At Odense ZOO, we are committed to meaningful conservation and research where we are best placed to make a difference.
As a modern zoo, we have an important role to play in protecting nature. We collect, study and share knowledge about the biology of endangered species – both locally and around the world.
At Odense ZOO, we support the IUCN’s One Plan Approach – a collaborative way of planning conservation efforts across species. This means working together to develop management strategies and support conservation initiatives.
This is reflected in our dedicated work with international breeding programmes, our research activities, and BIOTA – Odense ZOO’s own conservation foundation.
Below, you can learn more about the different elements that together make up our contribution to conservation.
Odense ZOO is a member of DAZA and EAZA – the Danish and European associations for zoos and aquariums. Membership requires, among other things, high standards of animal welfare, communication and education, and contributions to research.
As breeding programmes are a practical conservation tool for many endangered species, we actively and constructively take part in a wide range of EAZA’s international breeding programmes (EEP). These include species such as the Siberian tiger, the red panda and Grevy’s zebra – to name just a few.
Every year, Odense ZOO donates funds to conservation projects around the world through BIOTA – the Zoo’s own conservation initiative.
We generally prioritise spreading our donations across a wide range of initiatives, allowing us to support conservation efforts in many places at once.
The projects are therefore diverse, but they all share a common thread: they connect directly to the species and stories we present here at the Zoo.
In recent years, BIOTA has supported, among others:
Seychelles Island Foundation, working to protect the giant tortoises of Aldabra.
Giraffe Conservation Foundation, supported by our youngest visitors when they donate their pacifiers to the giraffes.
Red Panda Network, working to conserve red pandas.
Saola Foundation, dedicated to finding and protecting one of the world’s most endangered mammals – the Asian saola.
Save The Rhino, protecting endangered Sumatran rhinos.
Studying animals in the wild can be extremely challenging. Conditions often make it difficult to carry out effective research, and as populations decline, sightings of individual animals – especially endangered species – become increasingly rare.
Yet successful research is essential. If we are to succeed in breeding and protecting endangered species, both in zoos and in the wild, we need extensive knowledge of their biology, behaviour, social dynamics, reproduction, and more.
Much of this is difficult to study in the wild – but it can be explored in a zoological setting.
The research we conduct at Odense ZOO therefore not only helps us improve the lives and welfare of the animals in our care. It also provides valuable knowledge for the conservation of endangered species in the wild.
This is exactly what the IUCN’s One Plan Approach is about: an integrated approach that combines research carried out in the wild with research in zoos and aquariums.
The result is a more comprehensive strategy for conserving both endangered species and biodiversity as a whole – bridging the gap between managing animals in the wild and those in human care.
If you have any questions about research at Odense ZOO, you are welcome to contact our Head of Research, Kirstin Anderson Hansen.
At Odense ZOO, conservation starts with ourselves. Our goal is to run a zoo where animals thrive in surroundings that are as green and sustainable as possible.
In practice, this means, for example, that you won’t find products containing palm oil at Odense ZOO – not in our shop, our food outlets, or even in the animals’ feed. Palm oil production puts pressure on rainforests and the animals that live in them, as forests are cleared in many places to make way for plantations.
To keep track of our sustainability efforts, we have established a working group with representatives from across the zoo. Together, we continuously develop and implement both large and small initiatives that move our operations in a greener direction. The group works with everything from palm oil and waste sorting to procurement policies, energy consumption, and sourcing animal feed from local producers.
This work was recognised in 2023, when Odense ZOO became the first zoo in Denmark to receive the Green Attraction eco-label.