Your Support Saves Species!
March 29, 2021
As the Annual Giving Officer, Lexi Ward oversees year-round fundraising through the Annual Appeal, Guardian Society Membership Circles, and Champions of Conservation monthly giving programs.
The Living Desert has been active in the conservation of desert species since its founding in 1970, and we are able to continue fulfilling our mission because of the ongoing contributions of our generous supporters like you. With your partnership, we have created a special place where guests of all ages can enjoy up-close encounters with an array of amazing flora and fauna.
Education about many kinds of animals can help develop understanding and empathy. Learning about what animals eat, where their natural habit is in the world, and what challenges they face in the wild, helps us all understand how we can make a difference to save these precious species for generations to come.
At The Living Desert, we provide unique opportunities for remarkable interactions with animals. Whether it is a leisurely stroll through the gardens with a quick glimpse of a cheetah or bighorn sheep, a ride on the endangered species carousel, watching the Wildlife Wonders Show and learning more about those ambassador animals, seeing a wallaby eye-to-eye, or feeding a giraffe…these memorable experiences can inspire our thoughts and touch our hearts.
In the past year, your contributions have helped us through an extremely challenging year and enabled us to focus on ways to connect our animals with those who couldn’t visit our grounds. We created virtual field trips and other online educational experiences, provided live cams into many animal habitats here at the Zoo, and offered live Facebook feeds and YouTube videos to offer interactions with keepers and biologists and answer your questions.
Your support also allows us to make an impact outside our gates and around the world. Over the past 50 years we have continued to play an active role in the increase of wild populations of endangered species, including desert tortoise, peninsular pronghorn, desert pupfish, Channel Island fox, and Mexican wolf, to name a few. Your gifts make a difference.
Currently, we care for more than 500 animals, representing over 150 species. Your donations help to provide exceptional care year-round, including veterinary exams, habitat improvements, and important enrichment activities. Our Zoo family continues to grow as we welcomed many new animals in the past year, including wallabies, echidna, Speke’s gazelle, reptiles and many baby animals too.
Whether you enjoy a special day at the Zoo with family and friends or your passion is focused on saving endangered species, your gifts provide for both, which are happening every day at The Living Desert. We hope you will continue to join us in our mission to make a difference for these amazing animals.
- The Living Desert is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization which receives no ongoing municipal tax support. We are supported solely by the generosity of individuals like you. Donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent possible.
- Our monthly donation program – Champions of Conservation – helps to provide consistent resources year-round to support animal care. It can be fun to choose a level that helps you see which animal your gift can feed each month!
- There are many ways to support The Living Desert. In addition to general donations and monthly giving, other ways to give include: Guardian Society Membership, Adopt an Animal, Animal Naming, Memorials and Tributes, Planned Giving, DAF and IRA Rollovers and more. To speak with someone about ways to give, please call 760-346-5694 or email Development@LivingDesert.org.
Your gift to the Zoo will enable us to continue providing the highest level of care to our animals, educating the next generation about the world’s deserts, and inspiring our guests to care for the world’s wildlife and wild places.