..A
day at the Columbus Zoo can include amazing encounters with exotic animals,
picnics, train and boat rides, or even a spin on a historic carousel.
But for many Zoo visitors, the day also includes contributing to international
conservation programs that protect wild animals and wild places throughout
the world. That’s exactly what hundreds do each year when they drop
coins and bills in one of six areas around the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
designated as “Coin Walls”. Every penny dropped into the Manatee, African
Forest, Asia Quest, Pachyderm, and Roadhouse Coin Walls goes directly
into the Zoo’s Fund for Conservation to be distributed to field projects.
Over the past five years, Zoo visitors have donated in excess of $115,000
to protect wildlife on five continents. Recent recipients of Coin Wall
funds include researcher Lucy Keith for her study of West African manatees
in Gabon – and John Goodrich with the Siberian Tiger Project in the
Russian Far East.
When the Zoo opens
Polar Frontiers in 2010, another coin box will spring into action -
allowing visitors to donate directly to polar bear research and conservation
in Alaska and Canada. Perhaps encouraging kids to donate at an early
age is planting a philanthropic seed that will grow to encourage lifelong
support for conservation.
Coins
for Conservation: Zoo Visitors Protect Species and Habitats 
