Zoological Society of Milwaukee
Annual Report 2012-2013
CEO’s Letter
The mission of the Zoological Society of Milwaukee is to participate in
conserving endangered species, to educate people about the importance of
wildlife and the environment, and to support the Milwaukee County Zoo.
2012-2013 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Gina Alberts Peter
Directors
Thom Brown
Michael G. Carter
Nate Cunniff
Dr. Robert Davis
Tami Scully Garrison
Michael M. Grebe, Jr.
John Grunau
Karen Hung
Katherine Hust
Karen Peck Katz
Maria Gonzalez Knavel
Joe Kresl
Caroline Krider
James Kuehn
Thomas (T.J.) Marini
Allen Martin
Quinn Martin
Jack McKeithan
Jay McKenna
Kat Morrow
Jill Grootemat Pelisek
Joan Prince, Ph.D.
Scott Redlinger
Harold Redman
Lacey Sadoff
Barry Sattell
Kim Schaffer
Rick Schmidt
Ryan Schultz
Thelma Sias
Billie Jean Smith
Roger Smith
Jon Sohn
Judy Holz Stathas
David Strelitz
Rich Tennessen*
Brookellen Teuber**
Tyler Vassar
Gregory Wesley
Jane Wierzba
Ray Wilson
* Chair of the Board
** Associate Board President
Honorary Directors
William J. Abraham, Jr.
John B. Burns
William M. Chester, Jr.
Stephen M. Dearholt
Tom Dempsey
Richard A. Gallun
Edward A. Grede
John A. Hazelwood
Robert A. Kahlor
Ann McNeer
Sandi Moomey
William G. Moomey
Jeff Neuenschwander
Bernard J. Peck
Kurt W. Remus, Jr.
Jay Robertson
John W. Taylor
Allen W. Williams, Jr.
Paul Wong
Bernard C. Ziegler III
2012-2013 ASSOCIATE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Kent Oren
Directors
Peter Kordus
Joe Kresl
Quinn Martin
Kat Morrow
Katie Pionkoski
Richard J. Podell
Bunny Raasch-Hooten
Arlene Remsik
Barry Sattell
Dan Schwabe
Randy Scoville
Judy Holz Stathas
Jeff Steren
David Strelitz
James Szymanski
Kathleen Toohey
Jane Wierzba
Ray Wilson
Meghan Shannon
Michael Sheppard
Tricia Shinners
Brookellen Teuber*
Eido Walny
Mark Zimmerman
Honorary Directors
Bob Anger
David Batten
Lori Bechthold
Nora Dreske
John Fleckenstein
Mike Fox
Linda Grunau
Eli Guzniczak
Lee Walther Kordus
* President
Dr. Robert Davis, Chief Executive Officer
2012-2013 FOUNDATION FOR WILDLIFE CONSERVATION, INC.**
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Gerald Gerndt, Chair
Judy Derse, Past Chair
Michael Guzniczak, Vice Chair
John Heindel, Secretary/Treasurer
Gil Boese, Ph.D., President
Robert M. Davis, DVM
**FWC has partnered
with the Zoological
Society to carry out
and advance some
of its major conservation, education, and
research programs.
Michael Grebe
Scott Haag
Leander R. Jennings
Karen Peck Katz
Maria Gonzalez-Knavel
Charles A. Krause
2012-2013 ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY MANAGEMENT STAFF
President/CEO
Dr. Robert M. Davis
Communications,
Marketing & Membership
Robin Higgins,
Vice President
Development
Karen Von Rueden,
Vice President
Finance/Administration
John Heindel, Vice President
Education
James Mills, Director
Technology/
Membership Services
Dominic Schanen, Director
Creative
Marcia T. Sinner, Director
CONTENTS
Anthony Baish
Michael Bark
Brian Boecker
Bill Bussler
Matthew D’Attilio
Cherie Eckmann
Darryll Fortune
Joseph Frohna
Gigi Gamboa
Nezih Hasanoglu
Tony Hopkins
Paul Hultgren
George Justice
Karen Loth
Pat McQuillan
Kristin Occhetti
Jim Olson
To help support the Milwaukee
County Zoo, the Zoological Society of
Milwaukee (ZSM) holds fundraising
events nearly every month of the year.
Our two biggest fundraisers are Zoo
Ball in June and the Birdies & Eagles
Golf Tournament in July. For each
ZSM event we acquire sponsors,
whose support adds to the bottom
line of the event. Our “presenting
sponsors” often provide leadership
in making the fundraiser successful.
Venue sponsors help support individual aspects of an event.
Nancy Hill-Davis and Dr. Robert Davis
In 2013 we celebrated our 30th
with Gov. Scott Walker and Tonette Walker
anniversary Zoo Ball, sponsored by
U.S. Bank, Wells Fargo and Wisconsin
Energy Foundation. My wife, Nancy,
and I were pleased to welcome Gov.
Scott Walker and his wife, Tonette
(photo above) to the evening gala.
Three women executives at Wisconsin
Rich Tennessen,
companies chaired the fundraiser:
ZSM Board
chairman, takes
Gina Peter, Thelma Sias, and Caroline
on challengers
Krider (photo on page 16). Peter is
at our golf
commercial banking director for
fundraiser.
Wells Fargo. Sias is vice president of
local affairs for We Energies. Krider is a senior vice president at U.S. Bank in Milwaukee. These
leaders are also on the ZSM Board of Directors. The Zoo World-themed evening, held June 22
at the Milwaukee County Zoo, featured a gourmet meal served in dining rooms supported by
U.S. Bank, and live entertainment, sponsored by Johnson Controls. A late-night venue where
the almost 830 guests could enjoy dessert, cocktails and dancing was sponsored by We Energies.
The whole event raised $661,529.
Our July 29 Birdies & Eagles Golf Tournament welcomed a new sponsor in 2013: Fiduciary
Management, Inc. The tournament, held at the Ozaukee Country Club, drew 141 golfers and
raised $101,511. The event is always lots of fun. In the photo above, Rich Tennessen, ZSM
Board chairman, bests a foursome at the “Beat the Chair of the Board” hole. Standing behind
Tennessen are (from left) Pat Jermain, Terry Braatz, Gary Stoltman, and ZSM Board member
Caroline Krider.
You’ll find more about our sponsors on page 11. Other contributors, donors and grantors
are listed throughout this annual report. We want to say thank you to them all.
2012-2013 Annual Report introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Conservation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7
Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9
Zoo Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11
Simba Circle/Endowments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Annual Appeal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Sponsor an Animal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Platypus Circle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-15
Serengeti Circle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-17
Financial Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Our Natural-looking Zoo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
The 2012-2013 Zoological Society of Milwaukee’s (ZSM’s) annual report is published online
as of May 30, 2014. It is available in a PDF file for download at zoosociety.org/annualreport.
The ZSM has headquarters at 10005 W. Bluemound Rd., Milwaukee, Wis. 53226-4383.
Call (414) 258-2333 for information.
On the cover
One of the Milwaukee County Zoo’s jaguar cubs nibbles on his mom’s ear.
2 Zoological Society of Milwaukee Annual Report 2012-2013
Editor
Paula Brookmire
Graphic Designer
Roberta Weldon
Photographer
Richard Brodzeller
(unless otherwise noted)
Zoological Society of Milwaukee Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2012-2013
Zooming in on Animals
Stella the jaguar strolls atop the
hill in her exhibit, her two cubs
nearby. Suddenly one cub goes
for her tail and nips at it. Then
the other jumps on her back.
The first one tries that, too. In
a clever maneuver, Stella rolls
onto her back, shaking off
the cubs. Then she continues
rolling over till she clears the
cubs. She’s free. They’re still
having fun because they can
jump on each other. It’s endearing scenes like this that the
Zoological Society of Milwaukee
(ZSM) brings to a wide audience
through webcams, photos,
social media and publications.
Our focus is always on animals.
In our fiscal 2012-2013 year, we
offered you more ways to zoom
in on your favorite Milwaukee
County Zoo animals or babies,
such as the jaguar cubs, born
Nov. 13, 2012. We installed a
camera in the jaguar den so
people could watch the cubs
frolic before they even went
on exhibit. Then we added a
camera in their indoor exhibit.
The ZSM 2013 Annual Appeal
raised money for a camera in
the jaguars’ outdoor exhibit as
well as webcams focusing on
polar bears, elephants and brown
bears. In fact, since we started
a few years ago raising money
for these “animal cams,” we have placed cameras that focus on orangutans,
the fish of Lake Wisconsin, lions, tigers and all three species of penguins on
exhibit at the Zoo: gentoos, rockhoppers and Humboldts. When bears go
into their winter “sleep,” their camera is redirected to a more active animal,
such as the mountain-climbing Dall sheep.
As viewers get to know animals better, we find that they care more about
wildlife, conservation and the Milwaukee County Zoo. They also want to
learn more about wild animals. All of this fits our mission of conserving
wildlife, educating people and supporting the Zoo. Here are other ways
that we put the Zoo’s animals into focus during the 2012-2013 fiscal
year ending Sept. 30, 2013:
Above: Stella the jaguar is tuckered out from playing with her cubs.
Left: You can view the Zoo’s gentoo penguins on webcam. Richard Brodzeller photos
• Calendar: At the very start of the fiscal year, the Zoological Society
published its first Alive magazine calendar of animal photos from our
longtime photographer, Richard Brodzeller. This hang-on-the-wall
calendar filled with Zoo and ZSM events allowed members to keep
animals in mind all year long. This issue was so popular that by the
end of the fiscal year, we had just finished preparing a second calendar.
• Facebook and Twitter: Starting in April 2013, we increased the number
of animal photos on our social media outlets and increased the number of
new Facebook entries from a few a month to nearly every weekday of
the year. It’s a great place to learn about animal news in short bursts.
• Website: The ZSM website is brimming with animal photos and stories.
Look on our home page under hot topics, or search on What’s Gnu, or
check out the publication archive (under Membership). Launched in fall
2013 was a dedicated website for the ZSM’s Bonobo & Congo Biodiversity
Initiative (BCBI) conservation project in the Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC). Based at the Zoological Society’s Etate Research Station in the DRC,
BCBI is a multi-faceted conservation program focusing on the study and
protection of wild bonobos (see conservation section).
• Education: The ZSM Conservation Education Department focuses on
why animals are important, what we can learn from them, and how they
fit into environments that we all share. Included in this department is a
live theater program that brings child-friendly plays with a conservation
message to a larger audience (see education section).
• Publications: Our Alive magazine and Wild Things newsletter brought
ZSM members stories about new animals arriving at the Zoo, from Ziggy
the giraffe to Genghis the snow leopard. Then there were the babies:
Zoological Society of Milwaukee Annual Report 2012-2013 3
the jaguars, bonobos born in May and June, and four red-billed hornbill
chicks that emerged from their nest in November. The publications are
also a source for behind-the-scenes information, such as animal health
care. Alive ran a two-part series (in January and in April 2013) on
especially challenging cases of sick animals.
