Overview

Mission: Leadership in studying and creating self-sustaining populations ex situ and in situ of the world's most endangered animal species. The Conservation Centers for Species Survival (C2S2) is a group of conservation centers that collectively manage more than 25,000 acres of land devoted to the survival of threatened species with special needs (including those requiring large land areas, natural group sizes and minimal public disturbance). By combining their scientific and management expertise, these centers excel in studying and creating self-sustaining populations of some of the world’s most endangered animals. Currently the six full participating facilities are the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, San Diego Zoo Global, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, the Wilds and White Oak Conservation Center. Collectively, C2S2 has large, naturalistic areas that support significant-sized groups of animals that, in turn, allow for enhanced research in husbandry, reproductive biology, endocrinology, nutrition, genetics, behavior, health and ecology. By focusing on species that can most benefit from its space and facilities, populations can be managed on a large scale. Our goal is creating information, animals and populations that directly benefit that species in nature.