Caring for Wildlife
In 2023, Northwest Trek Wildlife Park and Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium took action to protect wildlife in Washington and around the world.
We helped protect wild bats from a deadly fungal disease and supported fisher recovery efforts in the Cascades.
Our animal care experts raised and released nearly 300 endangered northern leopard frogs and conducted scientific surveys of underwater kelp forests and rockfish in Puget Sound.
We partnered to reduce tiger poaching and habitat loss, train forest rangers to protect elephants in Indonesia, and keep polar bears and people safe in Arctic communities.
We celebrated the births of 12 critically endangered American red wolf pups and introduced two wolves into the wild.
Connecting Our Community
In 2023, we took action to connect our community to nature, deepening our partnerships and reducing barriers to access.
We engaged over 630 elementary school students in South and East Tacoma in science and nature exploration and provided hands-on learning opportunities for 620 high school students at Tacoma’s Science and Math Institute.
Over 1,000 students from low-income schools enjoyed a complimentary field trip to the zoo, and 146 low-income and foster children received full scholarships to participate in our summer and winter camps.
Our naturalists connected over 1,160 people to marine animals through our low-tide beach walks and inspired nearly 800 people to observe and record nature in our community.
More than 27,200 individuals and 4,200 families participating in income assistance and foster/kinship care programs experienced our two zoos and met animals up close this year.
Caring for wildlife and connecting our community to nature are at the heart of everything we do. We couldn’t do this vital work without you!