• Volunteers: Few are as passionate about animals and the Zoo as the
large cadre of volunteers in the ZSM’s volunteer auxiliary, Zoo Pride.
You’ll find them giving tours, providing information near animal exhibits,
answering your questions about conservation, helping at fundraising
events, and aiding ZSM education classes, among other things.
The Zoological Society helps animals and the Zoo through a variety of
programs such as our Sponsor an Animal program and our Annual Appeal.
Each part of the ZSM’s three-pronged mission of conservation, education
and support of the Zoo is covered in the following pages. The ZSM’s total
Zoo support in 2012-2013 was $7,011,750 (including direct project costs).
That was an increase of more than $1.5 million from the previous year.
For a financial summary, see page 18. Funding for our mission comes
from a variety of sources, including:
• Membership: The ZSM brought in $5,920,383
in Zoo Pass memberships in fiscal year 2012-2013.
• Platypus Circle: Members of the ZSM’s premier
annual-giving group donated more than $676,526
in cash or in-kind services to help the Zoo.
• Sponsors, grantors & supporters: The ZSM
acquires sponsors for most of the Zoo’s major
events and attractions, and ZSM 2012-2013
direct cash sponsorship support to the Zoo
was $340,798. Grants support education and
conservation programs, and other projects.
Grants brought in $761,668 last year. Sponsors
and grantors at the $2,500 level and above are
members of the Serengeti Circle (see pages 16-17).
Additional support of $652,887 went to the ZSM’s
live theater program (see education section).
• Fundraisers run by the ZSM Associate Board:
The 30th anniversary Zoo Ball, sponsored
by U.S. Bank, Wells Fargo and Wisconsin Energy
Foundation, raised more than $661,529. The
24th Annual Birdies and Eagles Golf Tournament,
sponsored by Fiduciary Management, Inc., raised
$101,511. All other fundraising events run by the
Associate Board – ranging from a Zoo campout
to a September bike ride – raised $226,283.
• The ZSM’s Sponsor an Animal program
brought in $164,371 in the last fiscal year to support the Zoo’s animals.
• Annual Appeal: The ZSM’s Annual Appeal raised $170,684 to install
Web cams in several animal exhibits and to provide cash suport
to the Zoo.
4 Zoological Society of Milwaukee Annual Report 2012-2013
Ziggy the giraffe
arrived at the Zoo
in spring 2013.
Richard Brodzeller photo
A polar bear
takes a shower.
Ralph Duram photo
Genghis the snow leopard
arrived in November 2012.
Richard Brodzeller photo
Above (left to right): Dr. Gay Reinartz (second from right in first photo) and staff find an
elephant gathering place while on patrol. The Zoological Society provides GPS training for
research-station guards. Patrick Guislain, field projects coordinator at the Zoological Society
research station, holds an elephant bone, evidence of poaching. Bokitsi Bunda, Etate’s chief
guard, examines confiscated animal snares. Left: It can take more than three days traveling
in wooden pirogues by river to reach the Etate research station. Below: The Zoological
Society provides supplies to Etate guards; shoes are especially welcome.
Conservation
The Zoological Society of Milwaukee (ZSM) supports or directs
important conservation programs and research internationally,
in Wisconsin, and at the Milwaukee County Zoo. Its expenses
related to research and conservation totaled $402,781 in fiscal
year 2012-2013. Following are descriptions of various projects:
For more information, go to zoosociety.org/conservation.
Wild Bonobos & Conservation in Congo
Bonobos – an endangered species of great apes – are found in the wild
only in the central rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Since 1997, through its Bonobo & Congo Biodiversity Initiative (BCBI),
the Zoological Society of Milwaukee (ZSM) has been working in DRC to
study bonobos and protect the species in their natural habitat. BCBI is
directed by Dr. Gay Reinartz, ZSM’s conservation coordinator. BCBI partners
with the ICCN (DRC’s park and wildlife authority) and other conservation
organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund-US and the U.S. Agency
for International Development (USAID) to conserve the bonobo and
other wildlife in Salonga National Park. The Salonga, located in the DRC’s
cuvette centrale (a region of forests and wetlands in the Congo River Basin)
is an immense lowland forest ecosystem, home to the country’s largest
bonobo populations and a remaining stronghold for the threatened forest
elephant. In the national park, which is also a World Heritage Site, BCBI
is headquartered at the ICCN/ZSM research station, Etate. Etate is also
a patrol post manned year-round by a cadre of eight guards.
In 2012-’13, incidents of bushmeat and ivory poaching remained under
control along the lower and middle reaches of the Salonga and Yenge
Rivers (Watsi Kengo Sector), where Etate guards concentrated most of
their surveillance and where BCBI built a new patrol post, Lotulo, on the
Yenge River. Thanks to the ongoing presence of a company of Congolese
soldiers (FARDC), the hard work of the park guards at Etate, and the
effectiveness of the new patrol post, poaching and illegal fishing were all
but eliminated. To further eradicate poaching, guards from Lotulo started
foot patrols in a new area between the Yenge and Loile River – a first!
The Zoological Society’s continued support of Etate and Lotulo guards
included delivering field supplies and equipment such as flashlights, batteries,
medicines, dry food stocks, shoes, waterproof bags and machetes. We
also continued training guards in navigation and wildlife monitoring using
GPS units and compasses. Our proficiency and success in training guards
has become so well-regarded in the park that we were asked by park
authorities to hold a three-day training session in April 2013 for 12
guard supervisors from four different ICCN Salonga stations.
Considering the vast area of the Salonga (more than three times the size
of Yellowstone National Park), not all news on the poaching front was
positive. BCBI research teams found that far upstream on the Salonga
and Yenge Rivers, where no patrol posts currently exist, wildlife are under
severe hunting pressure. The region, known as Dar Dar, has been unprotected for decades. Since hunting goes mostly unchallenged, people enter
the park on foot – some walking over 100 miles – to make semi-permanent
hunting camps. It had been over 12 years since any survey teams had
visited Dar Dar, and so the status of wildlife populations was virtually
unknown. In 2013, ZSM research teams, accompanied by park guards,
surveyed parts of the Dar Dar region and documented illegal human
activity along the Salonga and Yenge Rivers. They found many poaching
camps, trees that had been cut down and used to make wooden canoes
called pirogues, countless animal snares and large caches of bushmeat –
all disturbing signs of intense hunting pressure in an area rich in biodiversity.
Zoological Society of Milwaukee Annual Report 2012-2013 5
Based on these findings, BCBI and ICCN developed a plan to gain control
of Dar Dar and send reinforcements. In May 2013, the ICCN and FARDC
conducted a joint operation in Dar Dar. During the initial sweep, they
destroyed eight large poaching camps/settlements, arrested two poachers,
confiscated three military-style weapons, and seized over 100 pieces of
bushmeat. This joint operation was supported by BCBI (fuel and rations),
the World Wildlife Fund and the Central African Protected Areas Network.
Subsequently, in July 2013, the ZSM was awarded funds from the Felburn
Foundation of Ocala, Fla., to support patrols (rations, equipment, pirogues
and fuel) that would travel 200 miles upriver on the Salonga and Yenge
and transport guards to patrol Dar Dar. As a result, ICCN and BCBI scheduled eight such long-distance patrols to Dar Dar to begin in January 2014.
Surveys and Research
In addition to its support of park protection,
the ZSM expanded the area of forest surveys
in the Watsi Kengo Sector. As of September
2013, the BCBI team had surveyed about
3,610 square kilometers. Our preliminary
analysis of survey data shows that the sector
has one of the national park’s highest numbers
of bonobo nests encountered by researchers
(2.02 nests for every kilometer walked on a
straight-line transect). Initially, we also found
higher than expected encounter rates for
elephant dung (0.44 dung piles/km), a positive
sign that forest elephants have survived in this
sector. The sector appears to be one of only a
few areas left in Salonga National Park where
bonobos and elephants occur in substantial
numbers and where elephants still influence
regeneration and growth of the rainforest.
including conservation groups such as the ZSM, representatives of
public-interest groups, and government officials – who work on behalf
of park management and conservation in the Salonga.
• In September 2013, Dr. Reinartz received the Champions for Change
Lifelong Commitment to Justice Award in the Animal Welfare Category
from Community Shares of Greater Milwaukee (Wis). This organization
is committed to raising money for its nonprofit member groups focused
on social justice, animal welfare, and the environment.
Captive Bonobos
The Bonobo Species Survival Plan (SSP) has been managed and coordinated
by Dr. Gay Reinartz and the Zoological Society of Milwaukee since its
inception in 1988. SSPs are animal programs
managed by the Association of Zoos and
Aquariums (AZA), and many represent species
that urgently need to be conserved and protected in the wild, such as the bonobo. SSP
programs, as well as AZA-accredited zoos and
aquariums, significantly contribute to field
conservation efforts, species recovery, veterinary care for wildlife disease issues, as well as
the genetic management of captive populations.
As of September 2013, there were 81 bonobos
at seven accredited zoological institutions in
North America. The Milwaukee County Zoo
has one of the largest bonobo groups in the
world, numbering 17 as of September 2013.
The Zoo reported two bonobo births during
fiscal year 2012-2013: Nadine on May 8,
2013, to bonobo mom Elikia, and Nora Jan
on June 29, 2013, to Tamia.
International connection: In addition to
Community Assistance
networking with the European Endangered
The ZSM also continued to support
Species Program (EEP), which manages
Elikia the bonobo gave birth to baby Nadine May 8, 2013,
primary-school education in three villages
a captive population of 104 bonobos,
at the Milwaukee County Zoo. Photo by Richard Brodzeller
near the Etate research station. We continued to
Dr. Reinartz and the AZA have worked with
provide teacher salaries, books and materials, and student enrollment
a Japanese institution seeking to start a bonobo group. In February 2013
in these schools increased from 400 in 2012 to more than 450 children
the AZA approved an application for non-AZA member participation in
in 2013. BCBI also continued to offer the community an adult literacy
the Bonobo SSP from the Kumamoto Sanctuary at Kyoto University in
program; we began new classes in the village of Tompoco with enrollment
Uto, Japan. Shortly after, the Bonobo SSP recommended that six bonobos
at about 50 adults, mostly women. In April 2013, BCBI held our second
from the U.S. be transferred to Kumamoto Sanctuary: four from San Diego
annual field day at Etate for 20 schoolchildren from nearby communities
in October 2013, and two bonobos from Cincinnati in 2014. Why Japan?
and their teachers. The Etate guards and BCBI research assistants planned
Japanese researchers were among the first to explore Congo forests and
the day’s lessons and led the class. The focus of the instruction was
study the wild bonobo. Starting in 1973, their research, including that of
poaching and wildlife protection in the park.
