Our Projects and Programs
The Buttonwood Park Zoo is involved in a variety of local and international conservation efforts.

Coins for Conservation
Your vote can change the world!
Coins for Conservation is an exciting initiative that greatly enhances our wildlife conservation work. With help from our visitors, we’ll provide funding for new and existing wildlife conservation projects. This program provides an opportunity to engage our staff and our community while also significantly expanding our contributions to wildlife conservation in our backyard and around the world.
Make a donation today that goes directly towards Coins for Conservation and the support of critical wildlife conservation programs!
Since its inception in 2015, Coins for Conservation has raised over $85,000! The following projects have received funding thanks to the Zoo’s dedication to wildlife conservation and the generosity of our visitors.
Atlantic White Shark Conservancy
AZA Saving Animals From Extinction (SAFE)
These programs focus the collective expertise within AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums and leverages their massive audiences to save species. SAFE sets out to protect threatened animals, build on established recovery plans and history of commitment, prioritizes collaboration among AZA member institutions, implements strategic conservation and stakeholder engagement activities, and measure and report conservation progress. Currently there are 30 SAFE program species and BPZOO has helped support Asian Elephant, Monarch Butterfly, Sea Turtle and Vaquita.
Belize Audubon Society
Birds Caribbean
Brazilian Merganser Recovery Program
Cape Wildlife Center
This five acre facility located in Barnstable, MA serves as the Cape Cod branch of the New England Wildlife Center which works to provide free wildlife veterinary care and care-based education to the local community. On average, Cape Wildlife Center treats roughly 2,500 animals each year.
East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership
Elephant Family Asian Elephant Conservation
Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education Center (GRACE)
Highlighted in BPZOO’s 2022 Wildlife Education Series, their mission is to provide excellent care for rescued Grauer’s gorillas (eastern lowland gorilla) and work alongside Congolese communities to promote the conservation of wild gorillas and their habitat. Located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo near the Tayna Nature Reserve, GRACE is the world’s only sanctuary for rescued Grauer’s gorillas. GRACE nurses orphans back to health then gives them the chance to be with other gorillas again. The 14 gorillas at GRACE – all orphans – form a tight-knit surrogate family. The ultimate goal is to reintroduce them back into the wild. More than just a sanctuary, GRACE also works with local communities on conservation education, forest protection, & sustainable livelihoods to help secure a future for orphan gorillas and their wild counterparts and to foster a peaceful coexistence between humans & gorillas.
Manomet Landbird Conservation
Manomet uses science and collaboration to strengthen bird migration routes, coastal ecosystems, and working lands and seas across the Western Hemisphere. For over 50 years, they have formed vital partnerships with businesses, producers, and educators, to help nature and local communities thrive.
Mountain Marmosets Conservation Program
This organization is focused on the conservation of two endangered marmosets found in the mountainous regions of the South-eastern Atlantic Rainforest, Brazil. Their vision is to restore the biodiversity of the Atlantic Rainforest
by conserving endemic primate species.
National Marine Life Center of Cape Cod
Proyecto Titi
Red Panda Network
Save the Golden Lion Tamarin
The Center for Research and Conservation of Sea Turtles (CICTMAR)
The Muriqui Project of Caratinga
The Sloth Institute
Located in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica, this organization focuses on enhancing the welfare and conservation of sloths through the rescue, rehabilitation and release of hand-raised and injured sloths. While also conducting vital research, conservation and education programs to ensure their survival. To date, TSI has rescued and studied over 400 sloths, installed over 1,000 meters of sloth speedways to divert sloths from dangerous roads, and educated over 8,000 tourists.
Vaquita Rescue Project
Vietnam Elephant Initiative (Elephant Care International)
The Vietnam Elephant Initiative is committed to supporting the Dak Lak Elephant Conservation Centre to protect a sustainable wild population of elephants in Vietnam, provide high standards of care for captive elephants, and end the use of elephants for riding, circuses and shows. The Zoo has purchased a portable scale to help manage and care for orphaned elephants. The Zoo continues to support the Vietnam Elephant Initiative by providing funding for Vietnamese wildlife veterinarian training and medical supplies.
Wildlife Rehabilitation Program
Species Awareness Days
During these special species awareness days, zoo staff highlights the species by bringing special attention through additional keeper talks, education programs, and enrichment activities highlighting important facts and conservation messages:
- Endangered Species Day
- World Oceans Day
- Vulture Awareness Day
- International Red Panda Day
- National Elephant Appreciation Day
- World Wildlife Day
FrogWatch USA
FrogWatch USA is AZA’s flagship citizen science program that invites individuals and families to learn about the wetlands in their communities and help conserve amphibians by reporting the calls of local frogs and toads. The FrogWatch program began in response to a noticeable decline in frog and toad populations across the country and around the world. The idea was to gather scientifically creditable data to prove such a decline was in fact occurring while at the same time educating the public about amphibians and the probable causes for their recent declines. The Buttonwood Park Zoo supports the FrogWatch initiative by hosting public training sessions.