Conservation at Bergen County Zoo
Zoo Conservation Outreach Group (ZCOG) - ZCOG is an organization made up of numerous zoos throughout the United States who have pooled their resources to support wildlife conservation in Central and South America. The Bergen County Zoo is an institutional member of ZCOG. (link to www.zcog.org)
Brazilian Ocelot Consortium - this organization was formed to create a sustainable captive population of Brazilian ocelots in the United States. The Bergen County Zoo is one of 10 founding members of this organization and, as such, will receive a pair of Brazilian-born ocelots that will serve as part of the founding population for this species in North American zoos.
Field Conservation Grant Program - each year, the Friends of the Bergen County Zoo awards grants to help support field conservation projects throughout North and South America. (link to downloadable grant application) Below is a list of conservation projects that the Bergen County Zoo has participated in or supported since the inception of the grant program.
Release of a Bergen County Zoo-hatched Andean Condor Chick in Colombia
Population Study of Threatened Wood Turtles in New Jersey
Construction of Breeding Ponds for Endangered Puerto Rican Crested Toads
Nutritional Assessment of Anegada Island Iguanas
Health Assessment of Wild Giant Anteaters in Brazil
Development of the Brazilian Ocelot Consortium
Nutrition, Toxicology & Genetics of Wild Giant Anteaters in Paraguay
Release Program for Andean Condors Along the Atlantic Coast of Argentina
Conservation Initiative for the Golden-cheeked Warbler in Honduras
Field participation by Bergen County Zoo staff in Thailand Clouded Leopard
Conservation Program
Borderlands Jaguar Detection Project on US/Mexican Border
Restoration of Wintering Bat Habitat in Morris County, NJ
Creating a Condor Conservation Corridor in Argentina
Distribution/Demographics of Diamondback Terrapins in Galveston Bay, TX
SSP/TAG Programs - SSP and TAG programs are administered through our accrediting organization, the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (link to aza.org). TAGs, or Taxon Advisory Groups, explore the conservation needs of whole groups of animals such as amphibians, exotic cats, penguins, etc., while SSPs, or Species Survival Plans, are programs that focus on a specific species such as the golden lion tamarin or Baird's tapir. Each of these programs is designed to maximize the resources of all zoos for the common good of the particular focus animals. In other words, all participating zoos elect to put the needs of the species ahead of their own institutions. The Bergen County Zoo participates in numerous SSP and TAG programs which are listed below.
Species Survival Plan Programs
Baird's Tapir, Black-handed Spider Monkey, Goeldi's Monkey, Golden Lion
Tamarin, Cotton-top Tamarin, Ocelot, Andean Condor, Toucan, Puerto Rican
Crested Toad.
Taxon Advisory Groups
Tapir, New World Primates, Amphibians, Bison, Buffalo & Cattle, Chelonian
(turtles), Ciconiiformes (herons, egrets, etc.), Felid (cats), Pangolin,
Aardvark & Xenarthra (sloths), Raptor (birds of prey), Ratite (ostrich,
rhea), Rodent, Insectivore & Lagomorph, Small Carnivore.