Dr. Takayoshi Kano of Kyoto University, was pioneering in the field of
Presentations & Awards in 2012-’13
• In January 2013, Dr. Gay Reinartz spoke to Professional Dimensions,
a group of women professionals in Milwaukee (Wis.), on the goals and
progress of BCBI. She discussed the importance of saving endangered
animals such as the bonobo and also the value of helping people living
near bonobo habitats, including BCBI support of a literacy program
in DRC that had mostly women participants.
• In March 2013, Dr. Reinartz spoke to the Salonga National Park
Committee for Site Conservation at a meeting in Monkoto in the
Democratic Republic of Congo. The committee is a consortium –
6 Zoological Society of Milwaukee Annual Report 2012-2013
primatology and brought international attention to bonobos. As of 2012,
however, no bonobo group existed in captivity in Japan. Meanwhile, in the
United States, as the SSP bonobo population grew, space in which to house
large social groups of bonobos became an issue. The Kumamoto Sanctuary,
a former research facility revamped into a state-of-the-art sanctuary for
captive chimpanzees, offered needed quality space for captive bonobos.
Dr. Reinartz and the AZA believe that Kumamoto Sanctuary’s participation
in the Bonobo SSP will provide a strong conservation, research and animal
husbandry component that will offer a unique opportunity to strengthen
international conservation of both captive and wild populations.
Apes
The Zoological Society’s primary conservation support goes to its own
great-ape program, the Bonobo & Congo Biodiversity Initiative (see
pages 5-6). The ZSM funds several other conservation efforts, however,
including spending $6,457 in the 2012-2013 fiscal year to support ape
research and conservation projects:
• Milwaukee Ape Heart Project, $5,000: The ZSM has funded efforts
to delve more closely into the similarities and differences between heart
disease in apes and humans. Human-heart-disease specialists have analyzed preserved bonobo hearts from the Milwaukee County Zoo. In 2013
these studies identified the cause of death for Lody the bonobo to be
Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC). In humans,
ARVC can be inheritable and causes replacement of the normal heart
muscle with fatty tissue in the right ventricle, leading to heart disease,
fatal arrhythmias and early death. The Zoo’s veterinary staff has been
working with Dr. Matteo Vatta, director of the Cardiovascular Genetics
Section of the Molecular Genetics Diagnostic Laboratory at Indiana
University, to search Lody’s DNA for potential genetic mutations known
to cause this heart condition in humans and other animals. If genetic
mutations are identified in Lody, who was a genetic founder of the Zoo’s
bonobo population, Lody’s offspring and other founders will also be
screened for these genes.
• Ape studies at the Zoo, $457: Dr. Sarah Boysen, a great-ape behavior
researcher, continued in 2012-2013 with her extensive research into the
cognitive abilities of our Zoo’s three great-ape species: bonobos, gorillas
and orangutans. To see a 2012 Alive magazine story on her research,
go to zoosociety.org/Pubs/Alive/Spring-Summer-2012.
• Lola Ya Bonobo, $1,000: This bonobo orphanage in Kinshasa, the capital
of the Democratic Republic of Congo, has acted for nearly 20 years as a
sanctuary for orphaned bonobos, often because their parents were killed
for bushmeat or because poachers wanted to sell the babies as pets.
Amphibians, Reef Wildlife, Reptiles
Zoological Society funding of more than $14,556 supported 2012-2013
conservation projects and research
involving amphibians, reptiles and fish.
Milwaukee County Zoo staff were
involved in most of these projects,
which included:
• Grenada frog research, $7,817:
Conservation efforts have focused on
helping a native frog species on the
Caribbean island of Grenada fight off
threats to its survival from an alien frog
Above: A Grenada frog sits on a fern.
species and from a deadly frog-killing
Photo by Billie Harrison
fungus called chytrid. The Milwaukee
Right: A sea turtle rests on a Grenada beach .
County Zoo and its collaborators began Photo provided by Ocean Spirits
to develop a Conservation Action Plan
Below: Dawn Fleuchaus of the Milwaukee County
for the frog in 2010. In 2011, frog
Zoo measures an iguana on Grand Cayman Island
for research supported by the Zoological Society
populations in Grenada appeared to
of Milwaukee. Photo provided by Dawn Fleuchaus
have stabilized, and in 2012 they
seemed to be rebounding. Data
from the 2013 research, however
seem to indicate that both frog
species may be experiencing a
second wave of decline, reports
Craig Berg, the Zoo’s aquarium
and reptile curator. Continued
monitoring will be necessary to
verify this observation.
• Iguana conservation, $3,267:
Milwaukee County Zoo staff, with
ZSM support, have been involved
for many years in projects to give
young, rare iguanas a head start
and then release them back into the wilds of the Cayman Islands and
Jamaica. In 2013, staff members Dawn Fleuchaus, Joan Maurer and
Stacy Whitaker all traveled to the Caribbean to volunteer on iguana
conservation projects. For more information on their projects, go to
the home page of zoosociety.org and type in “iguana” in the search
field at top.
• Grenada Reef Study, $2,176: Since 2009, Zoo staff, with Zoological
Society support, have joined the Wisconsin Lutheran College’s reef-
monitoring program in Grenada to compare the long-term
health of reef corals and other ocean wildlife in marine-protected
areas with areas that receive no protection. This research continued during 2012-2013. “We hope to demonstrate the economic
benefits of protected areas to the tourist industry and fishing
communities,” says Berg.
• Endangered Eastern Massasauga rattlesnake brochure,
$150: The Zoological Society helped finance an informational
brochure to explain why these Wisconsin snakes are important
and have been revered by Native Americans. The snakes help
control pests such as mice and voles, and the venom is of interest to scientists searching for human medical treatments.
• Grenada Sea Turtle Tagging Project, $1,146:
The ZSM collaborates with the nonprofit Ocean Spirits
conservation organization based in Grenada, West Indies, to
conduct leatherback sea turtle monitoring in Grenada. In 2013
the ZSM and Zoo Pride funded the purchase of 200 microchip
tags to help continue Ocean Spirits’ long-term study of these
endangered turtles. Ocean Spirits trains volunteers and staff
members to measure nesting turtles, tag sea turtles, count nests
(an average of 1,000 annually), count eggs, and record data
under supervision. The microchip transmitters have recorded
sea turtles diving as deep as 1.2 kilometers (0.74 miles), making
the leatherback the deepest diving reptile in the world.
continued on page 19
Zoological Society of Milwaukee Annual Report 2012-2013 7
Education
For more information, go to zoosociety.org/education
In the three-pronged mission of the Zoological Society of Milwaukee
(ZSM) – conservation, education and support of the Milwaukee County
Zoo – education often is the linchpin of the other two. By educating
children and adults about protecting animals and the habitats they share,
we teach conservation. By offering extensive education programs yearround, the ZSM helps the Zoo maintain national accreditation from the
Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Our offerings range from animalscience classes and summer camps to programs for disadvantaged youth,
either taught in our eight-classroom facility on Zoo grounds or brought
directly to schools. The ZSM Conservation Education Department also
continues to offer animal-focused theatrical performances to Zoo guests
in the summer and to the greater Milwaukee community throughout the
year thanks to the multi-year partnership with Kohl’s Cares. Here are
summaries of ZSM educational programs’ success:
Kohl’s Wild Theater
For more information, go to wildtheater.org
In July 2013 Kohl’s Cares announced a $1.5 million grant over three
years to the Zoological Society of Milwaukee to continue the Kohl’s Wild
Theater (KWT) program at the Milwaukee County Zoo into 2016. This
live, interactive, participatory theater uses drama, puppetry and songs to
bring conservation messages to children and families. The funding will
allow KWT to expand its show repertoire to a total of 17 unique and
original shows, add new puppets for stage and exhibit performances,
and make improvements to the stage and theater area at the Zoo. The
improvements include a more professional-looking stage made of natural
materials, fabric shading of the stage, a new façade, and a theater green
room for the cast.
The KWT program was created in 2010, thanks to an initial $1 million
donation from Kohl’s Cares, and has quickly grown to become the country’s
largest zoo-theater program. In October 2012, KWT launched the second
season of its highly successful outreach programming to schools and community organizations within a one-hour radius of the Zoo. Some programs
consist of two short plays and a question-and-answer session. A particularly
popular program, “The Reach of the Rainforest,” featured an orangutan
puppet and time travel. The performance repertoire expanded from three
8 Zoological Society of Milwaukee Annual Report 2012-2013
Left: Molly (center), played by Lindsey Gagliano, learns to be friends with Jane (Alecia
Annacchino), who had acted like a bully. Then Molly, Jane and Michael (Sherrick Robinson,
left) form a club. The performers are in a Kohl’s Wild Theater school-focused play called
“Bullies and Bonobos.”
Above right: Zoological Society Summer Camps, sponsored by Penzeys Spices, included
Sharks & Rays, where kids aged 6 and 7 could touch sting rays. Here brothers Nathan S.,
7, and Tim S., 6, meet a southern sting ray at the Milwaukee County Zoo’s special
sting-ray-and-shark summer exhibit. Photos are by Richard Brodzeller
different shows in 2011 to four different shows in 2012. Added to the
lineup was “Vampires vs. Aliens: A Wisconsin Wildlife Double Feature,”
which included educational information about the benefits of bats and
the harm done by “alien,” or invasive, species.
The styles of performances were expanded by adding the shows
“Bullies and Bonobos,” which was an original 40-minute dramatic play,
and “The K-W-T Jamboree,” a series of short skits. The “Jamboree’s”
quick pace was beneficial for young audiences with shorter attention
spans and for smaller venues that didn’t have space for larger KWT sets.
“Bullies and Bonobos,” a drama designed specifically for school groups,
creatively combined information on bonobo conservation and school
bullying. The play highlighted the capacity of bonobos to show empathy
and used that information to reinforce an anti-bullying awareness
message. It demonstrated to students simple ways to be inclusive and
develop better understanding of their peers. Teachers praised the
approach. One elementary school teacher commented, “The connection
with bullying/recycling/animals was perfect. The students could follow
along easily!” Another teacher said, “Great lesson on empathy. Great
job tying in conservation and bullying.”
In May of 2013, the third summer season of KWTperformances at the
Milwaukee County Zoo began. The lineup of summer shows included
past favorites such as “Journey to the Rich Coast” (a musical about bird
migration) and “The Spot of the Jaguar” (a play about predator-prey
relationships in the rainforest). New shows added to the repertoire
included “Dr. McGhee Learns about the Sea” (a musical about ocean
acidification) and “The Lizard of ooZ” (a musical about the risks of
releasing pet frogs into the wild). One audience member said, “[The
show was] excellent! We all learned something new, and I will pass
on [the information] about the frogs. Thanks!”
