Conservation at Oglebay Good Zoo ~

Bird Friendly Coffee

Oglebay Good Zoo participates in the North American Songbird Program (SAFE – Saving Animals From Extinction), which is essential for zoo accreditation. In addition to caring for red wolves, our primary contributions to the SAFE program include acquiring products from SAFE initiatives to support their causes and selling them in our retail and food and beverage operations.

One of the products we support is bird-friendly coffee, which promotes coffee farming practices that actively conserve wildlife habitats. By retaining native shade trees on their land, farmers provide an economically viable alternative to the sun-grown coffee.

Species Survival Program & Conservation Projects

Our red wolves are part of several managed breeding programs at Oglebay Good Zoo. Since red wolves are managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) with active conservation efforts in the wild conducted by both USFWS and zoo employees, they hold a SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) designation. Other breeding programs operated by Association of Zoos and Aquariums members are designated as Species Survival Plans (SSP). Some of the SSP animals at our zoo cares include golden lion tamarin, Grevy’s zebra, cheetahs, mongoose lemurs and red pandas.

In collaboration with the Williams Companies, the West Virginia Division of Wildlife, West Liberty University, and the Wilds, Oglebay Good Zoo recently reintroduced over 100 Eastern hellbenders back to their natural habitat. These hellbenders, hatched and raised at the zoo since 2018, were released into a stream in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia. In 2007, Oglebay Good Zoo made history as the first zoo in the world to successfully hatch Eastern hellbender eggs in a controlled environment. This milestone continues to drive conservation efforts, ensuring the survival and resurgence of this unique species in its native habitat.