WAYS TO GIVE
Close Encounters
Zoo volunteer Daniel Adams describes the Oklahoma City Zoo’s conservation efforts, its world-class accreditation, and the many ways visitors can support the institution and animal welfare.
EVERYWHERE OKLAHOMA CITY Zoo volunteer Daniel Adams looks, he’s in awe. Big cats napping lazily on a warm rock. Giraffes nosing around to munch on twigs. A new zebra foal trotting and exploring her grassland habitat.
“The conservation efforts of the zoo are pretty incredible,” says Adams, the president of the Oklahoma Zoological Society, the fundraising organization for the zoo, and the chief operating officer of Kirkpatrick Bank. “Not only are the accredited zoos making a massive difference in keeping species from going extinct, they’re also putting so much work into efforts abroad—going to the native habitats for some of these animals and helping preserve those environments. That’s pretty rewarding, playing a small part in making those environments as sustainable as can be.”
Within the past year, the Oklahoma City Zoo once again secured world-class status with full Association of Zoos and Aquariums accreditation. It’s one of about 250 AZA-accredited facilities in the U.S. and twelve additional countries, and it also claims three out of about 300 board-certified zoological veterinary medicine specialists in the world. To top it all off, the zoo announced a 2024–2034 master plan, described by executive director and CEO Dr. Dwight Lawson as “perhaps the most ambitious in the zoo’s 122-year history.”
Adams has served on the zoological society’s board since 2018, giving him a front-row seat as the zoo launched Expedition Africa in 2024. The twelve-acre expansion—the zoo’s largest ever—includes new habitats, building renovations, and space for more than sixty species native to the African continent.
When the board wrapped up its most recent retreat in the pachyderm building, the volunteers walked into the zoo and saw children in every direction enjoying the new exhibit. “You can walk right up and feed giraffes,” Adams says. ““How can you not have compassion for animals when you see them up close?”
“Our zoo has the support to deliver high-quality exhibits and experiences, and it also allows us to keep our admissions costs down,” he says, referring to local taxes and donations. “I think we’re extremely fortunate to have the zoo we have for a city our size and to have it be so affordable for people.” – APRIL MARCISZEWSKI
There are many ways to volunteer at the Oklahoma City Zoo. okczoo.org/volunteer