The ZSM reached audiences with our conservation messaging not only
through KWT shows at the Zoo but also through performances at libraries,
community centers, schools and festivals such as Summerfest and the
Wisconsin State Fair. Between summer performances at the Zoo and
year-round performances through the free outreach program, more than
140,000 audience members viewed KWT in the 2012-’13 fiscal year – an
incredible impact. Evaluation reports continue to indicate that audiences
are learning important information about wildlife conservation when they
view a KWT show. In post-show interviews conducted in summer 2013,
audiences rated the educational value of a KWT show at 4.45 out of 5,
with 5 being the highest possible rating. Similarly, the outreach program’s
educational value was rated 4.84 out of 5. The likelihood that outreach
venues would recommend the program to others was 4.93.
to help children earn badges. In fiscal year 2012-2013, the ZSM served
nearly 400 Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts.
Summer Camps
Summer Camps with Community Centers: Many children who normally
couldn’t afford to attend summer camps could attend our 2013 camps,
thanks to support from U.S. Cellular®, the Ralph Evinrude Foundation,
the R.D. and Linda Peters Foundation, U.S. Bank Foundation, Dr. Joan M.
Prince / Milwaukee Urban League, the Werner Family Foundation and the
Greater Milwaukee Foundation – Alma Smith Wright Fund. In summer
2013, we served 421 children from seven Milwaukee-area neighborhood
and community centers.
The Zoological Society’s Summer Camps, sponsored by Penzeys Spices,
is one of the largest zoo- or aquarium-based camp programs in the nation.
Our camps have the same lively format as our classes during the academic
year, including songs, games, hands-on science, art and learning activities,
and Zoo tours (for most classes and camps). Camps are offered for children
ages 2-14, and some offer adult participation (with children ages 2-5).
Our 2013 summer camps drew 11,512 participants: 8,537 children and
2,975 parents in 529 camp sessions. Our summer college-student intern
program provided 20 students (including three college-student teaching
interns) hands-on job training, thanks, in part, to generous support
from the Antonia Foundation and the Jerome and Dorothy Holz
Family Foundation.
September-May Programs
Programs for the Public: In fiscal year 2012-2013, the ZSM served over
12,000 people in individual child or parent-child classes. These classes
are offered six to seven days a week from September through December
and February through May. They include art and learning projects, songs,
games and Zoo tours. Education staff offer hands-on, interactive classes
for families and children ages 2-14. Class curriculum addresses the intellectual, social and emotional development of child participants through
science, conservation and art-based topics. Younger children (ages 2, 3,
4 and 5) attend class with an adult. If they’re ready, 4- to 5-year-olds
have the option to attend without an adult. Classes for 6- to 14-year-olds
are offered on weekends along with classes in which entire families
can participate.
School Programs: In fiscal year 2012-2013, Zoological Society-led
programs offered at the Zoo or delivered as outreach classes reached
24,099 schoolchildren (in addition to students reached by Kohl’s Wild
Theater outreach shows). Another 84,619 schoolchildren visited the
Zoo on field trips and had ZSM curriculum available to them during
self-directed tours. ZSM school programs help teachers meet science
requirements set by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
Making science fun by teaching about animals is the goal, with hands-on
activities and Zoo tours. Education staff offer grade-appropriate programs
for 3-year-old preschoolers through eighth grade, as well as conservationfocused talks for high school groups. Programs for schoolchildren were
funded in part by gifts from the Ladish Co. Foundation; U.S. Bancorp
Foundation; A.O. Smith Foundation; the Gene & Ruth Posner Foundation;
and Stella Schmidt. Also, thanks to grants made to Milwaukee-area schools
through the Kohl’s Cares Field Trip Grant Program in 2013, more schools
could plan field trips to the Zoo for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Scout Programming: The ZSM’s Conservation Education Department
continued to offer programming designed specifically for scout groups
Programming for Disadvantaged Youth
Animal Ambassador Program: This program teaches children about
wildlife conservation over a semester. Then they graduate to become
ambassadors for the Zoo’s animals, able to teach family and friends what
they learned. Thanks to corporate, foundation or civic-group sponsors
for each school, our Animal Ambassador and Continuum programs, which
serve schools in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods, reached 614
second-grade students and 679 third-grade students at 12 schools, and
1,276 fourth-grade students at 20 schools. An additional 545 students
in five schools with smaller classes experienced a modified program.
Big Brothers & Big Sisters: The Zoological Society once again partnered
with Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Greater Milwaukee, thanks to funding
from U.S. Bank. We arranged a day for the adults and children – 318 people
in all – to do a Zoo scavenger hunt and see a Kohl’s Wild Theater performance featuring jaguars as well as receive a book about Pat, the Zoo’s
adult male jaguar, thanks to SHARP Literacy. The children also
received school supplies.
Volunteers
Members of Zoo Pride, the ZSM’s volunteer auxiliary, assisted with
numerous classes and summer camps. Their help included the Eager
Beavers committee that prepared numerous craft materials for use in
class. For example, volunteers made construction-paper masks, paws,
and tails for 3-year-olds to create a lion costume in Lions class. For the
Outrageous Reefs class, volunteers made a necklace of eight tentacles
for an octopus costume for children aged 4 and 5. In summer, high school
students volunteered to help with ZSM camps and were trained to assist
both college-student interns and Zoo Pride adult volunteers who conducted
tours. In the last fiscal year, these high school assistants contributed 3,482
volunteer hours. Overall in the 2012-2013 fiscal year, total volunteer hours
donated to the Conservation Education Department was well over 10,000.
Summary
ZSM conservation-education programs served a total of more than
288,500 people in fiscal year 2012-’13. We reached thousands more
with educational messages about conservation through:
• Email news to members
• The ZSM website, which averaged 32,711 visits per month
(an increase of 8,838 visits compared to last fiscal year).
• ZSM publications (each issue of Alive magazine and Wild Things
newsletter reached more than 53,000 households, an estimated
222,600 people)
• ZSM-designed signage, displays and videos at the Zoo
• Zoological Society education programs in Africa (see Conservation)
• Stories in the media about ZSM projects, and
• Social media sites such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
Zoological Society of Milwaukee Annual Report 2012-2013 9
Zoo Support
One of the most successful public-private partnerships in Wisconsin is the
one between the Zoological Society of Milwaukee (ZSM) and Milwaukee
County, which runs the Zoo. County workers and the nonprofit ZSM work
together to raise money for new animals, new exhibits and buildings; to
provide education programs that reach thousands of people annually;
to coordinate numerous events; to support wildlife conservation; to provide tours and behind-the-scenes experiences; and to plan for the future.
While Milwaukee County cares for the animals, pays the county staff, runs
restaurants and attractions ranging from a train to a carousel, and provides
colorful plantings to create a remarkable park, the Society recruits sponsors
and donors, helps support the veterinary program, runs an eight-classroom
“school” and provides support services such as publications, graphic
designers, information-technology expertise, and a host of volunteers.
The ZSM’s Conservation Education Department runs almost all the
education programs at the Zoo. The ZSM’s Creative Department handles
projects for both the ZSM and the Zoo. It produces Zoo signs and banners,
creates numerous educational videos and displays, keeps a photo database,
and takes on special projects that enhance the Zoo such as dioramas. Zoo
Pride, the ZSM’s volunteer auxiliary, makes possible numerous events
that the Zoo holds, provides Zoo tours and animal talks,
promotes the Zoo to the public through a speaker’s
bureau, aids ZSM education programs, staffs fundraisers
held by the
ZSM and raises
funds for conservation and
Zoo exhibits.
The Zoological
Society of
Milwaukee
(ZSM) provided total
Zoo support
in 2012-2013
of $7,011,750 (including direct project costs). Here are
reports on various ways the ZSM supported the Zoo.
• Annual Appeal: The ZSM’s annual appeal raised $170,684 to install
Web cams in several indoor and outdoor animal exhibits and to provide
cash support to the Zoo.
• Conservation and research: The Zoological Society’s total expenses
in this area were $402,781 for the last fiscal year. Of that, $380,248
went to support the ZSM’s international bonobo-conservation project
in Africa (see Conservation section). That project helps the Zoo in
several ways. As part of the Zoo’s mission and also for accreditation
with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the Milwaukee County
Zoo supports conservation efforts in the field to help endangered species.
The ZSM’s bonobo project helps the Zoo meet its commitment to conservation. The ZSM supports the Bonobo Species Survival Plan, headed
by the ZSM’s conservation coordinator, Dr. Gay Reinartz; that program
helps manage the health and breeding success of bonobos in zoos.
The Zoological Society also provides funding to conservation projects
proposed by the Zoo, many involving Zoo staff (see Conservation
section). That funding in 2012-2013 totaled about $22,533.
10 Zoological Society of Milwaukee Annual Report 2012-2013
Above: Erica Bachinski feeds shrimp to a cownose
sting ray at the Milwaukee County Zoo’s summer
2013 special exhibit, Sting Ray & Shark Bay,
sponsored by Sendik’s Food Markets.
Photo by Richard Taylor
Left: Families enjoy the PNC Sky Safari at the Zoo,
viewing rhinos and wolves from above.
Photos by Richard Brodzeller
• Education: By offering extensive education programs nearly
year-round, the ZSM helps the Zoo maintain national accreditation
by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). In total, ZSM
conservation-education programs directly served more than 288,500
people in fiscal year 2012-’13 and reached thousands more with
educational messages about conservation through publications
and online media.
• Exhibits and buildings: The ZSM gave $211,970 in direct cash support
to Zoo exhibits, including $47,941 for the 2013 special summer exhibit:
Sting Ray & Shark Bay, sponsored by Sendik’s Food Markets. The
ZSM helped upgrade the Northwestern Mutual Family Farm entrance
($19,904) and the Black Bear Exhibit ($1,885, thanks to a grant from
MillerCoors). Also, the ZSM donated payments for maintenance
contracts on various Zoo buildings ($142,240).
• Fundraisers run by the ZSM Associate Board: The 30th anniversary
Zoo Ball – sponsored by U.S. Bank, Wells Fargo and Wisconsin Energy
Foundation – raised $661,529. The 24th Annual Birdies and Eagles
Golf Tournament, sponsored by Fiduciary Management, Inc., raised
A pale-mandibled aracari at the Zoo.
$101,511. All other fundraising events run by the Associate Board –
Photo by Howard Frank
including such events as a spring family evening at the Zoo, a Zoo
summer campout, and a fall bike ride – raised $226,283.
A peacock struts at the Zoo.
Photo by Howard Frank
• Platypus Circle: Members of the ZSM’s
annual-giving group donated more than
$676,526 in cash or in-kind services to
help the Zoo.
• Publications: The Zoological Society’s
Communications, Marketing and Membership
Department produced publications and other
materials that promoted Zoo events and conservation programs and highlighted new exhibits
and animals. These included Alive magazine,
Contributors, Wild Things newsletter, and Platy
Press newsletter for Platypus Circle members.
