Endangered Species Day at Zoo Atlanta

Learn about the simple everyday actions everyone can take to protect endangered species near and far as Zoo Atlanta observes Endangered Species Day on Saturday, May 16, 2026.

Guests will enjoy hands-on activities and stations focused on the many ways our habits at home can help to preserve wildlife and their habitats. Activities will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and are free for Zoo Atlanta Members; free with general admission.

• Make your own seed bombs to populate your garden with native species to benefit pollinators and other wildlife of your own backyard.

• Get hands-on with skulls, feathers, and more at the Biofact Station.

• Stop by the Pledge Table to share your commitment to protecting wildlife and to learn about personal actions you can take.

• Discover ways you can connect to nature and contribute to scientific research at the Community Science Station.

• Visit the Home Is Where the Heart Is Conservation Station at The Ford Willie B. Gorilla Conservation Center to find out how you can help counteract habitat loss (open from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.)

• Stop by animal habitats around the Zoo to see your favorite species engage with special themed surprises.

Species housed at Zoo Atlanta that are currently classified as Critically Endangered include the African pancake tortoise; Bali mynah; black-and-white-ruffed lemur; blue-crowned laughingthrush; blue-throated macaw; Bornean orangutan; Burmese black tortoise; Burmese star tortoise; eastern bog turtle; hooded vulture; Jamaican iguana; Lake Titicaca frog; lemur tree frog; McCord’s box turtle; radiated tortoise; red-footed tortoise; Siamese crocodile; Sumatran orangutan; Sumatran tiger; western lowland gorilla; and yellow-naped Amazon parrot.

Zoo Atlanta species classified as Endangered include the African elephant; alligator lizard; alligator snapping turtle; bicolored poison dart frog; Chinese mountain viper; crowned lemur; drill monkey; Fiji banded iguana; giant otter; golden lion tamarin; Guatemalan beaded lizard; impressed tortoise; keeled box turtle; Komodo dragon; lapped-faced vulture; long-tailed chinchilla; Louisiana pine snake; Merten’s water monitor; red panda; reticulated giraffe; ringtailed lemur; southern three-banded armadillo; and wrinkled hornbill.

One species at Zoo Atlanta, the Panamanian golden frog, is extinct in the wild. Populations now exist only in assurance colonies in zoological settings such as Zoo Atlanta.

Zoo Atlanta is active in conservation programs and partnerships protecting wildlife and their habitats around the world. Signature partners include Conservation South Luangwa, based in Zambia and working to protect African elephants and other species impacted by wildlife trafficking and human-wildlife conflict; the Golden Lion Tamarin Association, based in Brazil and protecting an icon of the Atlantic Coastal Forest; and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, working to protect gorillas and support human communities in Rwanda and DR Congo. Learn more at zooatlanta.org/conservation.

See more on Endangered Species Day here at zooatlanta.org.

MEDIA CONTACT:         

Rachel Davis, Director of Communications
404.624.2812
rdavis@zooatlanta.org

Gavin Johnson, Public Relations Manager  
404.624.5980
gjohnson@zooatlanta.org

About Zoo Atlanta
A proud accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), the gold standard for animal care and welfare, Zoo Atlanta has a mission to save wildlife and their habitats through conservation, research, education, and engaging experiences. The Zoo is home to hundreds of animals representing more than 200 species from around the world, many of them endangered or critically endangered. Highlights include a transformed African Savanna featuring expanded habitats for African elephants, giraffes, zebras, ostrich, warthogs, meerkats, and rhinos; one of North America’s largest populations of great apes; and a global center of excellence for the care and study of reptiles and amphibians. Recent transformations include a newly updated African lion complex, opened in April 2025, and the state-of-the-art Rollins Animal Health Center, completed in 2024. For more information, visit zooatlanta.org.