Partners in Conservation
Learn about the Zoo’s financial commitment to holistic conservation efforts in Central Africa.
The Birth of an Elephant Calf, Right Here at the Columbus Zoo
In July, I stood alongside our elephant team as a tiny female calf entered the world and immediately wrapped our entire community around her little trunk. And, just when we thought our hearts could not hold any more joy, a second calf, a male, arrived in October. Two healthy, thriving calves in one year. That has never happened before in the nearly one hundred years of Columbus Zoo history.
I wish you could have seen those first wobbly steps. The way the herd gathered close. The way our care team exhaled with a mix of exhaustion and pride after months of preparation. Those early moments hold more meaning than most people realize. With fewer than 50,000 Asian elephants left in their native range, each calf is a lifeline for an entire species.
And you help make it possible.
A Team, Guided by Heart.
Our team has lived every breath of these pregnancies and births. They monitored expectant mothers through quiet overnight hours. They crouched beside newborns in the soft light of the habitat. They offer encouragement when the calves try something new. They give everything, because the herd deserves nothing less.
Your kindness supports that level of dedication. You help us give the elephants every chance at a strong start.
you give Them a Chance to Thrive
There is a reality we face every day: Elephant calves are at risk from a deadly virus called elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV). It strikes young elephants without warning and claims lives in both the wild and in professional care.
Because of supporters like you, the Columbus Zoo is home to a leading EEHV diagnostic lab, and our Conservation Medicine team is pushing research forward so that these calves, and calves everywhere, have a better chance.
Your support reaches far beyond Ohio…It reaches into the native range of Asian elephants. In partnership with the Wildlife Trust of India and the IUCN Species Survival Commission, the Columbus Zoo helped launch the Center for Species Survival for Asian Elephant. It is the first center in the world devoted to a single species, and it stands exactly where these elephants need help the most.
Your Gift Will Be Matched!
Your Gift Touches EVERY Life at the Columbus Zoo. Every time you support the Zoo Fund, you are standing beside us in every habitat, every quiet overnight check, and every conservation decision. You make specialized diets possible. You place lifesaving tools in the hands of our veterinarians. You support research that improves survival for endangered species around the world.
And this season, your generosity can stretch even farther: The Schumacher Foundation will match every Wild Wishes gift received by December 31.
- That means one act of kindness becomes two.
- One gift becomes double the impact.
- One moment from you creates a ripple that touches animals across the Zoo and beyond.
Hope Begins Here, With Two Tiny Trunks.
My wish for the coming year is simple: I want these two calves to grow up in a world where elephants thrive. I want habitats that stay healthy. I want every guest who visits this Zoo to feel the same spark of connection that inspires conservation action.
And I want us to reach that future together.
Thank You.
Thank you for being the reason two calves entered a world where hope still has room to grow.
Your generosity makes a difference for elephants, for every species in our care, and for the millions of people who find inspiration when they step through our gates.
With gratitude,
Adam Felts
Vice President of Animal Care and Director of Animal Wellbeing at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