In October 2012 the ZSM published an animalthemed calendar that was an immediate hit with
ZSM members thanks to quality animal photos by Richard Brodzeller.
• Signs, videos, interactive displays, Zoo printed materials,
special projects: The ZSM’s Creative Department of five artists and
A bongo rests
at the Zoo.
a researcher provides graphics and design support to the Zoo as well
Photo by Don Enns
as to the ZSM. Their vast array of projects range from 20-foot-wide
banners to T-shirt designs. In the 2012-2013 fiscal year, the department
produced 38 issues of various Zoo and ZSM publications, from full-color
magazines to Zoo maps, from education class brochures to annual
reports. The department also created 562 signs for ZSM and Zoo
events, 156 animal-area banners and another 72 banners for events,
37 event invitations and programs for the Zoo
A new Zoo Pride bird committee in 2013 put in
and ZSM, 85 animal-information signs at various
more than 1,300 hours meeting zoogoers inside the
exhibits, 32 animations and 9 videos that are
Herb and Nada Mahler Family Aviary, monitoring
shown in the Zoo’s entrance atrium, 55 print
flamingos, filling Zoo birdfeeders, and assisting Zoo
advertisements, 20 website updates, 10 Powervisitors observing Zoo staff conduct annual bandings
Point presentations, and 7 interactive displays
of migratory birds.
for the Zoo.
• Websites and social media: The ZSM’s website
• Sponsors, grantors & supporters: The ZSM
averaged 32,711 visits per month in 2012-2013,
acquires sponsors for most of the Zoo’s major
an increase of 8,838 per month over the previous
events and attractions, and ZSM 2012-’13
year. The site provides extensive information about
direct cash sponsorship support to the Zoo
the Zoo and its animals, including self-guided tours,
was $340,798. Grants supporting education and
event details, animal stories, and an archive of publiconservation programs as well as other projects
cations dating to 1951. You also can find details
brought in $761,688 last year. Additional
about the ZSM’s large number of education programs,
support of $652,887 went to the ZSM’s live
its Zoo Pride volunteer program, descriptions of
theater program (see Education section).
ZSM conservation support, and children’s activities.
• The ZSM’s Sponsor an Animal program
In 2013 the ZSM developed a new section of its
raised $164,371 in the last fiscal year to support
website featuring its premier conservation project,
the Zoo’s animals.
the Bonobo & Congo Biodiversity Initiative (go to
• Veterinary help: The ZSM provided $98,448
bonoboconservation.com). The ZSM’s Facebook
Dr. Kay Elsen was recognized as the Zoological
in funds to the Zoo’s veterinary staff by paying
Society of Milwaukee’s (ZSM’s) volunteer of the
page and its YouTube channel help promote the
$43,924 for veterinary clinical residents and
year Sept. 17, 2013, during the Platypus Circle annual
Zoo, as do ZSM “tweets” on the social-networking
recognition dinner at the Milwaukee County Zoo.
$54,524 for a pathology resident. All of them
site Twitter. The ZSM also assists with maintenance
Dr. Elsen has been a member of the ZSM’s volunteer
provided aid to the Zoo’s veterinary staff.
auxiliary, Zoo Pride, for 37 years. Dr. Elsen is also a
of the Zoo’s website.
• Volunteer help: Zoo Pride volunteers provided long-time member of the Platypus Circle, the ZSM’s
•
Additional
cash support: The ZSM provided
invaluable help with Zoo and ZSM events, educa- major donor group. She is also a member of the
$500,000 to the Zoo in a Zoo Pass price increase.
Simba Circle (page 12). Photo by Richard Brodzeller
tion programs, Zoo tours, and much more. Of 652
The total additional cash support that the Zoological
Zoo Pride volunteers, 446 active members donated 50,872 hours in
Society provided to the Zoo was $1,261,940.
2012-’13. In addition, high school student volunteers contributed 3,482
volunteer hours to help the ZSM professional staff with 2013 summer camps.
Zoological Society of Milwaukee Annual Report 2012-2013 11
Simba Circle
The Simba Circle is a special group of donors who have included the Zoological Society of Milwaukee (ZSM) as a beneficiary of
a planned gift through a will, charitable trust, retirement plan, or life insurance policy. Gifts, once received, become a permanent
asset of the ZSM’s endowment fund. Each year, earnings from your gift, along with other contributions to the fund, strengthen
the Society’s capacity to fulfill its mission. Members of the Simba Circle enjoy benefits such as invitations to VIP premieres of
new exhibits, lectures and the annual Simba Recognition Dinner. Following is a list of Simba Circle members as of Sept. 30, 2013.
If you have already included the ZSM in your estate plans and are not listed here, or would like additional information, please
contact [email protected] or call Kim Peterson at (414) 258-2333, ext. 310.
SIMBA CIRCLE MEMBERS 2012-2013
Linda & William J. Abraham, Jr.
Charles & Dorothy Aring
F. Michael & Laura Arnow
Dick & Yuko Baldwin
John T. Bannen
Dr. Gil & Lillian Boese
Ronald & Jean Braund
Jerry Brown
Diane L. Brunner
Sabrina Mia Bryant i
Greg & Mary Budde i
Judy Cafmeyer
Mary Jo Crawford
Cindy & Gary Datka
Carl Diedrich
Mary Dohmen
Dr. Kay M. Elsen
Jessie Franz
David Glenn
Lavonne M. Grenlie
David & Kerry Grosse
Linda L. Grunau
Gary Hackbarth
Jerry & Sandy Hafemann
Arlene Hansen
Elaine V. Heckman
John & Jeannie Heindel
James Henry i
Roxy Heyse
Linda J. Hill
Nancy Lee Horwath
Kimberly Houk
Carole F. Houston
Maddy Howard
Rose Marie Jashaway
Dr. Lee & Susie Jennings
Richard T. & Mary F. Johnson
Rachel J. Jones
Bonnie & Leon Joseph
Joan Kalinoski
Mary Kazmierczak
Mary J. Kemnitz i
Robert Koch
Caroline V. Krider & Paul A. Smith
Rachel A. Lauber
Ginny Levenhagen
Richard D. Lutz
Dr. John & Kristie Malone
Quinn & Jane Martin
John & Judy McGourthy
Joseph & Christine McMahon
Don & Shelley Mechenich
Bary & Amber Morgan Family
Donald & Nadine Mundt Fund
In memory of Christopher Nast
Nancy A. Neuwirth i
Dr. Laura A. Owens
Lygere Panagopoulos
Margie Paur
Mary T. & Konstanty Pawicz Jr. i
Terrie Peschman
Gina A. Peter
Mark S. Poker
Jim & Kathleen Polaski
Betty Purdy
Gordana & Milan Racic
Jim Redding
Jane E. Reilly & Jeffrey C. Glock
Tomm Renk
Jay Robertson
Elizabeth Roesler
Gayle Rosemann & Paul McElwee
Al Rudnitzki Family
Gayle Rzany i
John & Linda Sapp
Judy and Barry S. Sattell
Ronald L. & Debra Schmidt i
Laura Skoff
John & Carole Steiner
Susan Steinman
Dan & Patti Stotmeister
Christine A. Strauss
Chip & Joy Stringer
Lois Tetzlaff
Mary Krause Thiry
Roselie A. Van Deuren
Judy Van Till
William J. Volkert i
Karen Von Rueden
Anne Wandler
Lowell Warshawsky
Kurt & Lisa Weisman Family
Raymond & Kelly Wilson
Darlene Winter
Deborah J. Woelfel
Dennis & Robin Zdroik
Robert & Sandra Zodrow
i designates new members in fiscal year 2012-2013
Endowments
The following donors are individuals whose legacies demonstrate their commitment to the Zoological Society in its support of the Milwaukee County Zoo.
The Bertagnolli Endowment
• Zoo Support
Bill Borchert Larson
• Florence Mila Borchert Big Cat Country
Gordana & Milan Racic Endowment
• Education Interns
The Lynde & Harry Bradley Foundation, Inc.
• Grants for Graduate Student Research
• Idabel Wilmot Borchert Flamingo Exhibit
and Overlook
Reticulated Giraffe Endowment
• Giraffe Exhibit
Roland & Florence Schroeder Cron Charitable Unitrust
• Bonobo Species Survival Plan (SSP) Endowment
Gretchen & Andrew Dawes Endowment Fund
• Veterinary Intern Program
Dohmen Family Foundation
• Hippo Home Exhibit
Robert T. Foote Charitable Trust
• Zoological Society support
Halbert & Alice Kadish Foundation Inc.
• Student Intern Program Endowment
Mary Ellen Bush & Donna Larsen Estate
• Ornithological Intern
12 Zoological Society of Milwaukee Annual Report 2012-2013
Liz Little Endowment
• Student Intern Program Endowment
Elizabeth LaBahn Roesler Endowment
• Zoo Support
Herbert & Nada Mahler Family Aviary
Endowment Fund
• The Aviary
Roswell N. & Leona B. Stearns
Foundation, Inc.
• Apes of Africa
McGourthy Family Endowment
• Giraffe Exhibit
Liz Ziegler Giraffe Endowment
• Giraffe Exhibit
The Dorothy J. Nelson Living Trust Endowment
• Student Intern Program Endowment
Zoo Pride Endowment
• Zoo Pride Support
The Philip Orth Family Fund Endowment
• Annual Appeal Support
Zoological Society General Endowment
• General Support
Annual Appeal
Web Cams Bring Animals Into Focus
Web cams focusing in on your favorite animals – that’s what the Zoological
Society of Milwaukee raised money for during its last two annual appeals.
The fiscal year 2012-2013 appeal raised $170,684. Most of that was used to
install cameras in the jaguar outdoor yard, among other places. Viewers could
watch the two cubs, born in November 2012, explore the outdoors for the
first time. The Annual Appeal also raised money for cameras in the outdoor
exhibits of the polar bears, elephants, Alaskan brown bears alternating with
Dall sheep, and for the indoor gentoo and rockhopper penguin exhibit. Also,
$70,000 went to direct cash support to the Zoo. Over the years we
have placed Web cameras to focus in on orangutans, the fish of Lake
Wisconsin, lions, tigers and Humboldt penguins. Donors of $100 or more
got early access to several of the Web cams as they were phased in and
before they were available to the public. To view these Web cams, go to
ZooView.tv. Donors of $75-$249 had their names listed on a sign; donors
of $250-$499 received larger recognition on a sign; donors of $500-$999
received individualized recognition; donors of $1,000 or more received
larger individualized recognition; and donors of $2,500 received
individualized recognition on a Zoo bench.
Stella the jaguar cuddles
with her two cubs.
Photo by Richard Brodzeller
A Bactrian camel calf nestles between
two adults. Photo by Howard Frank
Sponsor an Animal
For information, go to zoosociety.org/sponsoranimal.
