000 vials contain carefully cryopreserved biological samples from more than 1,200 species, many of which are endangered—and even extinct. Holding millions of living cells, each sample opens the door for cutting-edge conservation efforts such as assisted reproduction and cloning to secure the future for endangered species. Bundle up, and explore how our frozen conservation is securing the future for endangered wildlife.

Conservation begins with people. In San Diego and across the globe, communities and vulnerable wildlife share ecosystems and resources—and these people are crucial to building sustainable conservation strategies. Check out how you’re empowering local conservation and supporting community efforts to save wildlife in eight key regions worldwide.