ZOO MIAMI FOUNDATION CONNECT • CARE • CONSERVE Zoo Inhabitants by the Numbers: 3000+ Animals 500 Species 130 At Risk in the Wild 2 #ZooMiami Contents EDITORS: 2 Zoo By the Numbers Natalie Canelas and Melissa Wetzel, CFRE EDITORIAL COMMITTEE: 4 Our Leadership Cindy Castelblanco, Patricia Fernandez, Ron Magill, Gwen Myers, DVM 6 Highlights Andrea Obregon, Jessica Parks, Ronald K. Stayton, Rashielle Teape 8 Learning Experiences PHOTOGRAPHY: 10 Conservation Ron Magill DESIGN: 12 2019 By the Numbers Suzanne Crossland 14 Individual Donors PRINTING: Ambassador Printing Company 16 Corporate & Foundation Donors 18 Volunteer Roster ON THE COVER: ZOO MIAMI FOUNDATION The Zoo celebrated its first two-toed sloth ever to be born in Zoo Miami history on July 16th, 2019. This new member of the Zoo family is the first baby for Annual Report CONNECT • CARE • CONSERVE three-year-olds, Marge and Montey, who arrived at the Zoo in October 2016. At birth, the newborn sloth weighed just under one pound. Two-toed sloths are not currently endangered, however, much of their habitat is being lost to deforestation and urban encroachment. Marge, Montey and baby are on exhibit at the Zoo, while fellow two-toed sloths, Penelope and Chelsea, live behind the scenes at the Zoo’s Critter Connection and serve as ambassadors for their species. Copyright ©2020 Zoo Miami Foundation. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents of this publication without written permission is prohibited. Zoo Miami Foundation 12400 SW 152nd Street OUR MISSION: Miami, FL 33177 To foster community pride and involvement with Phone: 305.255.5551 Website: www.zoomiami.org Zoo Miami and secure financial support for the Zoo. #ZooMiami 3 President & CEO Message Dear Friends of Zoo Miami, For over 60 years, Zoo Miami Foundation (ZMF) has made incredible strides in supporting Zoo Miami’s mission to conserve wildlife and encourage an appreciation for it within our communities. Each year, as we surpass our own success and create new milestones, we continue to clear a path forward, and our sense of purpose grows stronger. We began fiscal year 2019 with a new mission statement. “Zoo Miami Foundation fosters community pride and involvement with Zoo Miami and secures financial support for the Zoo.” This solidified our commitment to building new, prosperous partnerships within our community that would push our efforts even further, both locally and around the world. ZMF partnered with the Ron Magill Conservation Endowment to fund scholarships for students who are the future of conservation, and global field projects that offer real-world solutions to wildlife issues and threats. We also collaborated with Reclaimed Earth, Inc., to bring Wildlife Guardian gift boxes to children in South Africa, using our plush animals to build connections and awareness of their native animals. Through sponsorships including Carnival Foundation, Mercedes Benz, The José Milton Foundation, The Kirk Foundation and many more, we are able to forge stronger connections with our local community through engaging education programs. We have also been fortunate to have top-notch doctors and veterinarians from around the country provide our animals with world-class health care, and even the historic birth of our baby rhino. And of course – our ongoing partnership with Zoo Miami’s fans and supporters. In the wild, we have what you may call a symbiotic relationship. We are proud to bring valuable, educational and fun experiences to our guests. In turn, our supporters make us stronger – this year, helping us raise a record-breaking $66,840 on Give Miami Day, consistently selling out our education programs, and even helping us name our baby hippo, Aubergine. I extend the deepest gratitude to our organization’s backbone: board volunteers, Zoo members, PERFECT SCORE! teen and adult volunteers, and our dedicated staff. Each relationship makes us that much Zoo Miami Foundation was stronger, and it is because of all of you that we can leave a lasting impact on our community, awarded a perfect score from the animals we protect, and the environment we share. Thank you for your pride. Charity Navigator for another consecutive year of outstanding Thank you for your involvement. performance based on fiscal health, accountability and transparency. ZMF maintains administrative and fundraising expenses below the national average and shares this four-star recognition with less than 1% of national charities. William W. Moore President and CEO About Us Zoo Miami Foundation (ZMF), founded in 1956, is the 501 (c)(3) non-profit support organization for Zoo Miami. While Miami-Dade County operates and maintains the Zoo, ZMF, backed by loyal donors, supports Zoo Miami’s mission-driven initiatives and enhancements to encourage an appreciation for the world’s wildlife and to conserve it for future generations. Thanks to 19,000 member households and community support, ZMF operates robust learning experiences, conservation initiatives, and supplements key capital projects that bolster guest experiences