The Zoological Society of Milwaukee’s (ZSM’s)
Sponsor an Animal program benefits all of the animals
at the Milwaukee County Zoo. In addition to offering
individual and group sponsorships of animals at the
Milwaukee County Zoo, this program raised money
for Zoo animals through:
• the ZSM’s Beastly Bowl-a-Thon in February 2013
• special animal sponsorship promotions during the year
(such as for Valentine’s Day, Christmas, etc.)
• the Kids Conservation Club
• Animal Safari in August 2013, which offered behind-the-scenes Zoo
tours to all animal sponsors and recruited several new animal sponsors.
Animal Safari was sponsored by Welch’s and Pick ’n Save.
The Sponsor an Animal program also taught people about animals
and conservation through:
• fact sheets about the animals they sponsor
• two annual workshops for members of the Kids Conservation Club
and also via baseball-card-style animal cards offered to club members
• a kids’ Green Art Contest open to all youth who were animal sponsors,
with entries displayed at Animal Safari
Animal sponsorships range from $20 for membership in the Zoological
Society’s Kids Conservation Club to $2,500 for individuals who sponsor
just one animal. In the 2012-2013 fiscal year, the Sponsor an Animal
program raised a total of $164,371.
Zoological Society of Milwaukee Annual Report 2012-2013 13
Platypus Circle
The Platypus Circle is composed of individuals, corporations and foundations who share the Zoological Society’s passion for
supporting the Milwaukee County Zoo, conserving endangered animal species, and teaching the importance of preserving wildlife and
its natural environment. Thanks to generous annual donations, the Zoological Society is able to offer programs ranging from summer
camps for disadvantaged youth to bonobo-preservation missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The support of Platypus members
also helps maintain Zoo exhibits and sustain our ongoing animal-conservation efforts. Platypus members receive unique benefits that
include access to behind-the-scenes tours and invitations to exhibit premieres (see photo) and VIP events. For more information on
becoming a Platypus member, please call the Development Department, (414) 258-2333, or check online at zoosociety.org/platy.
President’s Emerald
Leann Beehler i
Canopies i
OneTouchPoint Communications
Group i
Laureate Group, Inc.
Sam’s Club 6324 i
Dr. John Scheels i
President’s Platinum
Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance
Company i
Carole F. Houston
HUSCO International
Dr. Mike Lasser i
Marshfield Clinic Laboratories iu
Metropolitan Milwaukee Association
of Commerce i
William J. Murgas u
Rexnord Foundation
Sigma-Aldrich Foundation
Judy Van Till u
Thomas & Anne Wamser
Wisconsin Veterinary Referral
Center i
President’s Gold
A.O. Smith Foundation, Inc. u
Allied Insurance Centers, Inc.
Mike & Nancy Carter
JC Chupack
Church Metal Spinning Company
Clinicare Corporation
Dr. Robert Davis & Nancy Hill-Davis
Mary Ann & Tom Dyer
Eye Care for Animals i
Virginia Fifield
Gebhardt Family
GRAEF
Michael & Kelly Grebe
Harley-Davidson Motor Company u
BMO Harris Bank u
InPro Corp.
Kalmbach Publishing Co. u
Gerri Lietz-Staffileno
Litho-Craft Co., Inc. i
Greater Milwaukee Foundation
Luedke-Smith Fund
Mr. & Mrs. Gerald E. Mainman
Gene & Rebecca Mallinger
Ronald McDonald House i
Jay & Lisa McKenna
MillerCoors u
Mortenson Construction
Musante-White Family
Northern Trust
PAK Technologies i
PBBS Equipment Corp.
Rick & Susan Pearson
Bernard & Miriam Peck u
Bill, Jeri & Teddi Penzey
Gina A. Peter
Harold & Tamara Redman i
John & Cornelia Riedl
Rockwell Automation
Rosemann Family Foundation
Michelle & Eddie Sauer
Robert & Margaret Schuemann i
Ryan & Kristin Schultz
Gary & Sherry Sievewright
Dale R. & Allison M. Smith
S.M.M.S. 7th Graders
Dr. William & Judy Holz Stathas
Steren McDonald’s Restaurants u
J.A. Taylor Family Foundation u
Rebecca & Steve Verhagen
Barbara Voight i
Werner Family Foundation
West Bend Mutual Insurance
Company
Zilber Ltd.
At the annual Platypus Circle Family
Picnic, Latonia Bowie and her fiancé,
Al Mitchell, enjoyed a hearty meal
with Bowie’s daughters, Amaya, 12
(center), and Kylie, 5. The picnic was
held at the Milwaukee County Zoo on
July 9, 2013. Latonia Bowie is with DDN,
a pharmaceutical group that is a Platypus
Circle member.
Photo by Richard Taylor
ACL Laboratories iu
Briggs & Stratton Corporation i
Curtis Universal Ambulance i
Bob Dohmen
Jerome & Dorothy Holz Family
Foundation
Joy Global, Inc.
Jack & Patti McKeithan
Nicholas Family Foundation u
NML Graphics i
Abby O’Dess
Dr. Harry Prosen i
Samuel Wann, M.D. i
Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare
Bluemound Campus i
Members of the Balistreri family reach
into the pool at the Milwaukee County
Zoo’s special summer 2013 exhibit, Sting
Ray & Shark Bay, sponsored by Sendik’s
Food Markets.
The Balistreri
family owns
Sendik’s Food
Markets,
which is a
member
of the Platypus
Circle. From
left are
Margaret
Harris and
her mom,
Patty Balistreri;
Margaret’s
brother, Ted
Balistreri, and
his children
Josie, 9, and
Theo, 7.
Photo by Richard Brodzeller
President’s Diamond
Platy Silver
Ace World Wide Moving/Storage i
Aim Transfer & Storage, Inc.
Jo Ann Aiman
Anthony & Lizabeth Baish
Bank Mutual
Janine F. Barre
Dr. John Beltz i
Bostik, Inc. u
Bottoms Up Bartending i
Diane L. Brunner
Sabrina Mia Bryant i
Dr. Craig Young & Dr. Sharon Busey
Carla & Neal Butenhoff
Centec Security Systems, Inc.
Century Fence Co.
CG Schmidt, Inc. u
Computerized Structural Design
Jerome & Melody Ann Czubinski
Dedicated Computing, LLC
Tom & Mary Jo Dempsey
DentaQuest
Derse Foundation, Inc. u
DigiCOPY i
Diversified Insurance Services
Donald & Nora Dreske
DuPont - Danisco Animal Nutrition i
14 Zoological Society of Milwaukee Annual Report 2012-2013
Edstrom Industries
Elliott Family Foundation
Empowering Families of Milwaukee
Ernst & Young
Michael & Judy Fitzpatrick
Suzy & Byron Foster
Franciscan Villa i
Fruit Ranch Market, Inc. iu
Gonzalez, Saggio & Harlan LLP
Graymont Western Lime Inc.
Arlene Hansen
Leanne Harmann i
Dennis D. & Patricia L. Harton
Hawks Landscape Inc. i
Evan & Marion Helfaer Foundation u
Helgesen Industries, Inc.
James & Geraldine Henry
Henry R. Marohl, Inc.
HGA Architects, Engineers & Planners
Jim & Kerrie Hoffman
Holz Motors, Inc. u
Home Depot - Wauwatosa
Home Depot - Mukwonago i
Home Depot - Waukesha
Independence First
Indulgence Chocolatiers i
ISC International, Ltd.
Jagemann Plating Co.
Johnson Controls Inc. i
Trish & Drew Kagerbauer
Cindy Kanzleiter Family
Alan J. & Karen P. Katz u
Nancy & Tom Kingsbury
Robert Koch
Krause Family Foundation u
Caroline Krider
Laacke & Joys i
Eugene & Gwen Lavin u
Liphatech, Inc.
MacHealer Consulting i
Mantz Automation, Inc.
Manufacturing Services, Inc.
Marcus Corporation u
Dr. Leighton Mark i
Quinn W. & Jane E. Martin u
Materion
McDonough Family
Janet & Jim McKenna
Don & Shelley Mechenich
Megal Development Corporation u
Mercer Human Resource Consulting
Metals USA
Michael Best & Friedrich LLP
Midwest Auto Clubs, LLC
Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp. u
Molina Healthcare of Wisconsin i
Dr. George Morris i
Mortara Instrument, Inc.
National Business Furniture u
Nev 2/11 Foundation u
Nevs Ink, Inc.
Oak Crest Villa
Orion Security Corp.
John Oster Family Foundation u
Park Bank Foundation
Jodi Peck & Les Weil u
Jill Pelisek
The Pet Apothecary
Nancy Pirkey
PNC Bank
Port Washington State Bank
PPG Industries, Inc.
Pricewaterhouse Coopers
Dr. Joan Prince
Professional Services Group, Inc.
QLC, Inc.
Quest CE
R&R Insurance Services, Inc.
Gordana & Milan Racic
Marion C. Read
Red Elephant Chocolate, LLC i
Scott & Melinda Redlinger
Roadrunner Transportation
Services - Cudahy
Roadrunner Transportation Services Milwaukee
Roundy’s Supermarkets, Inc.
Russ Darrow Kia of Wauwatosa i
Ryder
Lacey Sadoff
John & Linda Sapp
Judy & Barry S. Sattell u
Schregardus Family Foundation
Sendik’s Food Markets/Balistreri
Owned & Operated
Thelma Sias
Billie Jean Smith
Jonathan & Kristin Sohn i
Steele Solutions i
Richard & Linda Stevens
Strattec Security Corporation i
SVA
Tennessen Family
Thomson Management Services, Inc.
Rick & Carol Treadwell
Tri City National Bank
U.S. Bank u
U.S. Cellular®
U.S. Foods u
United Heartland, Inc.
