Our Conservation & Research team works year-round on a variety of projects here at the Zoo and out in the field. They are also actively engaged in community outreach, helping raise awareness of the importance of wildlife and habitat conservation.
Each year, we like to wrap up by celebrating our conservation successes, the efforts of our team, and the hours our volunteers and community members put in to achieve our goals. From our online community scientists to our biodiversity volunteers to our dedicated staff across the Assiniboine Park Conservancy, everyone plays a part in conservation. Over the next year, we hope to shed some light on our amazing Conservation and Research team and the projects that drive and inspire them.
Here are a few highlights from another record-breaking year through the lens of our Conservation Strategy themes:
Understanding the Changing Arctic
- A record high of 10 Harbour Seals were instrumented with satellite transmitters
- Over 36,000 volunteers registered with the Beluga Bits program
- Nearly 500 360-degree videos of Belugas in the Churchill River estuary
- Over 40,000 above-water photos, and dozens of days of underwater video gathered of belugas
Preventing Species Extinctions
- 174 Endangered Poweshiek Skipperling butterflies released to the wild
- 16 pairs of Poweshiek Skipperling butterflies bred at the Zoo
- 677 Poweshiek Skipperling caterpillars in the freezer at the Zoo for winter diapause
- 2 awards given to the Grassland Butterfly Conservation Program
- 57 environmental DNA (eDNA) samples collected from 13 sites across Manitoba
- Pioneered 3 methods to detect Poweshiek Skipperling eDNA
Protecting Urban Biodiversity
- New bird-window collision mitigation on LIPBCC, feat. art by Winnipeg artist Kal Barteski
- 6 Tree Swallow nestlings banded
- 2 Purple Martin nestlings banded
- 5 Chimney Swifts fledged from our artificial chimney
- Over 5,600 iNaturalist observations contributed to the Assiniboine Park project by APC Volunteers
- Over 300 wildlife species documented in Assiniboine Park by APC Volunteers
Cultivating Conservation Connections
- 27 Behind-the-Scenes Laboratory tours through LIPBCC given by staff
- Over 40 presentations and seminars given by CRD staff
- 35 media interviews given by Conservation Research Staff
- 4 student projects supported
As we look ahead to 2026, we are grateful for the support we receive from numerous funding agencies, sponsors, Zoo, Inspire and Inspire Conservation members, and volunteers who help keep this work moving forward.
If you’d like to learn more about our research and how you can support this work and more, please visit our website.