and animal welfare. The wildlife and its habitat cannot speak, “ so we must and we will. - Theodore Roosevelt 4 #ZooMiami Our Leaders EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE EMERITUS DIRECTORS Chair: Jose C. Romano Rodney L. Barreto Chair-Elect: Eric Eikenberg Vincent L. Berkeley Past Chair: James A. Kushlan, PhD Jennifer Boin Getz Treasurer: Kathy McDonald Roger Carlton Secretary: Armando Fernandez Harlan S. Chiron, MD ZMF President & CEO: William W. Moore Ambassador Sue Cobb ZM Director: J. Carol Kruse Linda Coll Ron Esserman BOARD DIRECTORS William J. Gallwey, III, Esq. Alan Atkinson Robert W. Hudson, Esq. Mary Barley Sherrill W. Hudson Jose Francisco Barros, DDS Bernard Klepach Sandy Batchelor David Konfino Jacey Birch Jack Lowell Luis E. Boué, CPA Manny J. Rodriguez, P.E. John Chibbaro Edward Soto Katrina Daniel Rosen Lawrence O. Turner, Jr. Diana Udel Jose Felix Diaz Ana VeigaMilton, Esq. Diane Dickhut Andrew H. Weinstein, Esq. Eric Eikenberg Lawrence Feldman, PhD ADVISORY COUNCIL Armando Fernandez Bob Baal Diana L. Fitzgerald, Esq. Jean-Pierre Bardet Robert Furniss-Roe Harlan S. Chiron, MD Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez Ambassador Sue Cobb Michael Heithaus, PhD Holly Davis Kimberly Kalkus Pedro A. Fernandez J. Carol Kruse Anitere Flores James A. Kushlan, PhD Tina Furniss-Roe George Leser Pamela Garrison Daniel J. Licciardi Gerald Grant Sharon MacIvor, DVM K. Randall Groh, DDS Kathy McDonald Jennifer Jones William W. Moore Jack Kardys Maria I. Nardi James A. Kushlan, PhD (Co-Chair) Dennis Olle Marc A. Osheroff Shaquille O’Neal, EdD Ann Pope Jay Pelham Aliette D. Rodz, Esq. Pedro Ramos Jose C. Romano Manny J. Rodriguez, P.E. Michael N. Rosenberg, DDS Josie Romano Brown Patricia Siles, CPA Diana Udel Eric J. Stephens Ana VeigaMilton, Esq. (Co-Chair) Merrett R. Stierheim Joe Wasilewski Peter “Chip” Vandenberg, Jr. Andrew H. Weinstein, Esq. Christopher Walters Human impact on the planet is causing wildlife extinction at an alarming rate, and is “destroying the very foundation of our economies, livelihood, food source, and the quality of life worldwide. As a father of three young children who will inherit this planet, I am proud to lead an organization dedicated to environmental conservation messaging and that financially supports Zoo Miami’s mission to preserve, exhibit and educate! - Jose C. Romano, Board Chair #ZooMiami 5 EVENTS Hungry for More: Feast with the Beasts raised over $240,000 in one night thanks to 1,000 attendees enjoying 40 restaurants and bars, nonstop entertainment and up-close exotic animal encounters and feedings. Healthy You Healthy Zoo: ZMF and West Kendall Baptist Hospital teamed up for the fifth year in a row to bring a community of 3,500 together for fitness and fun at ZooRun5K and ZooKidsDash. Camel-Lot for All: ZMF Wild Bunch funded a habitat restoration project to improve an unused area of Critter Connection. Unofficially named, “Camel-Lot”, this new space is multi-functional and provides an opportunity for up-close animal encounters to further connect our community with nature. 6 #ZooMiami Connect. Care. Conserve. Through the leadership of the Zoo Miami Foundation A group of 50 attendees listened in to Ron Magill and Board of Directors, we are launching a capital campaign chief veterinarian, Gwen Myers, DVM talk about animal to establish a Conservation Action Center, build a new care and the importance of building a new hospital. animal hospital, and renovate the tiger exhibit to include Since the opening of Zoo Miami in 1981, the number a nose-to-nose feature. of animals under our care has more than tripled, CONSERVATION and the zoo now serves, as needed, as a triage point ACTION CENTER for injured native animals, thanks to collaborative Longtime Board Director, partnerships with local, state, and government wildlife Marc Osheroff, kicked things agencies. Though we have a remarkable veterinary off in a major way with a team and external specialists that graciously offer their $500,000 gift toward the skills and time pro-bono, we have reached a threshold Conservation Action Center. where our animal health facilities and equipment are Marc first joined the Zoo inadequate to meet the demand placed upon them. Miami Foundation family to We are building a $12M new animal hospital, but help rebuild the zoo post-Hurricane Andrew, and he only with community support, and that began with and his wife, Robin, have been staunch contributors a $100,000 grant from the State of Florida. ever since. Thank you, Marc and Robin, for your leadership and unwavering support. TIGER NOSE-TO-NOSE VIEWING The tiger temple was a showstopper when Zoo Miami Slated to open in 2020, the Conservation Action Center, opened on July 4, 1980, and has been a fan-favorite a $1.2M project, is an immersive, interactive exhibit that ever since. So, it is no surprise that it is time to give introduces guests to conservation stories from around this landmark exhibit enhanced features that will give the world, and here in our backyard at Zoo Miami.