United Press & Graphics i
Barbara E. Van Engel u
Tyler & Kathleen Vassar
Lowell Warshawsky u
WaterStone Bank u
Jim & Jane Wierzba
Ray & Kelly Wilson i
Wildkat Wellness
David & Dorothy Zellmer
Zimmer Thomson Associates, Inc. u
Platy Bronze
A Bit Above LLC
A to Z Financial Planning LLC
AIS Technology i
Howard E. & Barbara A. Alcorn u
Nikki & Timothy Allen i
David Allen i
J. Harvey & Judith Alligood
Cathy Arney i
Mike & Laura Arnow
Marilyn Auer
George Bailey
Joseph and Jennifer Kresl, longtime
Kevin & Shelley Baker i
Dick & Yuko Baldwin
Platypus Circle members, received
Carol & John Bannen
the Zoological Society of Milwaukee’s
Mark, Shannon & Jessica Behr
(ZSM’s)
highest award, the Emu Egg,
Scott & Elizabeth Behrendt
on Sept. 17, 2013, at the Milwaukee
Rick Bloomquist
Dr. Gil & Lillian Boese
County Zoo. The award is presented for
Deanna Braeger i
exceptional contributions and commitDouglas & Barbara Braun &
ment to the ZSM and the Zoo. Joe Kresl,
Family
who is president of Hawks Landscape,
Richard & Diana Brodzeller
Brian N. & Nicole L. Brzezinski Inc., is on the ZSM’s Board of Directors
Jan & Rick Buckley
and serves on its master planning comDr. Phil Burns
mittee. The Kresls have sponsored the
Patty Cadorin
James C. & Kaye Lynne
ZSM’s holiday Fantastic Forest at the
Carpenter
Zoo for 13 years, contributed to the last
Brett & Jennifer Chapman
capital campaign, and chaired Zoo Ball
Jen Christianson i
2010. They received the award, a real
Chubb Group of Insurance
Companies u
emu egg encased in glass, at the ZSM’s
John & Vida Ciulik
annual Platypus Circle dinner to honor
Jason & Sarah Curtis
major donors. The Kresls received
DataComm Plus i
previous ZSM awards in 2005 and 2008.
DDN
Drs. Thomas & Meridith Derrig
Photo by Richard Brodzeller
Ann L. DiCastri
Koss Foundation u
Ecker Envelope, Inc. i
Melinda & Ken Krei
Ellenbecker Adult Family Home
J.P. Kucera i
Dr. Kay M. Elsen
La Causa, Inc.
EMD Crop BioScience
Dr. Norma & Glenn Lang
Richard, Mary Ellen & Emily Enea
Karen Loth & Douglas Smith
Nancy Flagg & Joe Hegarty
Mark Lowry i
John Fleckenstein
Arnold & Sarah Lueders
Kenneth & Linda Footland
Christopher & Lisa Lundberg
Ty A. & Jodi A. Foren
Jodi Majerus
Jessie & Keith Franz
Tony & Anne Mallinger
Joy Freedman i
Randall & Denyse Malone i
John & Deborah Gebhardt
T.J. & Lori Marini
Gerald & Donna Gerndt
Erv & Mandy Matsche
Elizabeth H. Gjenvick u
James & Susan McNeely
Dr. & Mrs. Gerald G. Gleisner u
Menasha Corporation Foundation i
Karen Gosewehr u
Meta House, Inc.
Dr. Michelle Graham &
The George L.N. Meyer Family
Mr. James Hammond
Foundation, Inc.
Kerry & David Grosse
Robert A. & Nancy S. Miller
Grunau Company u
Nettesheim Family
Jim & Sandy Hanus
Susan A. Niederjohn
Christa & Rob Harlfinger i
Brian & Lea O’Day
Karen L. Hartenstein
Danae Oldenburg
Alan & Linda Harvey
Kathleen M. Olejnik
Hatco Corporation i
Kenton B. Oren
Elaine Heckman
Ronald Ota & Amy Byrne
John & Jeannie Heindel
Dr. Laura Owens
Bill & Barb Hess
Bruce Paler
Russell & Irene Heumann
Michael Pazdan
Roxy Heyse u
Adam & Laura Peck
Brian & Robin Higgins Family
The Perlick Corporation u
Erin Hochschild i
Holger & Mary Beth Petersen i
Andrew & Paula Holman
Randy & Kim Peterson i
Home Depot #4941 i
Photography Atelier i
Patricia Hutter i
Robert M. Poehlein
Jeffrey Janz i
Mark Poker
Mardy Johnson Family
ProSelect, LLC i
Rachel J. Jones
George & Jan Rada
Thomas & Ann Kamasky i
Jim & Nancy Redding
Patrick & Chrstine Keyes i
Bill & Betsy Rezel
Bridget & Mark Kirkish
The Rohlen Foundation
Dr. Patrick Knapp &
Mike, Chris & Kate Santell
Dr. Kristi Tolzman-Knapp
Chris & Beth Schimel
Maria E. Gonzalez Knavel
Kristopher & Carrie Schroeder
Linda Knee
John & Tricia Shinners
Arthur C. Kootz Foundation
Lois Siebrecht
Benedict & Lee Kordus
Dan & Marge Korsi
Gary & Sally Sprenger
John & Josephine Stahl
Standard Electric Supply Co.
Stanosz Family
Barbara Stein
Dan & Patti Stotmeister
Fred & Anne Stratton
Streich Family Foundation
Amy & Dave Tamburrino
Victoria Teerlink & Jeffery Drope i
Lois Tetzlaff
Brookellen & Robert Teuber
David J. Thull
TJ Printing i
TMP Worldwide
Usinger’s Famous Sausage
William J. Volkert
Karen Von Rueden
Rebecca & Seth Wahlberg
The Joel Wallskog Family
Kristin Murphy Warfield &
Andrew Warfield i
Kurt, Lisa & Sydney Weisman
Chuck & Trish Wikenhauser
Lynn Wilding
Rolland & Sharon Wilson
Darlene Winter
Wisconsin Jaguars Ltd. i
Wisconsin Spice Inc.
Mildred Wrench
Hillary & James Wucherer
Charles & Sandra Yanke
Your Nurse Home Health Care, Inc.
Elizabeth & Anthony Ziherl i
Carol J. Zimprich
Kelly & Scott Zygowski
Kathy McConville & Denise Zylow
u – Member for 25 years or more
i – New Members
H – Members who have made in-kind
gifts of products or services
We apologize if we misspelled or omitted your name
from this list and ask that you please bring this error
to the attention of the Development Department
at 414-258-2333.
Zoological Society of Milwaukee Annual Report 2012-2013 15
Serengeti Circle
The Serengeti Circle is an extraordinary group of corporations and foundations that support the Milwaukee
County Zoo and the nonprofit Zoological Society of Milwaukee (ZSM) at the $2,500 level and above. Every year,
numerous civic leaders choose to associate their companies or foundations with Wisconsin’s No. 1 single-venue
attraction: the Zoo. This partnership with the Zoo and ZSM is accomplished through grants and sponsorships of
our special events, traveling exhibits, attractions, conservation initiatives and education programs. This support
of the ZSM and the Zoo puts our partners in touch with the Zoo’s almost 1.3 million annual visitors, demonstrates
commitment to our community and identifies our partners with the fun, family lifestyle/culture the Zoo represents.
All business partnerships include opportunities for inclusion in media (advertising, signage, website promotion, etc.), promotional presence on Zoo
grounds, VIP customer hosting, Zoo admission and parking tickets, and negotiated consumer offers. For more information on sponsorship opportunities
at the Zoo, please call Patty Harrigan Mills, (414) 258-2333, ext. 213. For information on grant opportunities, please call Averia Steinman in the
Development Department, (414) 258-2333, ext. 309.
Priceless
Zoo Pride
• Zoo & Zoological Society events and programs
$1,500,000+
Kohl’s Department Stores through Kohl’s Cares
• Kohl’s Wild Theater
$250,000-$499,999
Briggs & Stratton Corporation
• Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard at Zoo Terrace
Supercuts
• Oceans of Fun Seal & Sea Lion Show
Clear Channel Media + Entertainment
• Ride on the Wild Side H
Tri City National Bank
• Sky Trail®
• Sunset Zoofaris
Felburn Foundation
• Bonobo & Congo Biodiversity Initiative (BCBI)
• BCBI - Park Support
MillerCoors
• Black Bear Exhibit
• Birdies & Eagles Golf Tournament H
• Puttin’ on the Ritz H
• Wines & Beers of the World H
• Zoo Ball H
• Zoo Brew H
Jerome & Dorothy Holz Family Foundation
• Animal Ambassador Continuum
• Animal Ambassador
• Student Intern Program
$100,000-$999,999
Northwestern Mutual Foundation
• Family Farm Renovation
Anonymous
• Bonobo & Congo Biodiversity Initiative (BCBI)
Ziegler Family
• Giraffe Acquisition/Endowment
$50,000-$99,999
The Lynde & Harry Bradley Foundation
• Operational Support
Journal Sentinel, Inc.
• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel a la Carte H
Sendik’s Food Markets
• Halloween at the Zoo
• Summer Special Exhibit - Sting Ray & Shark Bay
World Wildlife Fund
• Bonobo & Congo Biodiversity Initiative (BCBI)
$20,000-$49,999
Antonia Foundation
• Animal Ambassador Continuum
• Student Intern Program
BMO Harris Bank
• Gate Brochure
At the 30th anniversary Zoo Ball, Rich Tennessen, ZSM Board
chairman, was flanked (from left) by Zoo Ball co-chairs Caroline
Krider, Thelma Sias and Gina Peter. In 2013 Krider was senior vice
president at U.S. Bank in Milwaukee. Sias was vice president of
local affairs for We Energies, and Peters was Wisconsin commercial banking director for Wells Fargo. Zoo Ball was sponsored by
U.S. Bank, Wells Fargo and Wisconsin Energy Foundation. Many
Platypus Circle members attended the June 22, 2013, event, held
at the Milwaukee County Zoo. Zoo Ball is the Zoological Society
of Milwaukee’s largest annual fundraiser.
Ari Rosenthal Photography / Richard Taylor
16 Zoological Society of Milwaukee Annual Report 2012-2013
Ladish Co. Foundation
• School Programs
Penzeys Spices
• Carousel
• Summer Camps
Gordana & Milan Racic
• Snow Leopard Acquisition
Roundy’s Supermarkets, Inc.
• Animal Safari H
• Egg Day H
• Father’s Day H
David & Julia Uihlein Charitable Trust Foundation
• Operational Support
U.S. Bank
• Animals, Backpacks and Crafts Day with Big
Brothers & Big Sisters of Greater Milwaukee &
Sharp Literacy
• School Programs
• Zoo Ball
• Zoo Support
U.S. Cellular®
• Animal Ambassador Continuum
• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel a la CarteLakeview Stage
• Programs for Disadvantaged Youth
Wells Fargo
• Zoo Ball
Wisconsin Energy Foundation
• Zoo Ball
Fred & Sandra Young
• Bonobo & Congo Biodiversity Initiative (BCBI)
$10,000-$19,999
Anonymous
• Animal Ambassador Continuum
Aldi
• Lakeview Patio Umbrellas
Fiduciary Management, Inc.
• Birdies & Eagles Golf Tournament
Sadoff Family Foundation
• Animal Ambassador
The R.D. & Linda Peters Foundation
• Programs for Disadvantaged Youth
Sanger-Newton Donor Advised Fund
• Great Ape Health Project
PPG Industries Foundation
• Animal Ambassador
WaterStone Bank
• Kids’ Nights
Greater Milwaukee Foundation Harry & Martha Walsh Fund
• Animal Health
FOX 6
• Family Free Days H
We Energies
• Zoo Ball-Late Night Venue &
Photography/Parting Gifts
The Mohamed bin Zayed Species
Conservation Fund
• BCBI - Park Support
Wheaton Franciscan - St. Joseph and
Wisconsin Heart Hospital Campuses
• Ride on the Wild Side
Zoological Society of San Diego
• Bonobo & Congo Biodiversity Initiative (BCBI)
PNC
• Sky Safari
Wheaton Franciscan Senior Health
• Senior Celebration
H In-kind sponsorships
Welch’s
• Animal Safari
• Egg Day
Wisconsin Jaguars Ltd. auto club
• Name-the-Jaguar-Cub Contest
Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort
• Stroller Rentals
• Wilderness Fundraiser Weekend
Wildlife Conservation Network
• Bonobo & Congo Biodiversity Initiative (BCBI)
Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board
• Family Farm Weekend
Greater Milwaukee Foundation - Alma Smith
Wright Fund
• Programs for Disadvantaged Youth
$2,500-$4,999
Zoo Atlanta
• BCBI - Park Support
Anonymous
• Education Programs
$5,000-$9,999
American Family Insurance
• Kids’ Nights Entertainment
Anonymous
• Animal Ambassador Continuum
• Operational Support
A.O. Smith Foundation
• School Programs
The Abraham Foundation
• BCBI - Guard Training & Support
American Transmission Company
• Party for the Planet
Hawks Landscape Inc.
• Trim-a-Tree (Fantastic Forest) H
Jenkins Jaguar
• Name-the-Jaguar-Cub Contest
Johnson Controls
• Zoo Ball-Entertainment
Amica Insurance
• Samson Stomp
Arnow & Associates
• Animal Ambassador Continuum
Briggs & Stratton was the new sponsor in 2013 of Zoo Terrace,
which includes a stage, picnic area and bright red umbrellas. Its
new name is Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard at Zoo Terrace.
Richard Brodzeller photo
Briggs & Stratton Corporation Foundation, Inc.
• Operational Support
Greater Milwaukee Foundation - Marge & Fred
Brossmann
• Operational Support
Chinet®
• Father’s Day
CNH
• Family Farm Weekend - Mini-tractor Pull Contest
Joy Global Foundation Inc.
• Animal Ambassador Continuum
Cooper Industries / Cooper Power
Systems Division
• Animal Ambassador
Old Orchard Brands
• Snooze at the Zoo
Great Lakes Company
• Northwestern Mutual Family Farm Renovation H
Peck Foundation, Milwaukee Ltd.
• Animal Ambassador Continuum
Greater Milwaukee Foundation Robert A. & Verona D. Hein Fund
• Operational Support
Dr. Joan Prince/Milwaukee Urban League
• Programs for Disadvantaged Youth
Werner Family Foundation
• Programs for Disadvantaged Youth
Humana
• Senior Celebration-Entertainment
Racine Danish Kringles
• Breakfast & Lunch with Bunny
• Breakfast & Lunch with Santa
Charles D. Jacobus Family Foundation
• Animal Ambassador
Ralph Evinrude Foundation
• Programs for Disadvantaged Youth
Lifeway Foods
• Kids’ Nights-Entertainment
Rockwell Automation
• Animal Ambassador
Greater Milwaukee Foundation - Rodney F. Park
& Betty Park Family Fund
• Operational Support
Aldi, a popular grocery store throughout the metro-Milwaukee
area, was the new sponsor in 2013 of Lakeview Patio umbrellas at
the Milwaukee County Zoo. They made sitting outdoors next to
Lakeview Place Restaurant on a sunny day much more enjoyable.
Richard Brodzeller photo
Zoological Society of Milwaukee Annual Report 2012-2013 17
Financial Summary
Zoological Society of Milwaukee County (ZSM) – Year ending September 30, 2013
SUPPORT & REVENUE
COST OF SUPPORT AND REVENUE
(Support Services)
MEMBERSHIP DUES
from all ZooPass and Platypus Circle members
...........
$6,596,909
MEMBERSHIP DUES
Expense of providing benefits to all
ZooPass and Platypus Circle members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,666,164
CONTRIBUTIONS
toward capital projects, specific programs and support . . . . $710,727
SPECIAL EVENTS/PROGRAMS
SPECIAL EVENTS PROGRAMS/SPONSORSHIPS
including animal sponsorship, Zoo Ball, education,
ZSM and Zoo special events, and sponsorships . . . . . . . . . . . $2,280,333
INTEREST INCOME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $8,629
Expense of providing and promoting
ZSM special events/programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $497,584
TOTAL COST OF SUPPORT & REVENUE
(Support Services) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2,163,748
GRANTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $761,668
EXPENSES
TOTAL SUPPORT & REVENUE
DIRECT PROJECT COSTS
.....................
$10,358,266
Expenses relative to capital projects
and specific programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $26,421
RECEIPTS
ZOO SUPPORT
64%
MEMBERSHIP DUES: 64%
SPECIAL EVENTS/PROGRAMS: 22%
22%
CONTRIBUTIONS: 7%
7%
GRANTS: 7%
7%
Direct cash and in-kind support to the Milwaukee
County Zoo, expense of providing, promoting and
supporting education, graphics, special-exhibit
projects, and Zoo special events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $6,985,329
RESEARCH/CONSERVATION
Expenses relating to state, national and international
programs supporting species preservation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $675,617
EXPENSES
ZOO SUPPORT, CAPITAL &
DIRECT PROJECT COSTS: 68%
SUPPORT SERVICES: 21%
RESEARCH/CONSERVATION: 7%
GENERAL & ADMINISTRATIVE: 4%
African spurred tortoise
Photo by Richard Brodzeller
18 Zoological Society of Milwaukee Annual Report 2012-2013
68%
21%
GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE
Expenses relating to daily ZSM operations
..................
$425,156
7%
TOTAL EXPENSES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $8,112,523
4%
TOTAL COST OF SUPPORT
AND EXPENSES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10,276,271
Conservation (continued from page 7)
Birds
• Humboldt Penguin Conservation and Research, Past Support: Since
the 1998-’99 year, the ZSM has given more than $181,505 to projects
that protect and study Humboldt penguins. The longest-term study has
been of a breeding colony of Humboldt penguins in Algarrobo, Chile.
Milwaukee County Zoo staff, led by veterinarian Roberta Wallace, have
been involved in the research, and several journal articles and publications
related to this study and the captive management of penguins were
completed in 2013.
• Migratory Bird Collision Abatement, $1,000: The Zoo is an active
stopover or nesting site for 176 species of native migratory birds.
To prevent birds colliding with windows of Zoo buildings, the Zoo and
ZSM have applied predator decals, striping, netting and other distractions
to windows, especially in larger buildings. Along with better planting
practices, these window treatments, thanks in part to ZSM funding, have
reduced the number of bird-related deaths due to window collisions.
• Adopt an Ostrich, $500: During armed conflict in the Sahara in 1992,
the small population of ostriches in Niger was nearly wiped out. The
Ostrich Recovery Project in Niger has developed a captive-breeding
program in hopes of reintroducing ostriches into the wild, and the
ZSM has provided funds to assist the project.
Conservation programs supported by the
Foundation for Wildlife Conservation, Inc.
(FWC), a partner with the ZSM
Belize
Africa
• In Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the FWC
supported the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International’s efforts to save
the mountain gorilla. In northern Kenya, the FWC supported Lewa
Wildlife Conservancy conservation, education and anti-poaching projects.
Dr. Gil Boese, FWC president, serves on the boards of both groups and
has worked with Lewa since 1974.
• FWC hosted a natural history safari in January 2013 to Tanzania to
observe the migration of wildebeest, zebra and other animals across the
Serengeti. Part of the group continued to Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in
Kenya to observe the success of protecting 118 rhinos in the reserve, in
addition to elephants and other endangered animals. The group saw up
to 30 rhinos a day on the fenced-in reserve, but poaching continued to
be a problem.
Wisconsin
Dr. Boese continued a multi-year study of bird-population dynamics on
Pewaukee Lake in the metro-Milwaukee area. He has documented that
certain birds, such as the red-winged blackbird, red-tailed hawk and bald
eagle are on the increase; others, such as cardinals, wrens and goldfinches,
have been diminishing. Data collection was scheduled to continue in
2014, with a written report in 2015.
Photos by Richard Brodzeller
The FWC manages the 6,134-acre Runaway Creek Nature Preserve (RCNP,
called a Reserve in Belize). The reserve has hosted several conservation
programs, most managed by university researchers and done in collaboration
with FWC and its Birds Without Borders/Aves Sin Fronteras (BWB/ASF)
staff. Here are summaries of research and conservation studies on RCNP:
• University of Calgary (Alberta, Canada) researcher Kayla Hartwell,
as part of her Ph.D. work, spent six months at RCNP in Belize in spring
and summer 2013 to study the changing relationship between howler
monkeys and spider monkeys after a major hurricane took down parts
of their forest. Howler monkeys seemed to have increased, perhaps
because they like forest edges, which there are more of after the hurricane.
She has noted more interaction between the two species, particularly
among the youngsters.
• Lincoln Memorial University (Harrogate, Tenn.) researchers, who
discovered a new snail species at RCNP in 2011-2012, studied another
invertebrate at RCNP in 2013. This is a crustacean seen only during the
wet season. It builds a cone of mud, emerges to forage, then returns to
the cone and a ground tunnel during the dry season and seems to
go dormant.
• BWB/ASF staff (Reynold Cal, Wilbur Martinez, Stevan Reneau, and
Dr. Omar Figuora) monitored the wildlife of RCNP, including monthly
bird censuses (particularly during bird migrations) and camera trapping
(remote photography of pumas, jaguars, pacu and tapirs). They also have
discovered more archeologically significant Maya drawings in caves at
RCNP. Dr. Figueroa, senior research associate, is also a consultant to the
Belize government in an effort to develop a free-roaming corridor in
Belize (including RCNP) for big cats so they will be less likely to raid
farms and be killed.
Black rhino
Red-tailed hawk
Zoological Society of Milwaukee Annual Report 2012-2013 19
Our natural-looking Zoo
If you want to enjoy summer year-round, visit the Milwaukee
like windows into mini-environments. The birds themselves,
County Zoo’s bird building. Inside the Herb & Nada Mahler
like these red-billed hornbill chicks, have fascinating patterns,
Family Aviary, you’ll find a solar-lit, free-flight exhibit full of
colors and behaviors. All the birds are presented in exhibits that
flowers, greenery and birds overhead (large photo below).
mimic the animals’ natural habitats. It’s one of the best ways
The shorebird exhibit gives you the illusion of being on the
to visit birds from around the world and peek into multiple
beach with the birds (below left). The tropical exhibits are
environments all in one day.
Red-billed
hornbill chicks
10005 W. Bluemound Rd.
Milwaukee, Wis. 53226-4383
(414) 258-2333
www.zoosociety.org
Zoological Society of Milwaukee Annual Report 2012-2013